Contact
Chase Cranmer, owner
lockdownclothing@gmail.com
www.lockdownclothing.net
(513) 405-6688
Start-up history
Chase Cranmer’s business idea grew out of his love for paintball. He saw a niche he with which he was familiar, paintball gear, at the young age of 14. First he partnered with his best friend, Andrew Hunt. They bought striped beanies on sale at JC Penney for $6, and sold them “as-is” for $30 apiece. Hunt moved to Florida six months later.
By that time Cranmer had $2,000 that he had saved up for a new paintball gun, but thought it would be better to reinvest his savings to start a customized clothing line. So he bought an off-market vinyl cutter and a heat press. He used free stickers to advertise his gear to paintball players.
Business description
Cranmer customizes items like headbands and T-shirts with paintball terms like “lockdown” and often includes a customized padlock design. In paintball, lockdown refers to a particular game format, like 7-man.
Process
He starts out with a design idea for a shirt, sets it up on SignBlazer, Inkscape, or PhotoShop, and sends the design to the vinyl cutter. After cleaning away the excess vinyl, he places the logo on the shirt and uses his Stahls Hotronix heat press to transfer the design. He sells his products through a third-party site called Big Cartel.
Quote
“Doesn’t everybody think about starting a T-shirt business at some point in their lives?” said Cranmer, now a senior home-schooled Springboro resident. “I guess the most surprising part of starting a new business for me was that it was easier than I expected. This is my seventh season in tournament paintball, so I know a lot of professional paintball players.”
Loves the sport
“I’ve been playing paintball since I was 8. During the winter we go to indoor facilities in Indiana and Kentucky,” said Cranmer, who spends an average of 40 hours per week on his business.
Future plans
Cranmer will further diversify his paintball product line with customized backs for his undershirts and long-sleeved shirts. He plans to release one new long-sleeved T-shirt design every month this year.
— Pamela Dillon, Contributing writer