Getting To Know: Tony at All Stitched Up

Getting To Know: Tony at All Stitched Up

Posted on: 14 Sep 2023

All Stitched Up are a Bristol-based embroidery and printing service catering for all types of clothing and accessories whether it be workwear or personal items.

 

1. Introduce yourself - How did it all start and how long have you been going?

 

My name is Tony Mealing and I have been the Head PGA Golf Professional at The Kendleshire Golf Club in Bristol for the last 18 years. Specialising in teaching golf and running a successful golf retail business. Having used external companies for all our Team Kit orders and Golf Tour Shirts with various levels of quality and turnaround times we decided 5 years ago to bring the garment decoration side of our business in house. This involved embarking on many training courses and purchasing the best machinery for both embroidery and print to ensure consistently good results with an efficient friendly service. From this, All Stitched Up was born.

 

2. What are some of the most popular designs and categories chosen?

 

We started out doing golf related items as that was the sector we were in. However, due to lots of members of the golf club having their own businesses we soon expanded into all kinds of sectors. These include workwear, hospitality wear, laptop bags, mugs and flasks, sportswear and even children toys!! Our most popular items have to be polo shirts, t shirts and hoodies as they span most industries. Looking through our website though you will see we can brand pretty much anything.

3. Why is it important to have the 'Design Your Own' feature on offer?

 

The design your own feature on our website is great for both the customer and ourselves. The customer is able to see what their finished product will look like before production. This enables them to experiment with where to put their logo to ensure the garment looks its best. The feature is great for us as it enables us to send out highly professional quotes featuring images of the chosen garments with the customers logo in place.

 

4. The COVID pandemic affected independent businesses in all kinds of ways, what was the aftermath on your pretty unique industry?

 

When Covid struck initially it was disastrous for our business as like many other business we were simply closed down. Government funding and furlough schemes were the only things that kept us going. Being in the Golf Industry however was a god send as we were one of the first industries to re open. Since then we have not looked back and business is now booming.

5. I imagine All Stitched Up is a popular platform for businesses and stag dos - do you have any surprising audiences?

 

Our most surprising audience would have to be the new born baby market. We supply comfort blankets and soft toys with the babies name and date of birth embroidered on them. From Unicorns to Highland Cows!!!!

 

6. What is the weirdest t shirt design you’ve had?

 

Weirdest t shirt designs are definitely for stag and hen dos. The censors prevent us from elaborating any further on this!!!!! Use your imaginations...

7. Looking back at All Stitched Up’s journey thus far - what advice would give fellow entrepreneurs in your industry and beyond?

 

Looking back on our journey the main advice we would give would be to always us the best materials and equipment you can afford for your business. Concentrate on doing the best job you can, providing the best service you can to retain customers rather than making a quick profit. Regular communication with your customers is also important to keep them engaged with your business. Customers are getting harder and harder to find so retention of them is more important than ever.

 

8. Chefs whites, branded shirts and hoodies for front of house – what else is in the hospitality range?

 

Our hospitality range is vast. We can supply and decorate dress shirts, ties, aprons, chefs trousers, bandanas, hats and footwear, tabards, towels, robes, slippers, baseball caps, mugs and much more. One advantage we have over some other garment decoration businesses is that we have accounts with Ralph Lauren, Hugo Boss, Adidas, Nike, Puma and Castore. This enables us to do high end garments for customers as well as the industry standard items.

9. What is the typical turnaround time for hospitality orders?

 

One of the main reasons we started the business was due to the amount of time we were having to wait for orders from our previous suppliers. With this in mind we always aim to turn the orders around as quickly as possible. Many orders are completed within 48 hours. Larger orders, or if certain items are temporarily out of stock can take longer, but this will always be communicated with the customer. We will also suggest in stock alternatives if the customer needs the order sooner. Because of this, we have customers that keep coming back!

 

10. If you were mayor of Bristol for a day - what would you do?

 

More support for small to medium businesses without a doubt. Particularly in the hospitality sector. Pubs and restaurants have had a really hard time since Covid and more should be done to keep them open. It is part of our heritage after all.

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Article by:

Brendan Murphy

Bristol born and bred despite the name, Brendan has been working in the digital media sector for the last 10 years and advertising for the last 20 years. A wealth of knowledge about the city and more importantly at how to help businesses get as much online exposure as possible. Call Brendan on 07876 735153 or email Brendan@365bristol.com.