Asheville T-shirts…What’s your type?

August 11, 2016

Cotton vs Poly Tees – You decide!

We offer both types of local Asheville t-shirts at Mtn Merch, so it really is up to you!

There are a lot of different types of t-shirts and apparel available now. Cotton is no longer king. Here at Mtn Merch we offer both in our selection of local apparel. Greg is our resident expert on the subject and so we got him to share his information in order to help our customers decide for themselves.

There are so many conversations these days (Especially with the growth of Under Armour) – what’s better…. cotton or polyester, and both have their advantages and disadvantages so here is generic info that can let you decide.

Poly blend t-shirts

POLY: Poly is a manmade fiber – it does NOT breathe in its natural state. (In order to create performance fabric you have to treat it with a solution that allows it to wick moisture away – topical treatments wash off over time.)

The PROS: Poly is a much faster drying fabric. It repels water and will not hold it. It also holds dye much better and will fade very very little over time. It does not shrink. It is a stronger yarn and hold up over time longer. It’s also typically softer/silkier due to the petroleum used to manufacture it.

The CONS: Poly can hold odor – almost every performance fabric is also treated with an antimicrobial solution that stops poly form holding odor, but that too will wash off after 30-50 washes because it’s a topical treatment. If you wore a non-treated 100% poly product (or one that the treatments have washed off over time) it will be like wearing a Coke Bottle and you will sweat more than usual and the fabric will not wick the moisture way. It will most likely smell too.

Cotton t-shirts

COTTON: Cotton is a natural fiber. It will shrink (most cotton is preshrunk – meaning its been compacted but will still shrink 2-8% if you put it in the dryer on warm/hot settings. And that applies to almost every brand except those that have actually been washed in the dying process [e.g. comfort colors brand])

The PROS: Its natural and because of that, it never has to be treated to keep odor away. It naturally is antimicrobial. It breathes. It can be made into all sorts of yarns for different uses and fabrications. Its raw price can vary greatly based on world usage, demand, climate, harvest and more.

The CONS: Cotton will fade over time – it will not hold dye as well. It’s also a weaker yarn and because of that, 100% cotton products don’t tend to wear as well over time – meaning they wear out faster over time. Cotton also holds moisture so it can get heavier when it gets wet.

What is come down to is personal choice. I think you are seeing more and more poly/cotton blends with cotton being over 50%. That combination seems to allow fabric to have all the better qualities of both yarns. It breathes, is soft, holds up longer, is lighter and keeps odor away…

The perception that cotton/poly blends are not as good as 100% cotton seem to be going away – especially with the technology and advancement of research…and while we offer many 100% cotton shirts here at Mtn Merch, we also have quite a variety of a cotton/poly blend.

Come in and check out the difference! And state your position on the matter by purchasing your favorite type of local Asheville t-shirts!

What Makes One T-Shirt Softer Than Another

January 13, 2016

What Makes One T-Shirt Softer than Another? Greg has answered this question hundreds of times over the years, so I asked him to share some of his knowledge with you as a consumer.

What makes a T-shirt so soft: Everyone ask me about the softness of the tees we use and so I wanted to share information, you may find it boring or interesting, but hopefully you will learn something. When it is all said and done, even though the manufacturing process is quite detailed, including growing, picking and spinning the cotton, there are three major factors that make T-shirts soft:

fabric

Actual knitting process itself and whether the yarn is spun on Ringspun machinery or Open End Machinery at the manufacture has a large impact on softness of your favorite tee shirt. The Open End process is less expensive and uses a “back and forth” technique that is very efficient. The Ringspun process is more time consuming and uses a technique that spins in loops and allows the yarn to be more “lofty;” it spins the yarn on better machinery, making it much softer to the hand.
Size of the yarn – most people believe the heavier the shirt, the better quality it is, and in most cases this is false. T-shirts are like sheets, the higher the yarn count [stitches per inch] the better the fabric. A less expensive shirt [like a freebie you may have received] uses a fatter yarn while a better shirts uses a thinner yarn; more stitches per inch, making the shirts lighter, but meaning the actual fabric, end product, is much better. These higher yarn counts using a finer, better yarn achieve a much softer, lighter fabric.
Fabric Content – believe it or not, blends tend to be softer because polyester is “silkier” than cotton. Cotton being a natural fiber has huge benefits (be on the look out for a future piece on this) but when you blend it with a lower percentage of Poly you create a shirt with properties taking the “best of both worlds.” The cotton still allows it to breathe and keep odors away. The poly adds softness, less shrinkage, less fading and better wear and tear over time.

Hopefully this gives you a few answers on why your favorite tee shirt is so soft and what makes one t-shirt softer than another!

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue Charity T-Shirt and Hoodie

December 15, 2015

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue Charity T-Shirt and Hoodie are now available in store! Over the summer we had a great charity t-shirt, designed by Randall Chet of SouthPaw Designs that had the city of Asheville in the background with AVL in the foreground in a red, white and blue design. Proceeds from this shirt went to Homeward Bound Veterans’ Support Services.

Our latest tee shirt for charity took some brainstorming and we worked with a few artists who helped come up several different t-shirt designs throughout the selection process. What we finally agreed on with the incredible folks at Brother Wolf Animal Rescue was inspired by a painting by Travis Clement of Sprouted Scribbles. Travis has a painting that inspired us to ask him to use his style in a different way. So with this design, you have Asheville and many of the neighborhoods that make it up, Montford, Kenilworth, Oakley, Biltmore, etc… so we thought why not see if we can do something similar with BWAR.

