The Gunks Cast
The Gunks Cast
#118 Chris Fahrbach - Owner Mixture Inc
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Chris Fahrbach didn't start Mixture Inc. with a giant business plan or a massive production facility. It started with a screen-printing class at Newburgh Free Academy, a passion for printing, and eventually a third-floor apartment at SUNY New Paltz where Chris officially launched Mixture in 2003.
Since then, Mixture has grown from that apartment operation into a full-service Newburgh business handling everything from screen printing and embroidery to promotional products, signs, and vehicle graphics. And even as the company's reach has expanded beyond the Hudson Valley, Chris has kept Mixture firmly connected to Newburgh and committed to giving back to the community.
Today, we're going to hear the story behind that growth, what Chris has learned from more than two decades in business, and how you turn something you genuinely love doing into a company that lasts.
Fourth podcast. Hey.
SPEAKER_07Alright.
SPEAKER_02So I've done a couple mostly for skateboarding and business. Fairbach. Fairbach. Farbach. Farbach. Okay.
SPEAKER_05All right.
SPEAKER_02Oh, Farbach. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Your last name. Okay.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. It's alright. It's a lifelong of people murdering my last name.
SPEAKER_01So what's the worst? What's your worst you get?
SPEAKER_02Fourbach.
SPEAKER_06Can we just call you Smith?
SPEAKER_02Kickerbach, like this is all. When I was a kid and I played saga. Knickerbocker. Every spelling of my last name was always wrong in the paper.
SPEAKER_05No, yeah. So Rick Pesavento, this guy from Walk Hill, I remember him. Worked with him early on. He had a student teacher that walked in, and his name was the kid's like, horse balls. And he's like, Your last name is Horse Balls. And he's like, Yeah. He's like, guess what? You're teaching eighth grade. Your name, your name is Smith. Balls. Mr. Mr. Horse Balls. No, that was that wasn't his last name. Yeah. Like, how do you ever see that Saturday live, Mr. Oswepe? Send your ass wife. Osweepe.
SPEAKER_06All right. Oh, that's good. You're gonna kick it off? Yep.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, Jeff. Hell yeah. What's up, Glenn? Not much. Good morning, everybody. Good morning. November 1st, 2026. Dude, November already. It feels like last year was 1986. Yeah. Okay. Good times 86. 86 Halloween night. You guys don't even want to know what I was doing. Yeah, we do. Everyone wants to know. They do, actually. But it's probably some some fire set. Totally. Burn chip down. I was in I was in 11th grade. Racing around town, payphones.
SPEAKER_01You were in 11th grade in 86? Yeah. Damn, dude. Uh huh.
SPEAKER_05field all day long with a campfire burning couches. Chucko. I saw Chucko last night on Halloween. He told me. Was that from the band episode? Yeah, the band episode. Oh, yeah, it's a leak. Kids, you just saw her like podcast number four. A leak. But Lisa speaking of Chucko, he told me a story last night. I ran to him insideshow and he was at a zoo at the chimpanzee exhibit, and the chimpanzee was doing something that became inappropriate. And then very inappropriate. And Chuckko's telling me, acting it out insideshow, how the gorilla over chip was right in front of him in the glass. And like, I'm like, come on, Chuck. I'm looking around. I'm like, it's freaking people here. He's freaking drunken bastard.
SPEAKER_01He said he couldn't look away. His eyes were told you about it. Fixed, yeah.
SPEAKER_05Anyway, we got a great this is all stupid stuff, people. Sorry, buddy. All right. We have a fantastic guest here, someone we want to have on for a long time. We can't wait to get the backstory. Ready, Jeff? You want me to introduce a guest? Introduce. All right, we got Chris Farbach. Chris, how are you? Of Mixture. Did I say it right? Yes, sir. Yes! Yes. Owner and founder of Mixture Clothing Inc. It was now it's currently at uh the new Paul's outlet is at Water Street Market, which I'm sure is hopping.
SPEAKER_01It's always hopping there. Welcome, Chris. Thank you for having me. Yeah. Chris, we I'm glad you're here. I have I need like 72 t-shirts uh in two days. All right, as long as you got cash. Yeah. That's what I love about Jeff. I love the cash. Is like Jeff. We always hit you up, but like I'm sure that we're not the worst offenders, although maybe we are. Jeff, you are always the worst offender. We get there's been times where we've hit you up with some orders, and you're like, I can I'm just assuming that the look on your face when you read the email, you're like, oh God.
SPEAKER_05No, nothing's worse than Mel. Now, you guys all know Mel. So Mel's like, oh, what's a chance I could call Chris? He can give me 77 t-shirts by 3. By 3 p.m. It's 250. Anyway, Chris, welcome. Tell us about yourself. Give us your backstory. I know you went to SUNY. You started in your did you start in the dorm?
SPEAKER_01Give us the broad strokes of the Starbucks story.
SPEAKER_02All right. Um, Cliff Notes. Um, I learned the trade. I'm from Newburgh originally. Newburgh. Yes, and um, we had a graphic arts class. NFA, born and raised Newburgh.
SPEAKER_05Yes, sir.
SPEAKER_02Um we had a print shop class, graphic arts, and the uh school actually printed for the whole school district. So we really worked on some, you know. They have some good stuff to do. They they had a lot of good trade programs there. A lot of people don't know, and they just built a whole tech facility. It's humongous, like it's crazy. But I learned it there. I fell in love with uh, you know, we learned offset printing, all types of type of printing, and um I fell in love with the screen printing aspect, and um I wound up going to college. I went to SUNY Newports, um SUNY Newports alumni, I guess. I've heard of it.
SPEAKER_05Gohawks, Gohawks, alumni right here in the house.
SPEAKER_02And then um I uh senior year started. I did not live up in Newports, I lived in the city of Newburgh. Um I got a little my I call it my first easy bake oven set of uh screen printing equipment. Started it in the third floor apartment in the city of Newburgh in my kitchen, and uh, you know, full speed ahead. Now we have um, you know, where we have one right in Newburgh on that's like our main manufacturing facility which is quite a facility. Yeah, it's uh it's roughly about almost uh almost six thousand square feet, and um we have uh you know the beautiful store at Water Street Market as well, you know. At one point we had um four or five locations. Oh wow, yeah, we had one in um Beacon and Montgomery, and we were supposed to have one in Fishkill. Um I did the build out and then COVID happened.
SPEAKER_01COVID, yeah, classic. So I walked away from it. I remember the one in Beacon. Yeah. Uh I think that's where I first maybe saw one of your stores. I think I knew that you had the I didn't know you had storefronts yet or something, and I saw the storefront. It was pretty cool. That's not that's not there anymore?
SPEAKER_02No, um Beacon is just out of control, rents and stuff. Oh yeah, yeah. When I was there, I was paying $575, all utilities included. Damn. That spot goes for like probably like three G's now. Right.
SPEAKER_05So um It's like pretty swiky Beacon.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't know how those places stay in business. But um my daughter lives there. And you know, I personally think Newballs gets more foot traffic than Beacon. Um so you know, it didn't work out, but you know, ironically, uh I get more business from Beacon than I ever did when I was actually in Beacon.
SPEAKER_05So you do a I mean, you do a lot of business. I mean, the Water Street place is just always crowded. I mean, people just show up at Water Street. Listen, Jeff, we should open a store at Water Street that sells like bags of dirt. It can be like upstate dirt. And people from New York City be like, ooh, I could really use a bag of this to be on my table. It would look so nice in New York. People from Jersey are showing up buying a rock, a bag of dirt. Jeff and I are digging it out of the backyard. Anyway, you're killing in Water Street.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, Water Street has come a long way. I mean, I would been I've been up in Newport's probably for I'd say 15 plus years.
SPEAKER_05Um wait, well, you were first at the place. Uh it's like a crystal jewel. Is that what the first location was? Yeah, I don't know what the hell they sell. I know they sell crystals.
