Gimmee Gimmee Tees first started back in 2010. After the financial crash of 2008, owner Asif Murad realized he wanted to start a business of his own. His uncle and cousin run a successful customized t-shirt shop in the town of Ithaca, N.Y. He spent a summer up there to learn the ropes and brought his knowledge back home. He then spent the rest of the year looking for the perfect location before deciding on Somerville.
The goal of Gimmee Gimmee Tees is to create a business where the customer becomes the artist. Asif explains, “The custom t-shirts I create are mostly done following the customer's ideas and aesthetic creativity.”
How does he make such a niche business work? Asif believes the answer is simple.
“Treat the customers the way you'd treat a family member. Period. It's that simple. Always focus on providing the best quality and care.”
Asif is grateful that he opened the shop in downtown Somerville. He explains, “The people here are usually very kind and loyal. It always makes my day when I see their reaction when they come to pick up their t-shirts. Their eyes just glow when they see what they had imagined turned into an actual physical t-shirt. After 10 years I still get a kick out of that!”
Gimmee Gimmee Tees stands out from the usual custom t-shirt shop in the sense that they can create a t-shirt for them within the same day. Their technology and materials are top of the line, which brings their customers coming back for more!
“I recently had a customer who used to live in Somerville call me from Florida where she's moved,” says Asif. “She wanted to make a graduation t-shirt for her son. It's this type of loyalty that shows us we're on the right track.”
Asif wants to allow people to express themselves in these difficult times. The COVID-19 era has put the world in a very tight spot. He believes that if he can let people vent their frustrations or their happiness through creating a t-shirt, then they are doing something positive. They are also making customized masks as well.
Excited for life to move to the new normal, Asif explains, “We want to see people come in to make t-shirts for their Disney family vacation. We want to see people come in for t-shirts for their company picnic they're having. We just want people to be free and express their joy with Gimmee Gimmee T-shirts! We will get through this together!”