S&S is dropping Bella Canvas, and SanMar just acquired them.
Add alphabroder and a few other acquisitions over the past couple of years, and it feels like the blank apparel industry is getting smaller.
Maybe it’s good. Maybe it’s not.
Am I the only one wondering if having fewer major players will eventually mean fewer choices for print shops?
We’ve been testing a bunch of heavyweight blanks lately for DTF and everyone in the shop has a different favorite.
Some love Shaka Wear.
Some swear by Comfort Colors.
Others like Bella+Canvas 4610.
If you had to pick just one heavyweight blank for DTF, what would it be?
Maybe it’s just us, but over the last year we’ve noticed way more customers asking for heavyweight blanks for DTF transfers.
A while back almost every order was G5000 or 64000.
Now we’re getting a lot more requests for:
Shaka Wear
Comfort Colors
Bella+Canvas heavyweight
AS Colour
Honestly, DTF transfers seem to sit really nicely on heavier shirts too.
Is anyone else seeing the same trend?
I own a local business and recently joined my city's Chamber of Commerce. I spent some time fully optimizing my business profile (description, services, photos, website, links, etc.).
Now I'm wondering if it's worth joining 10+ Chambers in nearby cities that have strong websites, high domain authority, and well-established member directories.
My plan would be to:
I know a lot of people say the real value is networking, but I probably won't be able to attend many Chamber events or meetings.
Since memberships typically cost $500–$1,000 per year each, I'd like to know if the ROI is there before making that investment.
Has anyone here actually tried this strategy? Did it help with Local SEO, backlinks, Google rankings, referral traffic, or generate real B2B customers? Or is the biggest benefit really just attending the events?
I'd love to hear real-world experiences before investing in multiple Chamber memberships.
For DTF shops, distributor changes honestly matter more than people think.
One stock issue on Bella Canvas 3001s can delay:
merch drops
school orders
same-day jobs
customer pickups
No US exclusivity announced yet, but after Hanes and Gildan Canada, feels like the blank apparel world is consolidating fast.
Curious what other DTF shops think.
Hit up The Prime Restaurant in Plano the other day and honestly? One of the best Turkish meals I’ve had in the US.
Döner was solid, but the cağ kebabı was the move. It’s that horizontal-spit lamb kebab from Erzurum, cooked slow over wood fire. Juicier than regular döner and you can actually taste the smoke. You almost never find it done right over here.
Lahmacun was legit too. And the desserts… bro. Rice pudding was perfect, and the kazandibi (that Turkish burnt milk pudding where they caramelize the bottom of the pan and flip it so the burnt side ends up on top) was exactly how it should be. Chewy on top, creamy underneath.
Vibe was great too. Felt authentic without trying.
If you’re into Turkish food, just go.
Feels like Etsy sellers, POD shops, and DTF stores all got hit hard this year with USPS and Amazon shipping increases.
Honestly feels like local pickup, bundle orders, and gang sheets matter more than ever now.
Curious how everyone else is handling it. Raising prices or just eating the extra cost?