SPEAKER_02Where wait, where is this? It's not I'm like on the corner where they did that big I was on big mural of right across from Bacchus, basically. I was like on that little point they turn. That's where we started out. David's cookies used to be there. Yes. David Cookie. David's cookies, yeah. Yeah, some grilled cheese spot.
SPEAKER_01Um then now then you were in there for. Then it was the so that was that was you, and all the there was a lot of like SUNY college.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it originally. Yeah, it originally started out as uh My Town, USA, Rick and Debbie from The Otter, as well as I believe it was Helen and Jerry. Okay, um Zimmerman, I think their last name is. They owned it, and what happened was we used to they used to send all the print work to us. So, you know, they would buy their blanks and then we would print it for them. And we, you know, we established a relationship over the years, and then um Rick and Debbie bought Helen Helen out, and she told me she called me and jokingly I said, Well, do you want to sell the business? And 20 minutes later she called me and she said, Let's work something out. 48 hours later, I owned the business. So I don't that's how it goes sometimes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's how it goes sometimes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. It was like super like quick. They made an offer I couldn't say no to. Like I love it, and I had to like, I was like, Yeah, if we're gonna I want to close on this before you change your mind.
SPEAKER_05So this was still our town then.
SPEAKER_02My town. My town. Yes, and then you know, we bought we took it over, and then you know, we we rocked out there for a while and um had you know COVID again, had some disagreements with the landlord, and um my um my landlord at Route 300 actually owns the Water Street Market too.
SPEAKER_00Oh, okay.
SPEAKER_02So I called Harry, love the guy to death, best landlord ever, um, and worked out a deal. You know, he's like, let's get you down here, Chris. He knows, you know, I was already with him for 15 years. He knows I'm a solid, you know, it's a no-brainer for him. So and you know, we started off in a little spot, uh, the bookstore. I think it's a bookstore now, and then we moved where um I can't remember the lady's name, it's like Madalina's or something like that. She sold like weird tchotskis and stuff. She's a lot of water. And she was there for a long time. I think she's like one of the OGs, like probably one of the first things. That store was there. Yeah, that store was there for a minute. You could tell when we had to renovate it. Um but and then we moved in there. You know, we have like three little shops. Yeah Misty, Misty does her thing with the retail, that's her MO. And then we have like our little director garment section over there. And yep, that's Dylan. Well, me and Dylan, and um, you know, it's a great tool for people to come and place their custom orders. You know, we still produce it in Newburgh, but yeah, you come pick it up in Upalts and everything like that. Just like a satellite hub is a whole business model, and it works out great. I mean, there's no point of putting all this equipment there when you have everything you need, and then some in Newburgh, and it's 15 minutes down the road. So on 300, that's is that your Newburgh facility? Yes, sir. It's literally like from the Water Street market, maybe 20 minutes, straight shoot. It's not far away.
SPEAKER_05It's super easy to get to. And it's like I've been there many times because it's like I need the shirts and like I'm picking them up and it's because you needed them yesterday, so you gotta come down to Newburgh.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_05And there's two, there's there's multiple almost because there's now like I've noticed, maybe it's always been there. You're over there on the one side, you can look in and make a tea, and then you walk around, there's like another office or someone else. Bethany was over there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so you have Bethany, and then we have like a subcompany called Mixture Signs. Yeah, yeah. Um, which Ken Skirmerhorn owns that. I used to own that with him, um, but we kind of worked an agreement out, and he subleases from me. But it's great because every you can get all your stuff in one spot, and then like, you know, a lot of people have problems like, I can't get my artwork from my printer.
SPEAKER_00Well, you don't have to worry about that because it's literally right next door.
SPEAKER_05That's my favorite thing about your stores I could just send some grainy image and becrash, you gotta get some artists to figure this out. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you do help out on that. We've we've sent yeah logos uh to you that are a little grainy and you you're able to fix them up. So that's great. Uh-huh. That's what we do. I mean that's what you do. What uh what can you real quick, can you just for for the listeners, like just give a I don't know that we totally defined like what what is mixture? What is your business? What what do you what is it your your core business that you do?
SPEAKER_02Um our core business is apparel decoration, I guess you would call it. But um, I kind of think um we're more of a branding company because we do so much besides apparel that people don't know about. Like what? God, anything POP. Tell the people. Tell the people. Pretty much if you think it, we can pretty much do it or source. I mean, we do we do cap and gowns, cut and sew cap and gowns for Cornwall. We've been doing it for seven years now. Like we do the cap and gown, the the little tassel, the rope things or whatever.
SPEAKER_05You have school districts that you do all their accounts for their stuff, don't you?
SPEAKER_02Oh, some school district. Um, excuse me, I'm a little this weather's messing me. I'm not sick, so don't worry about it. It's just freaking you know, one day one day it's 20 degrees, the next day it's eighty.
SPEAKER_01Um there's a there's a house full of like 13-year-old kids up there. It's like a Petri dish upstairs in the kitchen. I think we're good.
SPEAKER_02So um our main focus, which a lot of people don't realize, is like um the hospitality tourism industry, like um ski resorts, hotel groups, um, breweries, um, you know, all things of that nature. Um, I do a lot of skateboard, snowboard industry stuff too.
SPEAKER_05You're you're an old skateboard guy. Yes, I am.
SPEAKER_02I used to actually run a skateboard park in the 90s, pretty infamous. Uh the old Newburgh skate park, the old Avalon. Nice. Um a lot of people don't know that, but it was like very, very like huge in the in the nineties, like big skateboard industry.
SPEAKER_05That was like the heyday of skateboarding, right?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it was it was a great time. I mean, I've skated with every pro you can imagine. Like every pro has come through that skateboard park in the 90s. So it's a big part of my life. So I get you know, whenever I get like to do skateboard, uh, you know, there's a couple skateboard brands I do, uh um some good skateboard shops and parks around the country. And like my staff always yells at me because I'm not charging them enough, but it's just it's like my passion projects, you know what I mean? It's like I just love doing that stuff. So I mean we generally try to focus on like that, you know, that tourism hospitality industry around here, you know, full branding. You need apparel to like freaking you need plastic cups with your logo and you know, printed on it for your pool.
SPEAKER_05You know, we do all the cow you do all our cabin challenge merch. Yeah. Uh-huh. So the only thing that I don't I didn't do there was a guy who I ride with also has a thing.
SPEAKER_02He Yeah, he I think he does like sublimation, right?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, he printed something for me.
SPEAKER_02So what is that? Sublimation is basically you're taking a hundred percent polyester uh material and it is basically like a heat transfer, but it's not. Um you press it on like a heat transfer and the dyes, um when you press it with the heat, the dyes kind of turn like into gases, and then um it f becomes kind of like embedded in your apparel, so you don't feel it at all. It almost feels like Oh, okay. It was um you like if you're wearing any type of like bike shirt or anything like that, that is sublimation, right?
SPEAKER_01Like our jackets upstairs. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02It feels like it's embedded, like it was made from scratch like that, but generally the piece is white, and then it's done on like a huge wide format he press, and it's like a template that they print out on a wide format printer, press it down, the gases and the dies embed into the garment. Wow.
SPEAKER_05Alright. Like bike jerseys, all that stuff.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, bike, a lot of swim apparel, you know, things like that. But like um, just like those um see those medallions, the full color straps, that is sublimation right there. Oh, on those lanyards. Yeah, on the lanyards. Yeah, cool. Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_05Like something something like this. Correct.
SPEAKER_02That's sublimation.
SPEAKER_05Which sometimes the garments they you know they get a little pilly.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean it's hundred it's gotta be a hundred percent polyester for it to work, otherwise it's polyester's had quite a run.
