Testing, Testing 1...2...3

Well Well Well…

Here we are in Spring 2021 with a updated website and a blank blog staring back at me. Years and years ago, when blogging was big and we were basically just a small Etsy shop selling our own designs and starting to think about custom printing orders, we had a pretty happening blog! You can read those old posts HERE but I am sure the links no longer work and and the advise is a little dated.

I think this first post back (since 2014!) should be a short introduction and catch up.

The one doing this writing is me, Tessa. As cheesy as it sounds, I have to introduce myself and my voice. I will be the only one writing blog posts as its my role, calling, and need to have a voice here. I am the co-owner of New Duds with my husband Torrey. We started this screen-print shop a few years after college when Etsy was big, there was a recession going large, and we weren’t even married yet. 13 years later New Duds has 15 employees, Torrey and I have two children of our own, and a thriving custom screen-printing and embroidery business that survived a global pandemic in a small state with the highest vaccine rate. PHEW! We consider ourselves slow growers by those silicon valley start up standards. But also fairly new in a long running, old timer filled, historically hard labor and male industry. We like to think we are a bit different, offering livable wages, with a staff of all genders and ages as well as a focus on hard work, efficiency, cleanliness and valuable life outside of work time off.

But none of this is to say its easy. We are privileged and we know it. We didn’t start with a huge chunk of change but we do have family and community support in a way not everyone gets and we know that. We spent ten years selling our products and meeting the community every summer Saturday in the center of Burlington at the Artist Market and that was such a valuable time. Customer feedback in an online world that feels real and face to face is such a treat. As we continue to grow we hope to hold ourselves accountable to the unknown and the “know better, do better” mentality. We honor mistakes and hope to give our staff a voice and be an ear that will listen. It is not always comfortable, business owners are often that because they don’t enjoy being told what and when to do things!

Hopefully this blog can show some behind the scenes, day to day, as well as a look at just what it takes to run a growing business. Follow along!

Tessa Valyou - Current rolls: Ordering manager, Vice- President of operations, Wholesale and Product line manager and general problem solver.

I think you deserve to put a face to the voice you are reading so here we are. Torrey and I with our two children currently. Some day I will look back on this post and think, how did time go that fast.

So its just as much for me as it is for you.