Impressions - May/June 2022 - 37

BOUND AR Y W A TERS A T A GLANCE
COMPANY NAME: Boundary Waters Screen Printing and Embroidery
ADDRESS: 907 Hartnell Ave., Redding, CA 96002
FOUNDED: 2011
NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 6
DECORATING OFFERED: Screen printing, embroidery, custom artwork, vinyl
names and numbers, laser-engraved patches, foil designs, banners, feather flags,
signage
COMPANY WEBSITE: boundarywatersink.com
As a 35-year veteran of doing art in this
industry, Karns knows the vital role art plays
in customer cultivation and retention. Simply
put, the company has to be on the leading
edge when it comes to art and all the services
it offers. That has led to expanded options
like foil prints, blended print colors and
specialty inks.
" The art truly does sell the shirt, " he says.
" Customer service and quality fabrics all
help with the sale, but the art is the primary
sales tactic. I like to push the boundaries
a bit and find ways of making every art
project unique. Give me a challenge, and I
will help you sell the shirt. "
Beyond screen printing, the company
also offers expanded embroidery services
that include foam and laser leather patch
applications and custom fabric backgrounds.
" We use our premium custom art to make
the products stand out against the competition, "
Karns says.
Innovation also helps Boundary Waters
compete in a marketplace where decorators
are taking advantage of technological advancements
to serve customers that demand
edgy products that can be completed faster
than ever before. Because the company can
provide products and services such as sublimation
and foil applications on caps and
shirts, it removes a lot of the worry about the
ability to stand out from the competition.
The company also has an innovative
work-order solution called YoPrint, which
handles everything from pricing to sales tax.
" [YoPrint] has been a wonderful addition to
our crew with the way it organizes, calculates
and tracks orders for you, " Karns says. " No
more worry of miscalculating sales tax and
product pricing. "
The Pandemic & Future Plans
As with many businesses in the decorated-apparel
industry, the COVID-19
Karns' daughter, Heather, helps
fulfill embroidery and vinyl orders.
pandemic had a sizeable effect on Boundary
Waters. Karns says the company was forced
to shut down for several months.
" [We] survived solely because of the
essential workers, " he says. " Construction
businesses and restaurants kept us afloat and
working. "
The aftermath of the pandemic has proven
just as challenging. Between supply-chain
issues, delayed orders and missing garment
sizes, Boundary Waters has been forced to
expand its product lines. However, there's
a double-edged sword when it comes to
materials.
" Products seem to be manufactured with
alternate fabrics or to a lower standard, "
Karns says. " It has been a slippery process
to keep production moving forward and
providing the high end garments that we
were [accustomed] to. "
Still, Boundary Waters presses forward.
The company incorporates innovative sales
and marketing techniques to stay relevant in
the community. Take its Surf Ninja mascot,
which makes appearances at local baseball
and basketball games, as well as other community
events, to hand out T-shirts and other
swag for other people to enjoy.
Karns says Boundary Waters recently purchased
a new M&R dryer to help maintain
increased production. In the near future, he
plans on investing in a new Tajima embroidery
machine.
" Our embroidery department has expanded
beyond what our machines can
handle now, " he says. " We are looking to
order it sometime this summer. We are experimenting
with a few other fun marketing
ideas as well, so more to come in the near
future. " 
MAY/JUNE 2022
P.37
http://www.boundarywatersink.com
Impressions - May/June 2022

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