SPEAKER_05You know, back it was loved in the 70s, then it was hated. Now those endurance athletes are like bringing it back.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_05I'm waiting for like you need a polyester suit, Jeff.
SPEAKER_01When I know. I'd I'll rock the polyester suit.
SPEAKER_05No tie, unbutting it halfway down.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Big giant collar. Yeah, go in. I want to show it up to board meetings with those suits. Fully flammable.
SPEAKER_06Remember that?
SPEAKER_05Totally flammable. If Jeff ever shows up at a podcast, you're gonna light me on fire. So, Chris, I would think you make all our merch, cabin challenge, everything. We're in varsity swim. We got our hands in a lot of stuff here. So thank you for all your hard work. Over the years, we've been together for like Do you do the SOS shirts? Yes, sir. I do have kids. I know you do the Evan, yeah. So I was like, Eve was like talking about the shirts. Uh this is probably nice shirts, man.
SPEAKER_02I think I got the account from Globe.
SPEAKER_05Like, why are you not going to Chris?
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_05He's right in town, local. And now you do it. That's a big that's a big account.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. They're the they spend good money, man. And they're super cool dudes. You know, like Evan is great, his wife's great. Yeah, they're cool. The dad is such a rad dude, man. Yeah. Don. Oh, I can't I never remember his name. He's just like super OG. Like he is. He looks like he was like a P I M P back in the day, man. Dude.
SPEAKER_05He had the look. That's high praise. Don is the man. And he would appreciate that because he would cultivate the jeans, the white tee, or the sandals.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, dude.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, whatever. He's got a look.
SPEAKER_02He's like an original triathlon guy. Yeah, he's he just he looks like a pretty, pretty cool dude. He's very, very cool. The whole family's cool. Yeah, yeah, no, totally, but just someone like super cool dude back in the day. You hang out with you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_05Yeah. So we had to get that, it's good stuff. And uh, I got a new event coming up, too. Uh I think I told you, I don't know if I told you about it, but I had people that are like, open up these events for like they might want to cycle, they might run a run, so you should encourage like involvement, which I did, and that's important. But then I'm like, I'm leaning into like the best event I do, which sells out immediately, cabin challenge. Yeah. I'm like, I'm leaning into my strength. So I've cooked up with George Stewart a ride that we're not sure what it's called yet, but it's gonna be kind of like it's called the Eight Gates of Hell. It's a local ride, every big hill here, eight gates, each mountain to get through it. So I'm gonna be doing some merch on that.
SPEAKER_02Okay. All right.
SPEAKER_05Gonna really cool. I got like a sh a catchphrase, like it gets worse before it gets worse. Real sufferer. And the cyclists are already like, dude, I can't wait, sign me up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it sounds great.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. I mean, for them, not us. I'd I'd like to have it. I'll I'm gonna do it. Yeah. So I'm cycling.
SPEAKER_02Have you guys ever done the SOS?
SPEAKER_05I've done it 15 times.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, that is insane.
SPEAKER_05That's done at least like a seven or eight. I've done it seven times.
SPEAKER_02Oh, you guys are not like I always like it. You could do it. It's a cool time. Yeah, I could do it. Come do it. Yeah, I'll freaking out in the first quarter mile. You just have to train for it, man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, train for it for the next portion of my life.
SPEAKER_05I'm not gonna lie to you, Chris. What else are you doing? Never say never.
SPEAKER_03No, that's true.
SPEAKER_05Endurance sports are filled up with people that are like, I never in my life thought I would even run a 5K, and here I am five years later, I'm at the Iron Man.
SPEAKER_02I mean, literally, that's I've respect it. I just think you guys are you guys missing some screws to do that, man. That's just insanity, man. I watch like you know, every year after I do the shirts, I always follow it on Instagram, and every year I'm just shaking my head like these people are nuts, man.
SPEAKER_04Pretty crazy.
SPEAKER_02Nuts, but hey, kudos, man. It's awesome, you know what I mean? But just to me, it's pure insanity.
SPEAKER_05It's another addiction. I get it. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So it is, and and getting into it and the training, it becomes sort of your life.
SPEAKER_05No, literally, that's it. It's like am I gonna train for the SOS or am I gonna, you know, am I gonna be drinking 12 beers every day? And you know.
SPEAKER_01I there's an in-between. There's a little bit of an in-between. Not for me, Ralph. Um Alright, so like what else do you have going on? So tell us a little more about like your skating background. I didn't know you were like, were you like a pro?
SPEAKER_02Well you like a yeah, I still snowboard. Yeah, yeah. Got my season pass to Bel Air.
SPEAKER_05Now it now snowboarding is like I hope it snows this year, man. Mainstream.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they make good snow up there. They do make pretty good snow. Bel Air's good like that.
SPEAKER_05So you were the snow you were in on the snowboard like the 80s. Um when you were hated by skiers. Yes. 100%.
SPEAKER_02I'm from that, I'm from that era, but I don't maybe like skiers hated the skiers. Early, early nineties. I don't know if yeah, I don't know if I made the uh the 80s cut. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05My friends that were skiers in like the 90s, they were like fucking snowboarders. They were so angry. I'm like, dude, what's your problem? You're both on a hill with snow. They were so pissed off.
SPEAKER_02No, I know. Snowboards saved the frickin' ski industry. Yeah, now it's both industries. Yeah, it's yeah. I mean, you go to mountains now and it's just like as much. Yeah, just like you go to Mount Creek. Yeah, um, love Mount Creek, one of my clients. Um it's predominantly snowboarders, man. Like I would probably say if I had a guess an 80-20 really. Is Mountain Creek the old action park? Yes, Mount Creek's the old action park.
SPEAKER_05All right. Yes.
SPEAKER_02So they actually re-released um last year uh a whole throwback line of action park apparel. Yeah, uh, which had that old school logo, the action appeared. Yeah, yeah. We have all the old, you know, the all the colors. Yeah, uh-huh. We still make them for them. Oh really? Yeah. I love the action park. I I don't know. They might be. Who I gotta get my hands on. I can't confirm or deny, but maybe they're going to rebrand the water park action park. But no, that's a big group. They own Mount Creek, they own uh Mount Creek Snow Partners um and Big Snow, which is uh that indoor snowboard facility at the uh the mall, which is really rap.
SPEAKER_05That's the one on the way down a giant stadium.
SPEAKER_02Yes, it's like right across the street. You see like that huge. Yeah, so that's like all owned by one group and like snow partners. Like from what I'm told, it's like it's like a tech company where they do like a lot of um things with like uh you know, like the the ski passes and all that stuff and like software for ski resorts. It's really cool, man. Um love the people over there. I've been working with them probably just as long. You know, I've been very fortunate with my clients. Um, most of them have been clients for like 10 plus years. Yeah. Easy, like, you know. So I don't know how very lucky.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I don't know how we first I think the set cabin challenge number two, so it was 15 years ago.
SPEAKER_01It's a while. Yeah. I know for from since I was working with you for the kids SOS, I mean, I've been doing that for 10 years. Yeah. I think I've I don't think I've ever gotten t-shirts other than than from you. Okay. I mean, my hair was a lot blacker when I met. I do think it was. So was mine.
SPEAKER_05So I'm not naming your competitors because they're good people, I'm sure. But some of the groups that my wife and I are involved with there, they would always traditionally do Oh, that's right.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_05So Mel gloms onto the merch. Anything we do, my wife gloms onto the merch. Next thing she's like, why are you going to so with so and so and so? Bam, we're out. Bring it all over there. Right? I love it over there. You're spot.
SPEAKER_02Competition's healthy, and honestly, I used to hate it. You know, like, oh, screw this guy. I need the I there's like certain jobs I don't want to do.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, you must subcontract out to get a lot of people.
