T-shirt maker launches effort to buoy downtown shops

LACONIA — There are people who harbor an affection for Laconia, and then there are people who want to wear their love for the city’s downtown on their sleeve. Ryan Lemay is one of them.

Lemay, a graphic designer and one of the owners of Crown Graphics, has created T-shirts that he’s selling to support downtown businesses during one of the most challenging business environments in recent history.

The shirts declare its wearer to be a supporter of local businesses of downtown Laconia, on the front, and the back bears the logos of a dozen of the businesses that choose to hang their shingle downtown. The shirts cost $23 each, with the proceeds going to support the participating businesses.

Crown Graphics is based in Franklin, but it started in Laconia, Lemay said. And the company continues to work in the Lake City, making vinyl signs for most of the downtown businesses.

“We saw the struggles of the businesses downtown and wanted to try to help,” Lemay said. He grew up in Laconia, and was worried that the coronavirus’s effect on the economy would reverse what he saw as a positive trend for downtown.

“I have lived, and continue to live, in Laconia my entire life and can remember back to when downtown was the hub of the city. I think we were slowly getting back to that and really want to see it continue,” Lemay said.

He said that he attempted to contact as many downtown businesses as he could, and got responses from 12 of them, who indicated that they’d like to benefit from the fund raising effort. Then he got to printing.

Lemay said his company will take enough of the purchase price to cover his costs, and the rest will go directly to the participating businesses. He said he would be happy to do another run of shirts, especially if other downtown businesses want to join. He is also planning to do another shirt for greater Laconia, and a third version for Weirs Beach.

“We are also looking into purchasing new software and a website that will let us promote tees for individual businesses, which many have expressed interest in,” he said.

Lemay said he’s been struck by the sense of community among downtown businesses. “Every business we spoke to asked us to check in with at least one of the neighboring businesses,” he said.

The shirts can be ordered at www.crowngraphicsonline.com, or can be purchased at Laconia Village Bakery.

Rachael Marsh, owner of the bakery, confirmed that they’re in stock. “We have them in the shop today,” she said on Wednesday, and reported that they look, “awesome.”

The Bakery, which had primarily catered to people who work downtown and were looking for something for their coffee or lunch break, has had to switch to a different strategy, as all but state-declared “essential” workers have been asked to stay home.

Marsh and her crew have instead started making take-home family meals. They’re also finding a bustling business in bread, as well as retail sales of eggs and flour, ingredients that seem to be scarce at supermarkets.

“It seems like the community is really starting to come together for this thing,” Marsh said.

Jim Daubenspeck owns Daub’s Cobbler Shop, one of the businesses listed on the shirt. He had to close his cobbler shop for the immediate future, and plans to reopen once life returns to something resembling normalcy. Until then, he said, he’s glad that someone is keeping his business in their thoughts.

“I am just very thankful and humbled by those in the community that are supporting us. We really hope that when this is all over, that the community comes back to all of the small businesses in full force,” Daubenspeck said.