Screen Printing Never Expected This: Interviewing Noreast Apparel Before & After The Crisis

We talk to Dave Quigley from Noreast Apparel in Lowell, MA about screen printing in 2020. The bulk of this interview was filmed in January 2020 at Impressions Expo Long Beach – but it features an intro from April 2020 looking back after the crisis.

We ask Dave about his business, his strategy for getting customers, and much more – and his candid answers will surprise you and make you think.

What was Dave most excited in the screen printing industry heading into 2020?

"The events, the industry, meeting people, learning. I got stuck behind a screen or a press. [...] I'm excited to lean in to the industry a little bit." Instead of events, Dave managed to raise more than $20,000 for local businesses in Massachusetts using Printavo Merch's simple online stores.

Noreast Apparel prints simple, vivid designs on great shirts at the right price, then splits the proceeds with restaurants, breweries, gyms, cafes and other local businesses. Learn how other businesses are using online stores to sell merchandise, raise funds, and keep their doors open in this article.

Even wilder...his Printavo account is number 80. We have thousands of accounts, so he's one of the very first Printavo users. "I was obsessed with finding software for a print shop, Printavo was pretty much the perfect thing."

Dave wrote a post about Lowell, MA that inspired his fundraising with Printavo Merch. It's a heartfelt look at how it feels to miss your town's local businesses. Must read: