New local T-shirts on the market

(THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE)Benjamin Harper, the owner of Harper Arts in Carborro, explains how the shirts are made at the factory. It is a small operation, but competes with large chains such as Target and Dick's Sporting Goods. Harper explained that in order to do that, Harper Arts had listen to and give people what they wanted in a t-shirt. All the shits are made at Harper Arts and are sold at Student Stores and Johnny T-Shirt. Harper Arts also makes shirts for NC State, ECU, and Clemson. He also said that people can stop in just to watch the shirts being made, which many people do either at night or on Saturdays.

Many UNC students covet their residence hall, Greek or Carolina Fever T-shirts — but few know they often come from the same local man.

CEO

And now with a new, locally created line of shirts up for sale inside the UNC Student Stores, Harper is expanding his franchise.

Only NCMade, his new line of shirts, is made entirely in North Carolina — from the cotton fibers to the silk-screening on the shirts.

Harper said the shirts are made at Mortex Apparel Manufacturing — a textile mill in Wendell — and are silk-screened at his own store in Carrboro.

“If you can get everything right here, why wouldn’t you?” he said.

The Only NCMade T-shirts are already being sold at Johnny T-shirt, Student Stores and Harper Arts, located at 207 E. Main St.

Harper said he also sells shirts for N.C. State University and East Carolina University fans.

He said he always wanted to provide fans and students with a North Carolina-made option for their favorite college sports teams.

Jacob O’Quinn, a UNC alumnus and an assistant manager at Johnny T-Shirt on Franklin Street, said he appreciates the quality of Only NCMade’s designs.

“It’s really great to have a product from North Carolina,” he said.

Harper said the shirts are designed to appeal to any UNC fan.

He said his favorite design is a shirt that features Chapel Hill’s zip code, 27514.

The zip code is displayed across the shirt’s front in Carolina blue.

This isn’t the first line of shirts Harper has made for Student Stores. In fact, his shirts have been on sale there since 2003 — the same year Harper Arts opened.

“We moved to town when Roy moved to town,” Harper said.

Dawn Colclough, Student Stores’s clothing buyer, said she was excited about Only NCMade when Harper pitched the idea to her a few months ago.

“We pride ourselves on purchasing things that are made locally or in our neighboring state,” she said.

Harper said he hopes to compete with bigger shirt companies like Nike and Adidas by offering similar products at lower prices. He would also like to expand his line to include sportswear.

Harper said he thinks UNC students and fans will like knowing exactly where their shirts come from.

“People just want to know more about where their stuff comes from,” Harper said. “It’s not a mystery.”

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Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.