SPEAKER_02No, I just I don't even sub it. Like, you know, there's like small minimum, you know, like you know, like you know who I don't want to talk trash on them, but you know, you get like a lot of people like, you know, and I'm just like it I've exceeded that point in my business, and it's not trying to be disrespectful, but you know, you get like people that own small shops, they want to do like 24 pieces, but you know, they want to sit in your shop for about like two and a half hours to figure this all out. Yeah. And I lost money at that point. You know, like we're at the point where we have to make like a certain amount of dollar per hour in order to make it economical sense, and I might not be able to service you the way like another shop can, and you know what I mean? Go there and you know, I've refer I refer people to other shops all the time. Yeah, totally. Just because I know it's not, you know, in my wheelhouse. We try to keep things at certain thresholds and stuff, you know. But when we do have like certain clients, you know, big clients, you know, there are some pain in the butt jobs you gotta do for them, but that's just the nature. You know, yeah, it's business. You make it. Some you win on and some you lose on, but they're your clients, so you know you gotta feed them everything.
SPEAKER_01When you've got a client who's feeding you tons of business and they come up with some small job that's not really economical for you, you just smile and do it. Yeah, you gotta do it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. Not gonna say no. No, because it outweighs you know, like, yeah, whatever, man. Just do it for him. Keep it. Do it, suck it up, it sucks. It is what it is, you know. Right. When you s think about the job they gave you a month ago, you know.
SPEAKER_05So I used to always think about you know who would always be upset like when B-side was closed, that place on Main Street? Yeah, Doug at the Bistro. He was like so happy they were there. He's like, I love the fact that B-side did take them. He's like, Please go to the car. Slam it at the Bistro. The lines around the corner. I'm like, freaking beach. Like, we're he's happy.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So I mean, competition can help you out.
SPEAKER_05Who, by the way, is coming back for a cabin challenge out of retirement. You heard it here, folks. Going public, Doug Beans and the Bistro coming back out of retirement to prepare the cabin challenge lunch.
SPEAKER_01Oh, he's doing lunch. Is he?
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_01He can't sit still.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. No, he can't. He's the man. Anyway, so uh who are like your the your biggest accounts? Like who are like school districts?
SPEAKER_02No, hospitality groups, hotel groups.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, like hey, we need like do you do Mohan stuff?
SPEAKER_02No, you I think they do all I do another pretty big hotel in this area. I don't I don't know, man.
SPEAKER_05I'm like don't you don't have to name names.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I don't really like to name names, but uh I name names. It's a very large hotel. Just put it this way, it's a very large hotel group. Um I think you can put two and two together. Um Mount like I said, Mount Creek, their whole you know, group, Snow Partners, Mount Creek. Let's go back to Action Creek.
SPEAKER_05You haven't been to Action Park back in the day? Hell yeah, man. Of course.
SPEAKER_02Dude, I went to my church youth group. They took us there, man. I'm like, what the what is the irony of that, man?
SPEAKER_05I love I would uh my kids are because they've seen the they've seen the documentary and they read the book.
SPEAKER_01Have you taken them there?
SPEAKER_05My kid, no, it's not action park anymore.
SPEAKER_01It's it's basically. But they still have the same rides, dude. They're just a lot safer.
SPEAKER_05That's the whole beauty of it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they have like the little cart thing, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00Like, I'm gonna die. Maybe I'll take them. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, no, they have a lot of the OG rides there. The the uh the alpine slide. Yeah, yeah, that's what it's called. It's but it's not what it used to be. No, no, but it is a lot safer. It's actually still fun, that alpine slide, and it's cooler in some ways, but you're not in that like little like ditch of concrete that when you fall, you just rip up all your skin.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, but it does remember you. You do remember like when you know when you're like yes brings you back to yesteryear, so to speak.
SPEAKER_05I was I love most of mostly what I did. Now I've been I was there a lot. Uh but the Alpine slide, I never went down it, and like it was not when it was fun, but it was all terrifying every time you're on it. Dude, come on. It was great. How about water? Oh, the action park. I loved it. It's cool, it's reeked of gasoline, the whole park, the water. Raming around in venture boats.
SPEAKER_06I remember the one slide and you could see the person's head go down the fabric, the really tall slide slide. And when they went down, you could see their head riding on the fabric, which's keeping them from going off the slide.
SPEAKER_02The one with the uh, it was just like fully enclosed, and it was just like the cannonball loop.
SPEAKER_00That was I never did that one, man. Like, what if the water stops, dude?
SPEAKER_01You're screaming.
SPEAKER_05It's always closed.
SPEAKER_01It was always closed. I never saw it open. And I I went every summer for several times a summer for people years and years.
SPEAKER_05But people kept getting cut in there and they didn't know why they were getting cut in there, and then they realized it was teeth embedded in the foam from previous riders, and their teeth knocked out. Get out of here. That was in the documentary. Well, they went down and they were getting like, ah, their skin's getting ripped. Sorry.
SPEAKER_06They used all the kids to test a rise when they made them.
SPEAKER_05Well, the kids like got their teeth knocked out and were stuck in the foam, and then other people went down and got like their suits ripped, their skin tore.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Yeah. We should start.
SPEAKER_01So I went the last time I went, I took my nephews. It was probably 10 years ago. Whatever, 10, 12 years ago. And um, it was Mountain Creek, you know, and it was a lot of the it basically was the same stuff. Yeah, it's a lot of stuff was monitored better. Yeah, not all the crazy stuff that happened.
SPEAKER_05I didn't even realize it was that crazy back in the day. I just thought it was a park. Exactly.
SPEAKER_01Well, because everything was like that.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I didn't know.
SPEAKER_02That's growing up in the 80s and 90s.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I went to I went to like a camp in the 80s in in this 4-H camp around here. Yeah. And um, I remember just being like out in the woods, just walk all day, like walking around, like no one knew where we were. And eventually you just showed back up before it was time to get on the bus.
SPEAKER_05Like you're you're going, your parents are dropping you off, and the counts are smoking weed, and they're like, have a great time. They roll away.
SPEAKER_01They're out of here. Um, but the the one that was still there, the the we can get off this topic in a moment. But the the the great water slide is the one that you go down and you basically go underground and the tube kind of goes under the ground, and it's I mean, it's some of them you go and they're it's dark, but this was completely pitch black, and you're hitting turns, you have no idea what's about to happen, and your body's just like, oh shit, and you're like moving around, and then it pops you out and you're about ten feet up, and then you you drop out and you land in the pool. The pool of the lake. Well, what used to be just like a like a little like not, but a little pond. Um, and now it was you know a proper like pool. But what's funny is like all of a sudden you see this light coming and it's like seconds, and then they dump water you know at the entrance or the exit rather, and like it's so disorienting because and then it's like 40 inches. You're in total darkness, going all over the place, and then this water hits you in the face, and you're like, and then you're in the air, and boom, you hit the water. What a great ride. Yeah, it's a great ride. I love sending my my you know two 12-year-old nephews down that, and they were just like, what the what the hell is this place?
SPEAKER_05I didn't yeah, the place was great. It was great. So let's pull it together, Jeff. We gotta get back.
SPEAKER_04Business as usual.
SPEAKER_05You're telling me to pull together? Yes. Glenn, the pole. I know. Anyway, I'm just messing with you. So, yeah, Action Park, great, loved it. Right? I would like a t-shirt.
unknownProbably.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, let's get on that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'd think probably be doing another production run for it. It's been pretty successful their action park throwback stuff. Um, but you know, other places I'd say like Hunter Mountain. We've had a relationship with Hunter Mount for probably over 20 years now. Um, Rocking Horse Ranch, Dia, Dia, Storm King Art Center, Mohawk Preserve. Um, we've been doing work for it, God, forever, it feels like.
SPEAKER_04And um you do all the stuff for the grit? The the bike ride they make. Do they get shirts out for the grit? On and off.
