Retro Ink Customs strives to provide customized T-shirts, hoodies in wide range of sizes and at affordable prices

Apr. 4—Sarah Regnier wants to be sure that people with all different body dimensions will be able to fit into the custom-designed apparel that she produces at her new online business, Retro Ink Customs.

To accommodate its customers, Retro Ink Customs offers short- and long-sleeved T-shirts, hoodies, and crewnecks — hoodies without hoods — in sizes ranges from extra small to 4-XL.

"It's very difficult to find clothing that is larger like (up to 4-XL) even at regular stores and online stores," Regnier said. "It's definitely important to make my designs available to (people who need sizes beyond extra-large) at the same pricing that's offered to everybody else, so that's something that I'm really focused on." — Advertisement — Regnier launched Retro Ink Customs on Feb. 1 and runs the business out of her Madison Township home. Her equipment at this point includes a computer and iPad to create graphic designs, a Cricut cutting machine and a heat press to transfer the designs to apparel.

She also uses a printer to produce custom stickers for attaching to cars, laptop computers and other surfaces.

"I've always been artistic growing up," she said.

While Regnier is essentially a self-taught artist, she has acquired business savvy by majoring in entrepreneurship at Kent State University.

"I've learned a lot with that," said Regnier, who will receive her bachelor's degree from Kent State next month. "They've definitely helped guide me in better directions, answering questions and things like that."

The opening of Retro Ink Customs took place after Regnier initially established a different business in late 2020.

"It was a women's boutique," she said. "I had bought some inventory, but it just wasn't selling."

At that point, Regnier shifted to a different business specializing in T-shirts, hoodies and crewnecks that appealed to women and men. This time around, she would create her own designs and purchase the apparel on which to print her artwork, rather than carrying clothing which already had been embellished by other retailers.

"I didn't want to rely on somebody else to have to make the clothing for me," she said. "And this also allowed me to be size-inclusive. Also, I'm able to control the affordability of it, and I really am focused on keeping my prices as low as possible for the customers."

When she began brainstorming names for the new business, Regnier knew she wanted the words "ink" and "customs" to be part of the title. She also had decided that the business logo would include a rendering of one of her own tattoos — a rose being held by a skeleton hand.

"I thought that (putting the tattoo in the logo) would be nice because it's not too feminine and it's not super masculine," she said.

Regnier said she kept searching for good words to complement the tattoo image and came across Retro Ink Customs.

"I thought it sounded really cool, and I've always really liked the look of vintage things," she said. "I spent a lot of my time in the beginning years of my college thrifting with my friends, just looking for things, more retro or vintage, you could say."

However, T-shirts designs offered at Retro Ink Customs aren't exclusively oriented to the past.

Earlier this year, the shop offered an array of shirt logos related to both Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. Other designs in the shop's inventory includes a skull which is adorned with the word "Overthinking," and a flower positioned to the side the two-deck phrase, "No rain, no flowers."

Regnier said customer response to her new online business has been enthusiastic.

"My Facebook page is growing, my Instagram page is growing," she said. "I'm constantly looking at how many people are visiting my sites and that number is going up daily, so now it's just a matter of continuing to grow and expand."

In terms of new products that are on the horizon, Regnier soon will introduce a line of reusable plastic cups featuring custom designs.

She also has started reaching out to businesses in the Madison area, letting them know that Retro Ink Customs would be interested in printing customized T-shirts for employees or to sell to customers.

In addition, Regnier said Retro Ink Customs also wants to provide the same types of apparel for area churches, schools and nonprofit organizations.

Along with continuing to serve customers through e-commerce, Regnier hopes to someday showcase Retro Ink Customs' apparel, stickers and cups in a brick-and-mortar store where customers can walk in and shop.

She believes that either Madison or Geneva might be a good location to operate Retro Ink Customs as a traditional store.

"If I continue with how I'm going right now, just adding a few more orders each month to what I'm currently getting, I could definitely see myself getting there (to a brick-and-mortar store) in five years at the longest," Regnier said. "But I'm just really excited to see where this goes and stay true to my originally values of being size-inclusive, as well as affordable for everybody."

For more information, call Retro Ink Customs at 440-557-2694 or visit www.retroinkcustoms.com.