Allegro Dance Academy is located in Nashua, NH and offers dance classes for dancers of all ages. They are celebrating 15 years of business this year, and we asked owner Jen McLaughlin to share how our Merch Store service has helped simplify offering custom gear to her dancers.

How long have you been ordering screenprinting/embroidered items for your dance company? Since we opened 15 years ago, but with Mint Printworks since YOU opened! 

How many pieces do you typically order at a time? I usually try to pick out some trendy items to cover my dancers head to toe. Each Spring and holiday season, we like to offer a hat, sweatshirts, tshirts, longsleeves, shorts, sweats or leggings, and sometimes socks! This year, we also did masks since those are trendy these days lol! 

Why did you decide to use our merch store service instead of ordering a bulk custom order? I did bulk orders forever and I never seemed to get it right. I would order too many of one item and not enough of another. Guessing on sizes was hard too. Inevitably, I would end up with extras of things that I wouldn't really be able to sell later or then need to order the minimum of something again to accomodate the needs of a handful of customers. Long story short, I still have a closet full of things I ordered in bulk and now they are giveaways.

Eventually I started having my customers pre order the specific items and sizes they wanted before I placed my bulk order so I didn’t wind up with a huge stock. We were collecting and tracking orders, taking payments, and then distributing the gear. It was a lot to keep track of! We are so happy to now use the Merch Store service... it makes the process so simple and stress free.

What is your favorite part about our Merch Store service? It's easy! We pick the items, then our store goes live and we don't worry about anything else in the process because Medina and Tyler and their team take care of it! We don’t have to keep track of orders, payments, sizes…everything is taken care of through the online store. And I'm left with nothing extra to store and try to sell. 

Do your customers find it easy to place orders directly using the merch store? Yes! It is so simple, they just visit the online store and make their purchase. Placing the order and checking out couldn't be easier.

Do you only use the merch store service now? Why or why not? Mostly the merch store, but I do still place bulk orders occassionaly like when I order custom gifts for staff at the holidays or need a large order of t-shirts and gifts each spring.