Kustom Threadz under new ownership in Worthington
Sep. 26—WORTHINGTON — Kustom Threadz, a local business that does personalized embroidery and screen printing, has changed ownership and locations.
Vieng Harvey sold the business in mid-August to Hayley Brandl, Hilary Klenken and Curt Thomson. Brandl will work full time in the shop, which also includes Eventfully MN — their newly established wedding, prom and party decoration rental business — and Brandl's photography business, which she started in 2018.
The trio of owners are relocating Kustom Threadz to the strip mall west of Ace Hardware, along Worthington's Oxford Street. Their tentative opening in the new space is Oct. 1, Brandl said.
The business venture took off when Brandl and Klenken, who works full-time for Hokeness Farms, began talking about having an event business. As their idea grew serious and they began collecting decor for rentals, Thomson — owner and manager of the local Jimmy John's franchise — expressed interest in being a business partner.
Adding Kustom Threadz to the mix happened almost on a whim.
Harvey has done make-up for Brandl's boudoir photography clients. With the growth in that business, Brandl asked Harvey to create some custom shirts.
"She said, 'I don't know if I have time to do it,'" Brandl said. "Everybody loves Kustom Threadz and wants Vieng to do their work. I just got to thinking that would be something good to get into."
Brandl sent Harvey a text message asking if she'd be interested in the business. Initially, Harvey said no, she didn't think so.
"Three hours later, we were negotiating a price," Brandl said. And two weeks after that, the business changed hands.
Throughout the process, Harvey continued to take orders and the work piled up for the new owners to complete. Within the past couple of weeks, Brandl and her partners have been in training to use both the screen printing and embroidery machines.
"We can embroider pretty much any type of fabric that you want," Brandl said.
Plans are to have a display of embroidery and screen printing products in half of the storefront, and the wedding and party decor in the other half. Their shop is in a building owned by Steve and Jason Johnson, and it was totally renovated before they moved in, with exposed concrete flooring and newly painted walls.
"We're very quickly running out of room with our decorations," Brandl said with a laugh. They will likely have to keep one of each item on display and put the rest in a storage unit, she added.
A photo booth they offer through Eventfully MN has already proven popular for parties and events.
"That's where it really started," Brandl said. "We've just kind of grown from there."
Getting into the business of renting wedding and party decorations fills a void in the community and area. Brandl said the closest thing like it is in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
"We just want it to be affordable for brides because we know what it is like," said Brandl of the idea she and Klenken had for the business.
As of last week, Brandl said they were still discussing shop hours.
"We'd like to have set hours here once we get going," she said. "Otherwise we'll be available by appointment. Most mornings I'm here for sure."
For information on Kustom Threadz, Eventfully MN or Hayley Beal Photography, visit their corresponding Facebook pages or contact Brandl at (507) 360-2534. The businesses can also be reached through
or
.
"We are really excited to keep (Kustom Threadz), a thriving business, going and bring a brand new one to the Worthington area," Brandl said.