SPEAKER_02On and on and off. Some of the events are on and off, but the retail stuff for the preserve is um always solid. You know, yeah, they get a lot. Ken, I don't know if you guys know Ken. I do Marvin. He's got you should have him on. That guy's got like the ideal radio voice. Every time he calls me, I feel like I'm on like, hey, you've been chosen for and I'm like, what's up, Ken? Like, you know it's Ken instantaneously.
SPEAKER_05So we we've asked the preserve, and those organizations like Huguenot Street, the Preserve, when we call them and ask for guests, they usually get back to us with like some sort, like they choose the guest that's coming on.
SPEAKER_02Ken has got the ideal radio voice. Like every time he calls, I feel like I won a prize or something. I love it.
SPEAKER_01Um, so let's see. You you've got how long have you been in business? Next year will be 24. 24 years. Yeah, nice, dude. Long time. Yeah, it is. That's a long run for a small business.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. I'm happy.
SPEAKER_01I'm happy. Well done. So, what do you what do you think? What's gonna happen? Are you expanding? You've got this great out um retail business going, yeah. Um business to business thing happening.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, um in my industry, there's like two like I can easily expand, but then um you gotta feed the beast. You're you're you're working with like a lot of like uh tighter margins and the amount of money you have to input to expand. I'm at what you know in my industry, like at a real sweet spot. Um, and I don't want to leave it where Yeah, you're big enough, right? Yeah, you're big enough where your margin's still good. But um, well, I mean, big enough where you have the good clients, small enough where you have a good margin on everything. Um, you know, I did a uh shirt show podcast, it's called, and um pretty big in the screen printing world. Um it was like on my bucket list, so I was like super stoked. But you know, one of the f questions they ask every shop owner is ten autos or two autos, which is your press. And every person generally says two autos because that's when they were most profitable. Oh once you get to ten, you know, you're talking about like staff of fifty, yeah, you know, this, that, yeah. That's fifty headaches. I'm at two autos right now, and I'm perfectly content.
SPEAKER_01Also, fifty points of failure.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, perfectly content, love you know, lovely amount of clients. I would just like to get more, you know, clients. I call them, you know, people we you know, people like Glenn, you know, we have 10-year relationship, you know, 10, 15 year relationships. That's more of like the only type of expansion I really want to do. And probably um the director garment probably get a little bit more expansion into that. But um, as far as like, you know, that um, you know, bigger space, this and that. No, man. Honestly, if anything, I could see myself and you know, when my kids ten, my youngest, in another ten years, like actually downsizing and just keeping my core clients in a little warehouse that nobody knows I'm at. Yeah. You know, and keeping it like that. That would be my long term, you know. I'm almost 50, so I don't think any of my kids want it. That's fine. Yeah, you know what I mean? Honestly, I don't want them to have it if they don't want it. Um your life is one giant deadline. Um you know, people feel like you're they treat you like you're doing open heart surgery, you know, and you're like, dude, it's just the parrow. Don't worry, we'll get it. We'll we'll we'll get it done.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so like you you're not interested in doing more storefronts, maybe.
SPEAKER_02Misty might, you know. Um so tell us about Misty. Yeah, I'll tell you about Misty.
SPEAKER_01Just real quick, we love Misty.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I know everybody's super cool. I've known Misty my whole life. So I can say that. But I love you, Misty. You know that boat. We have the love-hate relationships. Yeah, sure. We like to mess with each other.
SPEAKER_05I can pick that up.
SPEAKER_02She's kind of like family. I'll give you the whole Is your your wife and her Yes, I'll give you the two-minute backstory as quick as possible. So um, my wife and her are best friends. They actually lived in Germany together. They you know, they're both military brats. And um, I don't know which one of them came over to the States first, but one of them came over to the States first, and just so happened the other one came in the same exact area, got transferred out. So they've been, you know, best friends since I don't even know, probably like second grade in Germany. Um, and then you know, she was working for me um for a while up in the uh new Paul store, and I'm not gonna lie, like I don't like retail, it's not my cup of tea. I'm into moving bulk apparel. I like dealing with businesses, not the end consumer. Yeah, they're a tough crowd to deal with. So anyone that deals with end consumer.
SPEAKER_01Do you have this in small? Do you have this in pink?
SPEAKER_02I would buy this if it was in purple, you know. Like the general public, it it's a tough gig. I respect anyone that owns a business that has to deal with the gen, you know, like oh, you don't have it in purple.
SPEAKER_03I'm going on Yelp and going to write you a bad review.
SPEAKER_05You know, I can find this on Amazon. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Um so long story short, I kind of I was half-ass in the retail. I'm not gonna lie. You know, my passion has always been doing bulk apparel, creating the apparel for people to sell, not to sell it. I made a deal with her. She owns so she I don't know if you know it's a play. Yeah. Mixed T. Yeah. That's like the technical name like of her business, because her name's Misty, mixture, mixed tea. Um, and she took over, you know, I sold it to her, um, basically gave it to her. Um and she does the retail thing. The retail thing at New Palts is all her. That's 100% all her. And I just have the little director garment and I use it as a substation for you know people like Glenn or whoever to come pick your stuff up. I still pick a stuff up there. Yeah, I still have my footprint in New Palts.
SPEAKER_05Dylan's in there, he's making stuff.
SPEAKER_02Dylan's in there.
SPEAKER_05Dylan, like his bloodline is t-shirts. So I can call, like, so this because this happens all the time. You know, and I've and I tell you when I email you, I'm like, Chris, I swear to God, this is the last time I'm changing my order. And then I call back like 10, like two days later. I'm like, I need three more mediums. So could Dylan make knockoffs like that for me? If I was in there, like Dylan need a large.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, he can. So that director garment machine is mainly used for like small color content. Um, I mean not small colors, small production runs, high color content, or like you said, hey, I I I made this bulk order and I need two mediums. It's not gonna be a hundred percent the same than screen printing, but it's gonna get the job done.
SPEAKER_05It'll get it'll get them the shirt and they get in their nine dollar shirt's gonna be eighteen dollars.
SPEAKER_02No, it's gonna be more like 2530. Not for Glenn, but you know, like if you come in and we'll do you one t-shirt, two t-shirt, no problem. I have no problem. But your art's gotta be ready, dude. Like, I'm not sitting there spending an hour on your art to charge you $25, $30 a shirt. Like, you're crazy, dude. Like someone works at McDonald's makes more than that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Um that's listen, this is why I love do all my stuff down a mixture, because you have all my art.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. If you come in, you got like for the D for the director garment, you got a PG file, transparent background, you're ready to go. We can knock off one twos for you in 10 minutes. Like come back 10 minutes later. As long as you're, you know, we have the apparel, we have some blanks up there. Yeah. As long as you have what you know you want, what we have in stock and your art's ready to go, like, yeah, I'll do it for you, no problem. But it's the you know, the issue I have is the time, man. You know, like I can't sit here and you know, you it's a $30 t-shirt. You want me to spend an hour cleaning your artwork? Like, that didn't cover the person I had to pay to do the artwork. The ink, the shirt, you know what I mean? No, no, no, no. It totally is. Here is here's an amazing thing I probably would say it right now, but no, not at all, dude. Glenn's an angel, man. Trust me, you do not know what I deal with.
SPEAKER_05Sure, it's terrible. I I so here's what I learned about the t-shirt industry because I'm a bit of a t-shirt whore when it comes to like I like a good t-shirt. So we were getting people when we got involved with merch and other organizations, we had to take the account of the group we were with from whoever was doing it to bring it the mixture. So my wife's like, Oh, we need that logo. I'm like, that logo. I'm like, dude, getting the logo out of them is gonna be difficult because they kind of did the artwork. That's like a 15-year-old.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they gatekeep it, but yeah, they gatekeep it.
SPEAKER_05I'm like, you gotta get that. I'm like, what should we do? I'm like, take a picture, yeah, send it to Chris, let his artist do it. Now he'll have the art.
