Red Threads Custom Apparel Printing

“People filled with the Spirit of the Creator,
   should have the best creations.”
     -Josiah Blackmore

Josiah Blackmore is a no-nonsense kind of guy, I gleaned that within our first few minutes together. It’s easy to understand when you hear his dream and how he got to where he is today—he’s keenly focused, on a mission, and I have no doubt his dream will come true.

Josiah is the owner of Red Threads, a screen printing, vinyl heat pressing and embroidery print shop. You might think someone with a company like this simply aspires to be the biggest, the best, and the most profitable. He does, but here’s why: Josiah’s purpose in life is to spread the Word of God. He wasn’t necessarily trying to be the best at screen-printing, but, as hard work and dedication would have it, he just is.

 

Josiah was brought up in a Christian family, but he struggled, as many young people do, with his purpose and faith. He regularly went to church but wasn’t a steward. In his late teens and early twenties, he got into some trouble and wasn’t sure what was next in his life. He was searching for answers, building a worldview and he came upon the revelation that God and the Devil are both very real. It was a visit to Chicago with a friend that changed things. They were watching a Christian documentary when God came to Josiah and said “you have never lived for me a day in your life. That ‘Christian’ life you’ve been living is not a Christian life—dude.” Josiah felt that this served two purposes: to show him he was living a lie and that what came next in life would be greater and more exciting. He felt the darkness move away and light come in. The next seven days he said were a ‘euphoric and peaceful experience.’ Josiah dug his nose in his Bible and that Book confirmed that what was happening to him was exactly what it said would happen. This was his spiritual birth. At 21 Josiah became a Christian. He was ready to give his life but now he needed orders, he wondered if he should be a pastor or build mud huts in Africa.

 

One day, he felt compelled to cover a shirt in the Word of God. As he described it “it was big, loud and dorky” and, as a result, he received questions and comments and it opened conversations. An idea was born. What if he could cover a shirt in God's Word in all languages? And that is the passion project. Someday shirts covered in the Word will be sold all over the world in different languages. He showed me a pilot run of a shirt with the book of John. It’s beautiful in its simplicity. It’s so tiny, you can’t easily read it, but people will say, “what does your shirt say?” This is the goal. He painted a picture of people at Dow wearing a nice button up that from afar looked patterned, but it was covered in the Word of God. He sees an opportunity to have a higher quality Christian apparel company in the market and Red Threads will be that provider. As he put it “people filled with the Spirit of the Creator, should have the best creations.”

 

Josiah admits he has been blessed by the kindness of others—several times thousands of dollars of equipment was donated to him to help him get started or to expand. For six months he worked rent-free and then a year-and-a-half low-rent thanks to INCUBA8LABS. He had to learn to run a business, first, and thankfully, it laid on his heart to start this business in Midland. This has been a tool for character development and to perfect the craft; and, as it continues to grow he can focus on pursuing the truly global vision. Josiah did not know much about printing until he attended the "University" of YouTube. Yep, Josiah is self-taught. His dedication to a quality product is second to none. He has developed a network of professionals and mentors to continue to learn and grow. In fact, he said if your prints crack after 25 washes, you need a new printer. He had me feel a sample shirt and it was soft, almost like the print was sewn in by the garment maker; not plasticky like we are used to.

 

Midland is a haven for small businesses, this has been a huge blessing because they support each other and make up a significant portion of Red Threads client-base. Josiah lit up when he described one such customer—rare and amazing—this client even gave he and, his wife, Abbi a wedding card.

Red Threads is unique in this business because of their dedication to customer service. They are focused on bulk orders and when you spend that kind of money, you expect a lot. Josiah is determined to rise to meet, or exceed, that expectation. Customers sit with Josiah at the very table where I interviewed him, and they work together to bring their ideas to fruition on the computer screen.

Why the name Red Threads? Josiah’s favorite color is red, and this is an apparel-based business after all—clever. But, really, it’s because Jesus is the Red Thread, mentioned in every book of the Bible—without Him, there would be no Christianity.

As we were wrapping up, office manager, Abbi Blackmore and Chief Marketing Officer, Chili (pictured below), arrived. This dynamic trio will surely thrive, and you should watch it happen by following them on Facebook or by visiting www.redthreads.com.

Red Threads is located at 616 Haley Street and can be contacted at 989-600-8540 

 

 

Article and Photography by Joslyn Chulski