The Quad

Issue date: 3/23/04 Section: Features

dirtyoldshirt.com [Click to enlarge]

As children many of us dreamed of one day running our own business and making it big with a novel new concept. Whether manifesting itself in a lemonade stand or a baseball card business run out of a little red wagon, that yearning for financial independence sometimes subsides. But usually it is squashed by the reality of a world where most people are stuck working for someone else.

But three Allentown individuals have managed to overcome the odds and are living that dream. High school friends Lindsay Berman, Brian Elison and Trevor Stauffer recently founded Dirtyoldshirt.com, a venture that sells vintage style T-shirts and clothing accessories.

With designs like a light blue 1983 Al Jarreau T-shirt and a Barbara Mandrell mesh cap as well as "new" creations like a "1978 Rio Water Polo Invitational" shirt, Dirtyoldshirt.com hopes to convince the public that there°òs truth to its slogan: "Cool. Again."

"The idea for this company was simply the product of one of those conversations that everyone has with their friends post-college...where you play what business can we start so that we can work for ourselves, be rich and live happily ever after," said Berman, Dirtyoldshirt.com's CEO. "Or something like that."

Berman, Elison and Stauffer invested their own money in the project and enlisted the help of another former classmate to handle the Web site's design. They decided to start small, by selling through eBay and their Web site, which launched Oct. 1, 2003. This was complemented through small promotions and visits to college campuses, including West Chester University.

The company's Web site states, "After college and a few years testing out the real world,' we decided we'd rather create our own reality. Driven by a desire to be part of something we can believe in, have a voice in and well, creating a job where T-shirts are part of the dress code."

While their departure from the daily grind may remind some of the disenchanted character Peter Gibbons in the cult favorite movie "Office Space," Dirtyoldshirt.com's trio of founders has put in a lot of effort on their creation. Planning began in May 2003 - five months before the site went online. More work will be done in the near future to publicize the site.

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