Seattle’s Central Saloon Prints Its Own T-Shirts, Boosting Monthly Sales 5X

AMONG SEATTLE’S FAMOUS landmarks stands the Central Saloon in Pioneer Square — the city’s oldest bar and the legendary “Birthplace of Grunge.” This 130+-year-old establishment earned its place in music history when Nirvana played its first Seattle gig here in 1988 to a small crowd that included Sub Pop Records founders, who later signed the band and coined the term “Grunge.”

(L-R) Central Saloon co-owners Guy Curtis and Eric Manegold saw their bar’s own merch sales soar so much that they started their own print shop on the property. “Anyone who wanders in leaves with a T-shirt.”

Current co-owner Guy Curtis, who purchased the saloon in 1990, has maintained the Grunge tradition for 35 years. The Central Saloon provides many small bands their first gig on a well-equipped stage with high-production quality to match. The saloon had been outsourcing its own branded T-shirt merchandise for more than 30 years, but long lead times and lack of inventory proved frustrating. With the saloon’s merch flying off the shelves, Curtis and his partner Eric Manegold decided to expand into another business opportunity and print the bar’s own apparel.

The Grunge look: In-house printed T-shirts boost revenue for Central Saloon.

The Central Saloon started its screen-printing shop within its historic building, focusing on grunge-inspired graphic tees emblazoned with imagery ranging from haunted skulls to mythic tigers and the saloon’s logo. “Artists who work with us help us decide what historically is hip enough to represent the Central Saloon,” explains Manegold. “We want our shirts to look good, but not too good, for that Grunge look.”

To help get the shop up and running, they invested in a Vastex Screen Printing Premium Shop Package to create merchandise. The manufacturer provided hands-on, on-site training, demonstrating the proper way to set up and use the equipment. Now the saloon staff can take a vector file and turn it into a T-shirt within a couple hours — a perk that never ceases to “wow” band members seeing their name on merch for the first time.

Today, the screen-printing arm of the bar’s business includes an array of equipment that has helped them perfect their printing process. A year into operation, the Central Saloon’s owners couldn’t be happier with their screen-printing business. “Proper training from the beginning has ensured consistency and quality, which eliminates mistakes and — most importantly — helps us produce T-shirts for sale faster,” says Manegold. “If we have the best equipment, it’s inexcusable to not have the highest quality T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies.”

It’s clear that Central Saloon’s patrons see the improvement in merch quality, with T-shirt sales growing from $2,000 per month outsourcing to upwards of $10,000 per month printing in-house. The in-house ability to strategically plan merch inventory during major Seattle events has been another game changer for the saloon, which is situated blocks away from tourist hotspots like Lumen Field, T-Mobile Park, and downtown Seattle.

“We’ve created a new revenue stream by controlling our supply based on seasonal demand,” says Manegold. “We’re developing our own branding on our terms and at our pace.”

“Whether a sports fan, Grunge tourist, or globetrotter walks into the Central Saloon for some grub or a drink, we make sure everyone leaves with a T-shirt,” laughs Manegold. “It’s not unusual for a customer from Sweden to return home with a ‘Grungey-cool’ souvenir that doubles as a walking ad for the historic Central Saloon.”

Central Saloon is Seattle’s oldest bar and birthplace of ‘grunge’ music and style. Guy Curtis purchased The Central Saloon in 1990 and has maintained the “Grunge” tradition for 35 years.

The success of the Central Saloon’s screen-printing operation aligns with a growing trend among businesses like breweries, tattoo shops, and record stores looking to diversify revenue streams and take control of branding, quality control, and supply by bringing printing in-house.

“Make sure it makes sense for your business and consider printing jobs for your existing vendors and partners to get started,” says Manegold. “There already was demand for shirts at the Central, so it made sense to add them as another revenue stream for companies we do business with.”

The Central Saloon team intends to capitalize on that demand and bolster community partnerships by increasing print jobs for bands, vendors, and nearby businesses. And interest in the Central’s own merch is high enough that future plans include updating the bar’s website so customers can order merch online — making it clear that Seattle’s oldest bar is far from stuck in the past.