The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Shoreway Sports & Graphics keeps going
Business has offered silk screening, embroidery services for decades
A Lorain silk screening and embroidery business still serves the Lorain community after decades of being in operation.
“The company has been in business since 1982,” said Chris Dudek, owner of Shoreway Sports & Graphics, 4325 Oberlin Ave. “The original owner, James Swope, passed away re. cently due to COVID, and me and a partner of mine, Brad Smith, purchased the business from the family.
“I’ve worked here 17 years, and this is just all I know. I enjoy art, and I screen printed for 15 years. I know the company inside and out. It’s just one of those things where I took advantage when the opportunity arose.”
Dudek said the company covers a wide array of embroidery and silk screen services.
“We offer silk screen and embroidery for all apparel,” he said. “We do sweatshirts, T-shirts, political signs, decals, banners ... pretty much anything you would need.
“We do vinyls for cars. It’s whatever you need to show off something for your company, or whatever you want to show off.”
Dudek said the business is working through what has been a rough year with the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“This is probably the worst year in 30 years, but we are still pushing,” he said. “The schools being closed ... we took a big hit.
“Amherst and Lorain schools being closed, we do a lot of work for them. We figured right around $50,000 I’ll be out this year. We do their Special Olympics, events, club sports ... it’s basically everything for and related to the schools.
“There are those annual orders you get used to doing. Football season comes around, and folks want a sweatshirt that has ‘Titans Football’ on it. We do the FireFish Festival; that didn’t happen this year.
“We also do a lot of things for the Lorain County Fair. We have a lot of orders that didn’t happen this year.”
Dudek said there is no limit to what the business can do.
“We do silk screening and digital printing,” he said. “It’s any design on anything.
“People driving by don’t realize how much space we have in here, and the machines inside. It was designed to be a print shop. Embroidery and printing ... it’s pretty much any design.”
Dudek said Lorain really has helped the business during the pandemic, and over the years.
“Lorain is definitely a great place to do business,” he said. “The community has supported us.
“I don’t think the business would have survived if we weren’t in Lorain.”