I f you’re looking for a custom design t-shirt or hoodie for your business or family reunion, Too Cool Sportswear, located in Ocean Shores, has you covered. The store has over 900 designs offering something for everyone. The store offers one of the largest selections on the beach year-round. By the time you leave the store you will be saying, “Too Cool!”

Owners since September 2018, Joe and Pam had a unique story on how they acquired the retail store. Joe is a judge for the Memorial Day Parade and Flag Day Parade in Ocean Shores. They usually set up across the street from Too Cool, where his daughter worked. One time, Joe went into the shop and asked if Shirley was around. A man Joe had not seen before told Joe that she longer worked there. Joe told the man is daughter would be sad, to which the man replied by asking who is daughter was. After Joe told him, the found out the man was the owner for Too Cool Sportswear.

“That day, he was the only one working on a holiday weekend,” Joe remembers. “So I got my copies, shook the owner’s hand, and told him, ‘My daughter loves you! I don’t think she’s ever met you, but she talks very highly of you!’” The two got to talking, and Joe found out he had been sleeping in the store becausehe had no help, and it was a busy weekend.

Joe’s daughter would not be back from college for two weeks. Joe invited the owner to stay in his guest room until he had more help at the store. “We had dinner every night and became good friends,” Joe shares.“On the Fourth of July weekend, the owner had a family emergency and had to go home to Eastern Washington. The store was almost wiped out, and my daughter was the only one working.”

“Not too long after that, the owner asked me if I was interested in buying the store,” he continues. “He was between a rock and a hard place, and he couldn’t take care of the store because his family needed him. I had to think about it for a couple of days.” Joe talked about it with his daughter, and she thought it was a great idea. “My daughter put me on payroll, and I started working right away,” he added

Custom T-Shirt Store in Ocean Shores Flourishes with Leadership

A retired veteran, Joe wrote a leadership curriculum for the Navy. He also spent two years traveling as a motivational speaker. Joe opened many speeches with: “What is one thing a leader needs to succeed?” One might think of many reasons, but the answer is simple. “A leader needs a follower to be successful,” he answers.

Under his leadership, Joe and his wife Pam set out to create an experience for each person who walks into the store. They changed everything. Prints are now nicely displayed in frames, there is new paint on the walls and a new overall layout.

The family business—son and daughter work there too—may be highly organized, but has a warm and welcoming atmosphere that’s felt by customers and workers alike. We do this for the kids and families that are excited to come in and create new memories,”  shares Joe.

“I just love it here,” says Barbara, a new worker. “It feels like family. It’s so positive working here. The toughest part is not leaving with a new sweatshirt every day!”

And if sales are any indication, customers like the new look and atmosphere as well. “This weekend, out of 927 premade designs, 920 were sold at least once,” shares Joe about his latest Memorial Day weekend, which is often referred to by Ocean Shore locals as the first weekend of the season.. “We really have something for everyone.”

Joe and Pam are inspiring business owners in the small beach town. The family gives back to the community whenever they can and do not work just to make a profit, Joe shares. He also loves that the store gives him a chance to talk to people all the time, getting to know them and maybe even motivating them with their own goals.

They offer custom designs, with the first design free. They offer a commission to employees and even a local artist who created a design inspired by their artwork. Visit the main location next to the bowling alley in Ocean Shores or their second location in Oyhut. You can also visit them on the Too Cool Sportswear website. You will look Too Cool in your new beach hoodie!

Too Cool Sportswear 125 W Chance a La Mer NW, Ocean Shores 360.289.2468