News

Custom Shirt Shop Makes Big Splash

Welcome to iTownStore.com, Born and Raised in Darien 

(Top: Owners Brad Lareau and Mike Kuehler)

By Samantha Wood - 12/10
View Original Article Here

Almost every sports team can be identified by the apparel they wear. Be it t-shirts, sweatshirts, sweat pants, you name it. And it’s not just the sports teams. Many clubs and other organizations have their own apparel too. Most of these clothes (for the sports teams) are organized and sold exclusively by the team’s coaches. Others are designed by the members of the team, most often for Senior Day and Homecoming celebrations. When looking for a place to design and create these shirts, many groups (including the Neirad team!) turn to the popular site CustomInk.com. But now there is a new place right here in Darien that gets the same job done, for a much lower price.        
    
This growing company, the iTownStore, was very recently created by Darien High School graduates, Brad Lareau and Mike Kuehler. The main idea behind this store is to focus on local schools, charities, and small businesses. According to the store’s website, “iTownStore is a virtual store that is focused on sales of apparel and promotional products specifically catering to local area organizations (i.e. schools, charities, athletic leagues) and local area businesses.”

Both founders were born and raised right here in Darien. Lareau attended Mather Junior High before going to a private high school. His name may be familiar because his wife is an English teacher on the Bronze team at Middlesex Middle School, and his son Dillon is a junior here at DHS. Kuehler was in the Darien High School Class of ’86 and even played lacrosse for the Blue Wave!

Lareau and Kuehler explained that the idea for the iTownStore was born after learning about how frustrating it was whenever groups at MMS were trying to order bulk t-shirts. Specifically, they heard of the troubles that Abby Warren, another teacher at MMS, experienced with these frustrating orders where she had to track down people and collect all of the checks. The thought that started it all was, simply, “There has to be an easier way!”

Two years ago, this sparked the creation of this easy online store through which people can access the merchandise directly. They started out buying a business called Color Film, which printed CDs. With this new mission to focus on clothing, they started analyzing popular online sites such as CustomInk and Cafe Press. Their idea was that every town should have a place where people could go to get their merchandise. They spent nine months developing their basic idea, and in the spring of ’09 they presented the idea to MMS. Then in the fall of that year they launched the online store with just eight or nine organizations. One short year later, they were catering to 80 organizations, and now they have 100!

Lareau and Kuehler explained that the iTownStore certainly has a long way to go, but as of right now they are the only business of this kind on the east coast. Their business is unique from CustomInk or Cafe Press because their equipment is the newest and most high tech available. Also, they offer the option of buying in bulk (for a cheaper price) or anyone buying one or a few pieces at a bit higher price (but still very cheap).

So far, for just the town of Darien, the iTownStore has created apparel for all the elementary schools, Middlesex Middle School, and Blue Wave Pride apparel. It also has apparel for specific DHS sports teams, including girls’ ice hockey, girls’ lacrosse, girls’ and boys’ volleyball, football, girls’ track and field, rugby, and others. Outside of Darien, iTownStore provides for 26 towns in Connecticut, with a few more in New York, Minnesota, Illinois, and California.

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