BY KADIE TAYLOR
THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — Providing quality designs, attention to detail, competitive prices and licensing with local universities, Tiger Town Embroidery & Screenprinting celebrated 25 years of business on April 1.
Owner Ken Tidwell said when he bought Tiger Town Embroidery & Screenprinting, it was a small business that he has since grown to serve customers for a quarter of a century.
“Me and my wife bought the business, and we took over on April 1, 2001, and at that point, we had one unit — now we have two,” he said. “We’ve had two units for 16 years now, but [when we bought it we] had a lot less equipment, and I had like three people; now we have 11. We’ve grown about seven times the size that we were back in 2001.”
Tidwell said along with embroidery and screenprinting on a variety of items, Tiger Town also offers promotional items. He said for gifts, events, businesses, memories and more, Tiger Town Embroidery & Screenprinting has options to fit a range of needs with custom designs from experienced artists.
“We can screenprint on T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants, tote bags and stoles for graduation,” he said. “We do tablecloths, but we only have a certain size that we can print on our press. We do a lot of provided things, but we buy most of the things that we decorate. In embroidery, we do golf shirts, jackets, a lot of hats, tote bags, saddle blankets and you name it. There’s all kinds of things that can be held still, to be decorated with the stitching. We also do promotional items, which include any kind of cups, mugs, lanyards, key chains, mouse pads and all kinds of things.”
Clothing more than the community, Tidwell said, Tiger Town Embroidery & Screenprinting also works with notable regional universities, including Auburn University, Tuskegee University and Alabama State University.
“We do a lot of work for Auburn University, not retail, but for the staff, the faculty and clubs,” he said. “We’ve had our Auburn University license for 25 years, and we do a lot for the athletic department as well.
Customers can also find pre-printed items for local schools at the storefront. Tidwell said he enjoys providing grab-and-go products so those moving to the area or wanting to show school pride can choose a shirt to support their student.
“There are people moving into Auburn and Opelika every week,” he said. “People come in all the time who have never lived here, and they don’t have anything, so they can come in and we have options that are generic. Nearly everything out there is not sport-specific; you can buy it for a softball game, you can buy it for a football game or a basketball game.”
Along with being a part of locals’ special memories, Tidwell said when people support Tiger Town Embroidery & Screenprinting, the business also makes a positive impact on the local economy.
“It is good when you can support the local people, because it’s the right thing to do, even if it costs a little bit more,” he said. “It might not be the worst thing to pay a little bit more to get something done, especially if it’s custom, it’s homemade, if it’s printed here in town or embroidered in town… [When people think about shopping for printing services], as far as ordering online, [they need to consider] if they can get it here in time and if there is shipping involved. Also, [people should think about] what happens if there’s a problem there. You can’t just get in the car and drive over a mile and a half, two miles and talk to the person at the company to get it fixed.”
With 25 years of growth and serving the community he grew up in, Tidwell said Tiger Town Embroidery & Screenprinting has grown through customers sharing their positive experiences with the company and working to provide quality products and positive service.
“[It has just grown through] word of mouth, which, if you do a good job, you have good customer service and your pricing is okay, people will come back to see you, and people will tell other people about you,” he said. “That’s really how the business has grown, and we have new customers every day, not every week or month, but every day. We have new customers come in, some with little orders, some with big orders, and that’s just how the business has grown so much over the last 25 years.”
Through being a part of customers’ special memories and life events, Tidwell said he aims to be a one-stop shop for locals in need of embroidery, screenprinting and promotional items, and works to provide speedy services, when able, to customers who are in a time crunch.
“We can do just T-shirts for your bridesmaids, and we basically become part of that event,” he said. “So it’s very emotional for everybody, and we become tied to the event because of the passing of someone, the wedding of someone or the graduation of a child. When you’re talking about those kinds of life events, people are very emotional. People are very thankful and very grateful, especially when we complete last-minute things. I’ve always said this my whole career, ‘It’s easy for people to do the normal stuff, the easy things — it sets you apart when you do the miraculous stuff.’ Like when somebody gives you two days to print [a certain] number of shirts or embroider some golf shirts for an event. We have that happen on a weekly basis… We try to make it a point to help everybody who has a problem and a need, because they will remember that you did that for them, and it grows the business because they’ll come back to you for their family reunion or their next event.”
For more information, visit Tiger Town Embroidery Screenprinting on Facebook, call (334) 887-8801, visit the website tigertownapparel.com or visit the store in person at 2515 E. Glenn Ave., Ste 305, Auburn.
