Syndicated by One Source Media, Queens, New York
Editor’s note: The correct print shop has reopened. Follow story here
EL PASO – Under fluorescent lights In a noisy, paint-smelling concrete room, 24-year-old Stephen Escarzaga works with a computer mouse to quickly convert the images in the minds of his customers into a graphic logo, print or shirt.
For six years, Escarzaga and his partner Jonathan Childress, 24, worked in a unique lifestyle that included screen printing, music, video recording and running the show in their print shop. However, the Central El Paso store, Proper Printshop, will come to an end if other career goals are pursued.
The partnership began in May 2008 when they shared a Westside apartment. The rest, as they say, is history.
“It started as a hobby,” recalls Childress, aka “JJ”. “I had too much time on my hands so one day I went to the Hobby lobby and bought a simple screen printing kit and made a couple of shirts as a joke and people were demanding more shirts like that.”
Stephen Escarzaga, co-owner of Proper Printshop, is working on t-shirts for the Binational Film Festival. Photo credit: Andrea Vargas
After a meeting with Escarzaga, they started making screen-printed T-shirts from their apartment and selling them to companies in the area. They decided they needed a building when they found they couldn’t use the shower to dry out the screens because they were getting orders every day, not just on weekends.
After marketing themselves as screen printers for four months, they moved to Escarzaga’s grandfather’s old gunsmith shop where they worked on their screen printing, and then moved to an art gallery on Paisano, where they stayed for two years.
The duo started making 100 shirts a month, which grew to 7,000-10,000 a month. One of their most famous logos is the “Keep El Paso Loco”. Every year they create designs for the city of El Paso’s Neon Desert Music Festival.
“I feel good. I’ve done some really cool and fun things. It’s time to close our doors and move on and start the next chapter in my life,” said Escarzaga.
“Unfortunately we will close our doors here in September due to several conflicts and are in an orderly liquidation and winding-up,” said Childress.
Escarzaga will be moving to Austin to graduate with an environmental science degree and will be married by the end of the summer. Childress will work in El Paso and run his own company as a financial advisor.
Keep El Paso Loco is one of the most iconic logos made by the right print shop owners. (Courtesy Photo by Proper Printshop)
Proper Printshop’s main focus was screen printing custom t-shirts for small businesses, organizations and small events. The print shop also has its own line of shirts, which are really big in Japan, along with video production and photography.
They host several events and started last week with the Binational Film Fest where they show short films in their shop. For the third time this year, on May 10th, they are organizing the “Tour de Fun” – a bicycle rally with music, live art and ping-pong tournaments.
“It’s unfortunate, to put it simply,” said Elias Flores, a longtime local Proper Printshop supporter who participated in the ping-pong tournaments. “I know the owners and believe in the work they have done and admire their willingness to promote artists and businesses in El Paso as I try to offer an alternative to El Paso nightlife that is beyond hopping into bars and clubs Clubs. It’s sad to see them go. “
Escarzaga and Childress will be printing their final designs for an artist called Exist 1981 this summer.
“We’re excited to start new businesses,” said Childress. “It was a tremendous learning experience and the shop achieved more than we ever imagined. It started as a hobby and eventually grew into that creative platform for several unique projects. “
* This article was originally published here: https://ourdailysigns.com/a-novel-screen-printing-store-that-made-its-mark-is-closing-down/
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