We looked at Brother Wolf’s mission statement, Uncompromised Compassion and knew that had to be where to start. If you have ever met an employee or one of the many incredible volunteers of BWAR, you know without a doubt this is the thread that is weaved between all of them, the tie that binds. What you may not know about BWAR is that they have been working diligently on two major projects, aside from the incredible work they have taken on in rescuing animals from various shelters in South Carolina from the flooding that occurred this fall; No Kill Asheville and their Sanctuary.

No Kill Asheville is a grass roots movement of sorts in that it works with people where they are, if you can’t afford to pay for pet food because of a job loss for instance, rather than giving up your animal to the shelter, they help to provide food while you are working to stabilize again. They work with neighborhoods and neighbors to identify people who might be hoarding animals, to get them educated… so rather than just solving the problem of animals who need homes and shelter, they are looking to educate and solve the bigger problems that they see as some of the root causes and are trying to rectify and reduce.

We have a limited number of sweatshirts and zip hoodies for $49.99 where $20 of each item will be donated to Brother Wolf and $10 of each t-shirt will be donated.

The shirts are available in our retail location in Biltmore Village, however if you are out of the area and would like us to ship you one, please message us or give us a ring.

We also worked with Chestnut Forge and Furniture to design these ornaments, which the Historic Biltmore Village Partnership has purchased so that 100% of the proceeds of the ornaments purchased go to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. These handmade ornaments can be purchased for $12.99 from MTN Merch, Monkees, Turner and Scott and Boheme, all located in Biltmore Village

Rain Rain Go Away

October 6, 2015

This past weekend we were gathering sandbags, packing up anything that could get damaged – the art, custom woodwork and leather goods, and putting up all of the t-shirts, sweatshirts and Asheville apparel up above 3 feet. You might be wondering why? Well, we in Biltmore Village, like many other parts of the country, have been effected by the storm Joaquin. Asheville has been getting a ton of rain, coming down in buckets and because of where we are located, where the Swannanoa comes in to the French Broad River there was a threat of flooding which could potentially put Biltmore Village under water.

Flooding, in Asheville… not possible? That is what many thought in 2004 when the Village was flooded with several feet of water, many lost everything. Friends of ours from the Village Wayside, share stories about cars being taken down the street by the water, people coming together to help one another and the shock and devastation. People weren’t prepared at that time because Biltmore Village hadn’t seen a flood since 1916 and even that was unfathomable. Here is a partial account from Kathleen Lipe Carter (1898-1989) – “Before dawn on the 16th, my sister, Bess, and I found Papa securing some chickens and turkeys on the front porch. Already, sightseers from the village were wading near the house to view the swollen river. With Papa, we joined a group of forestry students and young people heading into the village. To my surprise, as we crossed the train tracks, the water became deeper, the current more swift. Our group held hands, keeping our backs to the current, and struck out across the Village Green, hoping to reach high ground beyond the lodge gate to the Biltmore Estate. By the time we reached Lodge Street, the water was almost over our heads. Torrents from broken dams upriver had changed the course of the Swannanoa. We were caught in the middle of a wide, wild river” Story by MainStreet Online feature writer, Lyn Leslie.

As I watch the news and see the current devastation in our sister city of Charleston, SC my heart aches for each and every person who is under water, without power, without a roof over their head, or a safe place to sleep. I am caught off guard by the pastor shown pulling a casket across a former street turned into a river, “that is someone’s family out there”. I am comforted to see people lending a hand, being human and serving one another in need. It inspired me to help a homeless man who was just drenched, sharing some clean clothes and a rain jacket, I think his smile said it all, but he was just grateful for someone to notice him.

Luckily for us, even though we broke the record for amount of rain in a day at 2.23 inches, beating the old record from 1961 of 1.63 inches flooding didn’t happen; we got a chance to sweep and mop in all of corners!

Be good to one another, be grateful for a warm dry place to lay your head, be brave to offer a lending hand or even just a smile and hello. Be human folks.

Biltmore Village Flood 1916

ALL THE PEOPLE COULD DO AFTER THEY FLED TO SAFETY WAS WATCH THEIR HOMES AND TOWNS WASH AWAY.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE STATE ARCHIVES OF NORTH CAROLINA.

Grand Opening but No Sign? Now What? Image and Branding Lesson

July 2, 2015

There is some old adage about planning, but it never really stuck with me. This explains why I married Greg. When you are getting ready for a Grand Opening, there are all kinds of resources out there about how to plan, what to do, how much to spend, how to market, etc… However, what they don’t tell you is to confirm your sign will be ready (or else it will drive your husband go crazy).

In my mind, the word still gets out and the doors are still open and hopefully kind folks like you will stop on by and check us out even with our temporary sign. But, I could be wrong.

I do believe you only get one chance to make a first impression (apparently that one stuck). Signage, having your brand defined and your customer service top notch are all apart of the equation however our sign is the lowest on the list.

What do I want to happen when you come in to MTN Merch? I want you to be welcomed warmly, I want you to be briefly informed about our store without feeling pressured or pushed, and most importantly I want you to leave saying, “that was a really neat store and those folks were really nice.” Of course, I want you to say we are the best place to find apparel – T-shirts, hoodies, caps, sweatshirts, stickers that will appeal to kids, adults, teens, tourists, AND locals. I would also like you to find our store unique in it’s boutique style, reclaimed barn wood, steampunk type fixtures and locally made leather, hand turned wood, made in Asheville soaps, lotions, hot sauce and gourds. All under one roof, even without an official sign, in the historic Biltmore Village.

Perhaps it’s too simple in my mind, which is why we have t-shirts and water bottles to giveaway, will have music and are running ads… but it all boils down to service and experience. We can’t wait to celebrate our Grand Opening this 4th of July weekend with you, our neighbors and visitors (just don’t mention the sign).