BOZEMAN — This once was a very busy time for a lot of embroidery shops as they work overtime to print school logos and school emblems. But with so much uncertainty, there hasn’t been a lot of printing related to schools.
“We have a few different contracts with Bozeman High School, Bozeman School District as well as the Big Sky schools, and most of that work is with music departments and small departments, things like that. That work has slowed down for sure since the last 4 or 5 months. We really haven’t seen any of that,” explained Steve Price, the owner of Rocky Mountain Embroidery.
With so much uncertainty, school-related orders are down. But, while that’s decreased, other orders are increasing.
“Between the local schools, the public schools, and MSU we knew that we would see some decrease there. Fortunately for us, the increase in business from your local businesses has made up for a lot of that. So, we haven’t seen overall a big hit, but we’ve definitely seen a decrease for the school systems,” Price said.
In a turn of events, the new high school has already helped this business out.
“It’s been really unique this year with Gallatin opening up where they have nothing, so ordering up uniforms and then doing stuff for the parents and getting gear. That’s probably been a savior because more and more parents are wanting to get Gallatin gear,” said Brian Pepper with Universal Athletic.
And when it comes to the decision made by the school board, it means more than just business for this owner.
“It’s a personal issue for me since I’ve got a daughter who’s in the school district, so I’ve certainly been following all the details,” Price said.
The owner of Rocky Mountain says business has shifted and now, they find themselves printing thousands of embroideries for things like masks.