SPEAKER_02Technology, it don't matter. Take a picture, he'll do it. Yeah, you can gatekeep the living crap out of that. Just give me a photo and I'll make it. I'll make it juicy.
SPEAKER_05She's like, she's like, can't I just call them up and say I need the logo to I'm like, yeah, you're gonna go into this place and be like, we need the logo to go to Google.
SPEAKER_02But everybody knows that. So it's like, why the hell are you gatekeeping, dude? Like, I mean, like, you could take the stuff I make and bring it somewhere else, and if they have a half a brain, they can get it done. If they can't, they shouldn't be in my industry.
SPEAKER_05The artwork is I I love the fact that I can just call up like, dude, this, this, that, you have all the artwork, all these PGs, and people like, you know, it's a pain in the ass for me. But you did a hell of a job with that tent, dude. Yeah, dude, that thing is legitimate.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that thing was a fucking that's a beast. No, it wasn't pain, but we had some some um Which tent? We had some tricks the endurance tent. That's what he tell you we had some transit issues with it.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, yeah, yeah. Then it showed up and the tent wasn't there.
SPEAKER_00We opened it and it's just the tent with no top, man. So here's what he was gonna keep Glenn really dry.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, so this is what Dylan tried to set you up with. I was using it that day, that like that week, there was an event, it was raining like crazy. So that he told me what happened. He wanted me to write an email to you and be like, Chris, what the fuck? The tent's not in the tent. No, we didn't get it.
SPEAKER_00Thank God.
SPEAKER_02I always like nor I always, when they come in, you know, check it out, make sure everything's good. And yeah, I was like, where the fuck?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, there was no 10. What the frick is the top for this thing, man? I got a 10, and I basically the 10 I got, I'm like, I'm picking it, and you're like, we have the A, B, and C. I'm like, uh, what's the difference? Like, they're fireproof or whatever. So someone's like, if the the fire marshal shows up, I'm like, I could care less about the fire. So I got a 10, and I'm like, oh, it's cool, 10, it was whatever, 14 by 14, 12, but it's bigger than the Gung's cast 10. It's a beast, it's a beautiful tent. Okay, it's tremendous.
SPEAKER_02So, yeah, people don't know, like, we do stuff like that, you know. Yeah, a lot of it we might not do in-house, but I've been doing this for 24 years. I have a lot of um connections with manufacturers, you know. Yeah, just like I said, the cap and gowns. Like, I don't you think I'm selling cap and gowns. Yeah, but I've been working with the same vendor overseas for cap and gowns, you know, with the specs and everything. So we do a lot more. But that's kind of how our industry is. Like a lot of people don't know. Like a lot of that stuff is just connecting with the right manufacturers. Yes. Like our screen printing, our embroidery, our DTG is mainly done in-house. But you know, like a lot of the other stuff we work with, like preferred partners, we've established like long-term relationships. We know who to use, yeah, who not to use, you know, through trial and error, unfortunately, sometimes. But that's generally how my industry so you know. If someone says, like, if you go like let's just say you get like a freaking um squishy or something with your logo printed on, they say they do it in-house, they're straight up lying to you to do. Like, it's just the way the industry works. Yeah, no. So a lot of these things, like they can do, you know, we used to do um our accessories, like we actually did glassware in-house. We're probably like one of the only people in the freaking state that did it, but um we found it that like these companies can actually do it cheaper than what we can do it internally, you know, and like at the end of the day, I want to give my customer as long as the quality's there, you know. At my level or higher, we'd rather give the customer a bigger.
SPEAKER_05I need Chris, I need someone to make a poster. Do you recommend anybody do posters for me? We do that in-house, like a small little sixteen by twenty poster, cabin challenge. Yeah, Ken and Chelsea. Okay. So that's gonna be one of the giveaways they do for the cabin challenge this year. Cool little poster, kind of the map on the back.
SPEAKER_01Glenn Glenn had you on so we could get some deals.
SPEAKER_05No, so Chris, I want. You know the map I have, right? So the map I have, if I made some alterations to that map, how hard would that be for you just to like take the photo? That map. Like the map that's on the back of the cabin. Yeah, you have it. I'm like, Chris, I drew a few extra roads and a couple extra dumb shit in there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, no, just use one of the files I've given you. Change Middle earth.
SPEAKER_05Well, we had to- It does look like a map of Middle Earth. I had to take out the John Wayne. I left the John Wayne quote in, well, quote, in, but we removed the name after like some, you know, people are like, What's a cabin challenge going woke? I'm like, yeah, I guess we are. Sean Wayne was harassed at when we had to get him off my jersey.
SPEAKER_02What's with the fondue deuce? The fondue.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, every yeah we're always like, whenever we print them, we're like, fondue. It's like I changed it. So this year I had the Fondini. We gotta explain Fonda. Yeah, well, there's the whole thing. Fondo's like a fun ride. So basically, Fonda's a fun ride of any group. Like, so like they say they did a hard ride on like a Saturday, like the fondo version would be the Sunday. So kind of easier, shorter version. Okay.
SPEAKER_02No, I get you.
SPEAKER_05I started having a fondo, then just thinking of a fondue, you know, like the I don't know.
SPEAKER_01We always have fun with it, you know. It was Fondeau, and then it was double. So we called it the fondue.
SPEAKER_05I had a I had because then I had the fondeaux, fonde today, fondue tonight. I had a whole thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh-huh. So it's and then I had the fondue. Sandy Irmo came up with the fondue. So it's fondue fondo twice. Then I had like now this I put the fondini together. And I love the stupid ass names that they're not dumb, but Cabin Challenge name these names. I just heard people talking about it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, we're always like joking about, you know, like it's fun to see uh something even, you know, we don't get that it's like stupid, you know, to us. Like, well, what the fuck does this mean?
SPEAKER_05But you know, everybody's like, well, fonduo for the whole day at the at the shop. So the cabin challenge is taking on like a mythical cult status.
SPEAKER_02It makes it makes the print job a little more fun, you know. I'm gonna make a change in that map. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01That's awesome. Yeah. Right?
SPEAKER_05So Chris, little change to that map. I could add something on, you guys could do it without too much trouble. Sweet. I think you know that by the way. All right, my wife's gonna be like, I need I need 400 of those by tomorrow at one. Cash. Cash money. My son's name is cash. Is it right? Yes, it is. Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_02And it's not for Johnny Cash. Everyone's like Johnny Cash. I'm like, no, dude. No, cash. Uh-huh.
SPEAKER_05Cash. Listen, I pay everything in cash. You do, you pay a lot. You pay 99%. Yeah. And I would pay when I first met my wife, she's like, what are you doing? And I'm like, we're going to the bank. She's like, why? I'm like, I gotta pay my mortgage. And she's like, What do you mean you're paying your mortgage? I'm like, yeah. So I walked up to the counter with my mortgage stuff and paid cash. And she's like, What?
SPEAKER_02Who are you? I still pay cash cash. Cash is king still to me. Like, I'm tired of like, you know, credit card fees and all. I'm one of probably one of the freaking only damn Hudson Valley business that doesn't charge a credit card fee. Oh, you do not? No, I do not. I have never charge. I'm thinking about doing it this week. You should. But I have never that's just money off the top of it. It is. But to me, like, I don't understand. I'm not trying to hate on the businesses. I understand we're all working with tough margins these days. But we have paid these credit card fees since we've opened our business. It's nothing new, you know? But then all of a sudden we're charging fees.
SPEAKER_05It's I gotta tell you, it sucks. So listen, let's just talk about it.
SPEAKER_01If you you can do it where you know the way to do it is not to be like, and I'm charging you extra for the credit card fees. You just increase your costs.
