Spotlight: Picture yourself running a custom t-shirt shop

LACONIA — Sarah and Aaron Gray met while they were both graphic art students at Lakes Region Community College. It was circumstances that brought them both to LRCC, as it was the only school nearby with a graphics program, and it was circumstances that first brought Aaron to Body Covers, the business that the couple has been owning and growing since 2003.

“We kind of knew as soon as we started dating that we wanted to work together and own our own business together,” said Sarah. Internships were a required part of their program, and Aaron was able to land an internship at Body Covers, then with shop locations on both Bay and Main streets. That was in 1994. He was hired after his internship. Sarah, who had had their daughter, Emily in 1998, was hired by Body Covers in 2002, and a year later the owners, Betsy Spencer and Peter Coldwell, sold the business to the Grays. They were so young that clients who walked in for the first time would ask to talk to Sarah’s parents, not realizing that the owner was standing right in front of them.

Business grew under their management, keeping the Grays so busy they couldn’t take a vacation for five years. They consolidated the business to one location at the O’Shea Industrial Park, and now have moved to a yet larger, 7,500-square-foot facility they purchased at the end of Primrose Drive North.

Sarah is the people-person who manages the graphic design for their clients, while Aaron, a man of few words but many motorcycles, oversees the production.

Body Covers does screenprinting and embroidery – “We stitch things and decorate things,” Sarah said. Their work is almost exclusively custom, and for New Hampshire clients.

“We’re doing about 125 special projects per week. They’re all snowflakes, they’re all custom,” Sarah said. “Our specialty is from scratch. They come to us with nothing, that’s the norm.”

And their customers have grown comfortable with letting Sarah and Aaron’s team deliver a custom t-shirt for their event or business with no design input. Since they took over 15 years ago, their business has tripled in size, and all through referrals and word-of-mouth.

Sarah, a graduate of Pembroke Academy, and Aaron, who grew up in Eaton, find it amusing when today’s young professionals say they need to go to Manchester or Boston to find a good time.

In the 1990s, when they were college students living in Lakeport, “There was no scene here – we hung out at Dunkin’ Donuts,” Sarah said. Now the Lakes Region has interesting restaurants, night clubs at Weirs Beach, and concert venues that range from the intimate to the 9,000-seat Bank of NH Pavilion.

Not that they have much time to take advantage of any of it. This was the first year that they took weekends off. Their business keeps them at their shop, though Aaron said his t-shirt press keeps him informed.

“It’s how we know what’s going on, when the shirt orders come in,” he said.

As their business has grown, so has their ability to engage with the community. Sarah said that she has come to know many local business owners, and this year was excited to join the board of the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. Once on the board, she saw how many other business owners were similarly giving of their time to benefit the community.

She knew how many people gave of their dollars for the Auction, she was impressed by how many also gave of their time.

“That’s how you know we live in a wicked generous community,” she said.