Biz Profile: Spirit Wearhouse Capitalizes on School Pride

Behind every business is an entreprenuer pursuing his dream...

Name of business: Spirit Wearhouse

Owner: Mike Dillon

Address: 16108 Route 59

Phone number: 815-325-5952

Opening date: March 1, 2010

What do you sell? T-shirts, jackets, sweatpants and other items that bear the logos and names of Plainfield's four high schools. Dillon can also make items featuring designs he's given or custom-make screen-printed, rhinestoned or embroidered clothing for special events, such as parties and company outings.  

Have you always been at this location? This is his first retail business. He also owns American Screen Printing in Joliet, which he opened eight years ago.  

How's business been? Amazingly good, even with the economic downturn, he says. "I can't wait to see how we do when the economy is good," he says. Plus, his business is a bit recession-proof because he gets a new customer base every year when a new crop of high school freshmen head to school, he says.

Do you have an online business? Yes, www.americanscreenprint.com. You can order specialized or bulk items there, and five Plainfield schools – Plainfield South High School, Timber Ridge, Aux Sable, Riverview and Charles Reed – have links where items related to their teams can be found. Ultimately, he'd like to franchise the concept of selling "spiritwear" online for other markets, he says.

What made you want to go into this kind of work? Dillon, who grew up in Texas, says he worked his way through Baylor University in Waco by selling concert T-shirts. When he graduated with a marketing degree, he "took a cut in pay" in order to fill a traditional suit-and-tie job. He lasted about six months before going back to screen-printing T-shirts and he's never looked back, he says.

How did you end up in Plainfield? How else? He married a local girl. The marriage didn't last but he's very close to his daughter, Brittany, a Plainfield Central High School student. "She's probably the greatest salesperson I have," Dillon says, laughing.

What's the coolest thing in your store right now? He's partial to the tie-dyed shirts and shorts, which he sold a lot of this summer.

Who comes up with the designs? Many of them he does himself, he says, although he does have artists at his Joliet operation. He jokes that he has to "channel his inner teen-age girl" to come up with items that will appeal to high school females.

How much do items cost? They start at $10 for the most basic logo T-shirt and go up from there as you add features. What he thinks people find really appealing is you can have a shirt custom-made with a school logo while you wait – you choose the color, size and type of design, and he does the rest, he says.

What is your business philosophy? "I don't know – I guess it would be do what you enjoy, and in all things praise Jesus."

Do you ever get sick of wearing T-shirts? No, it's almost his entire wardrobe, he says. On this particular day, he wore one with the logo "Just Shave It," an appropriate for his "bottle bald" state, he says with a laugh.