SPEAKER_02Technically illegal, and you can get fined. You can put it on the receipts. No, what you know, you can't you what you have to do legally in New York State is you have to put the credit card price on the transaction. So let's just say it's twenty dollars and you're charging three percent, you know, that's your credit card fee. Yeah, you have to put whatever, like you know, twenty dollars and thirty cents. Yeah, that's that has to be the displayed price. Yeah. Then at the end, you put three percent cash check discount. But it's technically illegal to charge twenty dollars and then at the end have your credit card processing fee. A lot of businesses don't know that. You can get a freaking ten thousand dollar fine per transaction. New York has always been a little tight. You have to word it properly. You charge the bait you charge a credit card price and then you offer the three percent discount at the end of the SKU. So all your business don't know that. Yeah, uh-huh. That's what you that is the hundred percent uh New York State legal way to do it.
SPEAKER_05But there's really no way to get around the credit card per because I've been listening, I thought all year about trying to make around a platform for my events because I didn't want to pay fees. I mean, I suppose check or Venmo, right? Or cash? Check, check or Venmo, cash. Well, I mean But I can't take cash for people because like I need people to sign up ahead of time.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, so that's hard. There's really like I said, they're really you're right.
SPEAKER_05Well, here's the thing I just decided people say, I'm like, use your ATM card.
unknownRight?
SPEAKER_05Because most ATM cards are it's not a credit card, it's an ATM. Like so when you sign up for the Cabin Challenger an event, use your ATM card and you avoid the fees yourself. Yeah, use your debit. Anyway, what are you gonna do? Cash. Listen, just so we're clear, we're all law-abiding people here. No one's defrauding the government. Trust me, I pay my fees.
SPEAKER_02We just don't want to want to pay the fees. Yeah, I do it more so for the fees, man. The fees are just outrageous, man. So are expenses. We're we're we're in the probably no BS, probably six, close to six figures in credit quote card fees. Yeah, no doubt. So like that's an extra employee I can have if I charge fees. But I don't know, man.
SPEAKER_01I just I I've thought about it for since COVID, I've thought about it.
SPEAKER_02Like, yeah, should I do it? Should I not? And I still have yet to pull I just eat it, man, because I've eaten it since 24 years.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So it's a tough one. It's tough.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's tough. Yeah. I think a lot of even small, I mean uh if you consider yourself a medium-sized business, I think smaller businesses are they they have to. They have to pass that along.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I know, but they've always paid it. That's the issue I have.
SPEAKER_01Like when you open, like if you've been in business for 50 years. If they've started doing it though, then then there's I mean, if you did it from the start, like that's what I mean.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, people aren't gonna care, Chris.
SPEAKER_01I know, but I don't know.
SPEAKER_00To me, it just it really trying to encourage you to really represent my feathers.
SPEAKER_05I'm just gonna drive to your store with a thousand dollars.
SPEAKER_00No, like you've been in business for twenty years, dude. The day you opened your business and you got a credit card machine, you knew you were paying fees. Yeah, you know, and you just absorbed that.
SPEAKER_02Everyone, I mean, before COVID, did you ever see a credit card processing fee? Never. I mean Well, yes, but maybe not New York State. I've never seen one since COVID. I've never paid like you're paying three percent more because you're paying uh credit cards.
SPEAKER_01Always not from the consumer perspective, but from the business side, you see you know that there's credit card fees and you know you work that into your pricing.
SPEAKER_02Yes. Yeah. Well, that's what you sh that's what everybody should do to begin with. That's what I was saying. Yeah, just build it in the end of your own. Nobody wants to see a th I'm we're going off so far off old man ran. Nobody wants to see, you know, like I mean, uh cost of living, cost of living is already high enough, you know, going out is is a luxury. But nobody wants to see a fee at the end of the year. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Like a nickel for a bag.
SPEAKER_00Like, what the heck?
SPEAKER_06Um, HBF. That's on your that's on your easy.
SPEAKER_00Like, what's going on?
SPEAKER_05November 1st, 2026. I was not the guy that started the old man ran. Okay. Usually the old man ran is me. There's rescue encouraging in the GPS.
SPEAKER_03They're charging for water.
SPEAKER_05Dude, I can't stand for it. Or per drink. Yeah. When you have like an iced tea and a chip. Yeah, yeah, but water. Or you buy it, you buy coffee and a bag of Fritos and the guy spins a machine around and watches a tip.
SPEAKER_02Get the fuck out of it. Oh, no, don't, don't, don't, don't get me started. That's the old man rant. If I got no no, I'll old man it with you. If I have to stand up and order my food, I am not tipping you. No. No, that's your J-O-B, dude. You're not getting paid waiter, waitress salary, dude. If you sit down and serve me, and I'm gonna tip you, and I'm a very good tipper. Yeah, me too. Like, you know, 25-30% is my general, you know. Uh, but like, no, dude, like I go, like, I'm not gonna name names, but some restaurants, dude. Like, you go up and like you gotta sit there with your tray, and then they sit there and they feed you, like, and then they put that tip. You're like, come on, man. I'm busting my chip.
SPEAKER_03But the other one is like, would you like to round your money up to round up St. Jude's fun or something?
SPEAKER_02Man, no, man, they already paid that money. They're trying to get their money back, dude.
SPEAKER_03Like, so I never do.
SPEAKER_02St.
SPEAKER_01Jude's is a tough one.
SPEAKER_05No, you know what I mean. I just randomly. It's like I've been in the store four times today. I round it up.
SPEAKER_02No, I never do, it's just principle. Like, and they're always at like these big ass like those roundups. So it's like O'Sourceable. It's like, man, you don't need the money, man. Like, what are you talking about?
SPEAKER_05Why don't your company make a huge donation? You don't need my money to make it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's just yeah, true. Yeah, Lowe's.
SPEAKER_05You make a donation, Lois. You don't need Glenn LaPole's nine cents to make a donation. Yeah. You just take out your checkbook.
SPEAKER_01You know what Lois should do is just be like, you tell us, you round up as much as you want, and then we'll pay it. Like you don't pay it, you just give the suggestion and be like eight dollars every time. So at the end of the day, they have to pay like some four million dollar donation.
SPEAKER_02Say we'll match whatever you whatever you round up. Yeah, matching would be cool. You know, that'd be might entice people. You might feel a little better, but I'm like, I'm not I'm like, I I feel like like you know, Lowe's wrote out a check for $10 million to St. Jews, and they're already and they're just trying to get their money. No, good point. That's exactly what I think a lot of them do that, man. I'm pretty sure.
SPEAKER_05That's how my grievances. So Jeffrey, uh yeah, that was a great that's a great point, Chris. That's exactly what those fuckers are doing.
SPEAKER_01It's time to start building your grievances, folks. My grievances are already underway.
SPEAKER_05Sorry, we went from uh credit cards to uh we talk about this is how we operate. No one who's listening to us is like, this is why are they on this tangent? No one's shocked. This is what they're used to.
SPEAKER_01No, that's the thing. You're not. You're not.
SPEAKER_00I'm doing the opposite. Like, I'm not charging you the 3%.
SPEAKER_01I'm trying to encourage you. People are gonna hate me and be like, you know, Jeff's responsible for Chris raising his prices.
SPEAKER_05But you know, some of my tractions are pretty damn hot. When you guys go to mixture, next thing you know, you're getting your t-shirt order, and the t-shirts instead of being 20 bucks, you're like 22,000. Come and see me. Son of a bitch.
SPEAKER_01Good business man.
SPEAKER_05He's taking shirts right away.
SPEAKER_00I might be put I might be shooting myself in the foot because I don't know if Misty charges two. Oh, Misty. Sorry, Misty.
