NTHRO Vintage Motorcycle Tee Shirts
 Northwest
entrepreneur fills vintage shirt void
We met Pam Paszke at the 2004 Motorcycle Marketplace in Seattle. Her
selection of vintage shirts was big and very popular with those who attended
the event. Since then she's broadened her selection and doubled her
business. What led to her business choice and where is it going?
Read on.
SR!: What’s your background
in motorcycles and why did you enter the apparel side of the business?
NTHRO: I personally
began motorcycling in my early 20s with a cross country trip I will probably
never forget. He was my first real love and we were traveling across country to
visit our respective homes back east. Certainly I had the generous offer to ride
"shot-gun", but being the adventurous cuss that I was back then, I insisted on
my own bike and some quick lessons. I purchased a belt driven 440 LTD and don't
think I could have come up with any more creative ways to sit on that seat as I
rode through Kansas. Since then, I have been a competitive trials rider (up
until our last move to the west coast). My last bike was a wonderful TY 350-I
already miss it! We were in the market for purchasing a small e-commerce
business and when this opportunity arose, it seemed a natural enough
progression.
SR!: What kind of hoops have
you had to go through to get clearance to use some of the logos you have?
NTHRO: Fortunately,
Nthro has not had to "jump any hoops." We either have designed our own logos
or purchased from a wholesaler that has already jumped those hoops for us.
Unfortunately, the royalties for these logos cause a slightly higher shirt
price, and that is passed on to the consumer. Most seem to think the price is
reasonable enough for these "golden oldies." On numerous occasions, both at
shows and via e-mail, we have been contacted to ascertain if in fact our shirts
are "boot-legged." We run a clean show though, and have never had any
worries.
SR!: To date you don’t have
any Yamaha, BMW or Harley-Davidson licenses. Will you eventually get
around to that?
NTHRO: These are
tough to break into, especially for a non-dealer, but we have made a little
headway in this arena.
SR!: Names like Norton, BSA
and Indian are names of the past. Do you have to pay a fee for those logos
as well?
NTHRO: We do have to
pay for these logos as well.
SR!: You’ve created several
Nthro exclusives like the Suzuki Bandit and Kawasaki Concours shirts. What
others do you have planned for the future?
NTHRO: We are always
interested in new ideas from our customers, but currently have nothing in the
works.
SR!: If someone didn’t want
to order on line, what events do you sell the shirts at locally?
NTHRO: First let me
clarify, instructions for ordering via mail are listed on the site. The customer
may also e-mail their phone number and a convenient time to be contacted for a phone
order. Aside from this we will be at the VME Vintage Swap Meet, both of the
Motorcycle Marketplace events, Anacortes, and various other shows throughout the
Washington area.
SR!: Do any dealers sell
your shirts locally in the Northwest?
NTHRO: We have some
of our Concours shirts in a couple of the local dealerships in the Pierce and
King county areas.
SR!: Do you take phone
orders?
NTHRO: Currently all
of our "staff" are employed elsewhere during the day, consequently it was
decided that Nthro Cyclewerks would not "man the phones". (The added
expense of paying for a phone attendant would only be passed on and we want to
keep our prices as low as possible.) But, what we do offer is for the customer
to e-mail us their phone number and a convenient time to contact them. At that point
we will be happy to take their phone order. It is always nice to have the
opportunity to talk with our customers.
SR!: Do you offer discounts
for large purchases?
NTHRO:
Absolutely! This can be discussed on a case-by-case basis.
SR!: Being that you’re in
the high-volume shirt business, would it be possible for local clubs to work
together with you to make custom club shirts and piggy back on your wholesale
pricing?
NTHRO: Possibly, if
the club comes up with the artwork. We farm-out our graphic work to artists
throughout the country (depending on the look that we are attempting to achieve)
and don't have an artist on board.
SR!: What else should Sound
RIDER! readers know about your business?
NTHRO: We've been in
business one year and it has been wonderful! Our customers are loyal because
they have experienced our great customer service policy. When an order is made
on our site all information is security protected and kept private. The
customer immediately receives confirmation of their order via e-mail and another
personal e-mail on
the day the product is shipped out with their UPS tracking number. If for any reason
an item cannot be shipped by the next business day the customer will be
notified and given the opportunity to either cancel or proceed with their order.
Ninety percent of our orders go out next business day.
We also offer a discount to our repeat customers. We have an outstanding record
with constant positive feedback about the products as well as the service.
That is what we are about....
To see the entire line of shirts that NTHRO carries,
visit www.nthro.com
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