SPEAKER_05But it's not me, man. It's not me. Jeff Weiss. J-E-F-F. W-E-I-S-S. E-S. Did I say W-E-I? No, I'm just kidding. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I was trying to mess people up. Now they don't remember what it was. All right. Chris, let's dial, let's crawl the back to this podcast. Holy shit. Chris, we ask our guests. We're gonna wrap it up. Okay. It's been fun, man. Yeah, we got uh well, you got like a little question? We have three questions we ask our guests. All right. So I'm gonna ask you, what are your top three bands? Oh three bands. Bands or any type of music? Music, sure. Top three. You can go genre if you want. Genre, people. I like uh I do like reggae a lot. I knew you were gonna say reggae.
SPEAKER_02I just felt it, man. I mean, how could you not say Bob Marley? Yeah, I mean in the top three, I would say. Bob Marley. Bob Marley, hip-hop. I'll do one of each genre. Okay.
SPEAKER_05You like old school hip hop or yeah.
SPEAKER_02I like old school, but um Who's your hip-hop guy? Andre 3000. Okay. Outcast. Nice. Okay. And we'll say rock. Or, you know, that in that whole genre. I'm gonna go Rage Against the Machine. Wow. Good.
SPEAKER_04Those are all.
SPEAKER_02It's great. There we go. You can like country music, you can be a diehard country fan, die hard heavy metal. Bob Marley comes on. Everybody likes Bob Marley. I agree. You know what I'm saying? It's for the people. Yeah.
SPEAKER_05Dude, that is well said and 100% accurate. Everybody loves Bob Marley. You'll hear people put on country music. Get this shit off, I don't like it. You'll never hear someone like take that off. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's very rare, right?
SPEAKER_05Never.
SPEAKER_01Good answers. I like that. Um all right. So if you had a superpower, what would it be? Or what is your superpower? Not charging fees. That is my superpower.
SPEAKER_02Um god, that's a good question. Kicks in the door, some detail. To um make people live longer, eternal life, you know, more of like eternal life or something. Wow. Eternal life. I think I think a lot of people have been so eternal life to you.
SPEAKER_05Ripping with altruism.
SPEAKER_02But you know what I mean? Like, there's a lot of people in our lives I feel like uh have been taken away too short.
SPEAKER_05So maybe if you know that's very refreshing to hear after Jeff said his superpowers look at someone's clothes.
SPEAKER_07Come on.
SPEAKER_05Terrible. Thanks, Jeff. I guess you know, I guess you know I just I don't know, man.
SPEAKER_02My dog died like four years ago around this time, man. And uh he was only five. He was my sole dog, man. So like if I could have had like another couple years, yeah, man. Yeah, I feel that. And you know, we all I'm sure Jeff's getting too parents, friends, families, you know. If I could I won't even say eternal, just if I could have a little more extension. Well, extension, yeah. Give someone an extension.
SPEAKER_05So well said, yeah. And speaking of dogs, Jeff, are you getting the dog for Hazel for Christmas?
SPEAKER_02No.
SPEAKER_01Do it, bro. Do it. Oh god, now I got Chris Chris.
SPEAKER_03Rescue a dog, man.
SPEAKER_02You know a lot of rescues.
SPEAKER_01There's a great rescue in Gardner, Blues Rescue. Glenn and Mel hitting us hard with the dog.
SPEAKER_05Mel sending dog pictures.
SPEAKER_02Oh, let me get your Instagram. I will freaking blow your shit up with dog pics.
SPEAKER_05Tom, how's Carter? Dog picks.
SPEAKER_06Doing great. No, it was breakneck. Breakneck. We're going up breakneck. Okay. I've done that before. I took him the wrong spot. You know, the spot where you're full of it. I'm like, this is where you die here. Yeah. I thought he chills, you know, every now and then. And I apologize for that. I feel good I took you and Dave there. I was like, I'm gonna take him on the route. I never did that route. Okay. Like, I'm gonna take him on this route. You want to show him a cool route? And before you know, we're hanging on the side of a mound crawling.
SPEAKER_00Where's that? Yeah, dude, it's a thing.
SPEAKER_02I'm fucking scaling down some shit with no, like when I'm like 17, probably, you know, smoked a fat J in the woods or something. Next thing I know, I'm like crawling down some mountain where you should be having like rope and stuff, man. It's like, oh my god, we're gonna die.
SPEAKER_05We all lived. We all lived to tell the tale.
SPEAKER_01We did. We have. Nice, we're all here. Hit it, Jeff. All right. So hit old school. If you had a sandwich named after you, what would be on it? It's the Farbach. Oh god. The Farbach.
SPEAKER_05And this could, you could have Missy put this on the sand.
SPEAKER_01No, if I what ingredients would we?
SPEAKER_05We'll get Greg.
SPEAKER_01What would you call it? Yeah, we'll get Greg to put this on the grazer menu. This is gonna be on the far menu. It's gonna be at the grazer menu.
SPEAKER_00Oh, okay. I got one for you. I got one, I got one, I got one, I got one. People are gonna think it's the most disgusting thing.
SPEAKER_02Yes. But when you eat it, it's actually good. And everyone You've already had one of the most disgusting things. And I've already made it for plenty of people, and they are all like, dude, this is surprisingly good. All right, I've known Greg a while. Fried egg sandwich with peanut butter. Whoa. Wow. What type of bread is that on? Wow. Wanda.
SPEAKER_05Whoa. Whoa, whoa.
SPEAKER_02Damn. My grandma used to make it for me when I was a little, and I still eat it to this day. Really? And it's surprisingly good. You gotta go smooth, though. Smooth peanut butter. Not no no no no no not none of that chunky crap, man. All right. Damn. You could do it on a hard roll, too. But you know, grandma's grandma's always did it like it on wonder.
SPEAKER_05Sliced bread. Grandma's not doing hard rolls.
SPEAKER_02No, it doesn't have to be wonder bread, but you know, that's whatever. Sliced white bread.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_03You could do whole wheat, you know, you want to feel a little hard. Oh, shoot.
SPEAKER_05So pack's the same punch, but yeah, that's that's a that's a I think that bread, that sandwich.
SPEAKER_01It's actually surprisingly. I'm I'm I'm interested. I'm scared, but I'm interested in the eyes. Don't be a peanut butter, maybe.
SPEAKER_05Those are two of my very favorite foods eggs and peanut butter.
SPEAKER_01It's good, man. It's good. Trust me. It's really good. I mean, it was a leap for me to go an egg sandwich with um mayo. And I was like, oh, it's pretty good. Oh, that sounds awful. Bro, peanut butter is not really up there. I'm not a mayo, I'm not a mayo guy, so I don't like mayo at all.
SPEAKER_02I wasn't either, but once in a while I'm like, oh, it's not bad. Trust me. The peanut butter on the fried egg, it'll change your life.
SPEAKER_01Damn. That's bold. Really thin peanut butter? Are we talking like a thick layer?
SPEAKER_02You could do it however you want, man. Like you want, you want it. No, this is the Farbach. It's gotta be No, but like I sometimes I do it thin, sometimes I do it thick. Depends, you know.
SPEAKER_05Some people go into a jelly, they're like, I don't want a mustard.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_05Just do a little mustard. Depends how you like it.
SPEAKER_02Man, you gotta experiment.
SPEAKER_05Now, meanwhile, the guy's like, fuck you.
SPEAKER_02I like to cook it and then let the egg sit a little while before I slap it on the bread with the peanut butter, because then a peanut butter gets a little too melty for my liking. Okay.
SPEAKER_05So listen, this sandwich has been made. This is this is a sandwich. It's been made for and enjoyed.
SPEAKER_02I might have to try it. I'll tell you, one night you're starving, you had too much to drink or something. You know, you know, you always make great things when you know you're altered. Well, we'll just say altered in some way, shape, or form. Think of the fried egg and peanut butter sandwich. It'll change your life.
SPEAKER_01All right. All right. Let's go. Let's do it, Tom. All right, yo, Chris. Coming on, buddy. No problem. Thank you for having me. Thank you so much. Sorry it took so long. It's great. It's all perfect timing.
