The Ypsilanti Courier
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
VG Kids moves downtown
Business hopes to add to community with new downtown location
PUBLISHED: May 31, 2007
An established business in Ypsilanti will be stepping into the spotlight with a new location downtown.
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Having been in business in Ypsilanti for more than eight years, VG Kids has attracted thousands of clients from across the country. The screen-printing company produces an average of 1,000 shirts and 10,000 stickers for its Internet and local customers every week.
“People are really loyal to this town,” said James Marks, who owns VG Kids. “We wanted to show people we are here and we care about Ypsilanti.”
Though its downtown location, at 216 W. Michigan Ave., is open, its grand opening is scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The company started in Marks’ Pontiac grocery store. Called the Vegetarian Grocer, the store opened in 1997 when Marks was just 17. Aside from selling groceries and printing, the store also served as a hangout for kids to catch a concert, buy a record or jump on a trampoline. The store closed its doors two years later and Marks moved to Ypsilanti to be closer to the woman who later became is wife.
“The grocery store wasn’t making any money,” he said. “We were split a thousand different ways.”
The same year Marks, now 28, moved to Ypsilanti, he started a new business, this time more focused but maintaining its roots. He decided to name his new printing company, located on Pearl Street, VG Kids. The domain name had already been purchased and the people from his old store in Pontiac could recognize it.
“The people who did need to know knew there was some continuity,” he said.
The press Marks got when he was 16 years old is still in use buy the company today. He had to move from Pearl Street to a larger shop on Michigan Avenue, west of downtown, because he needed more space for the company’s production.
VG Kids expanded its capabilities as it expanded its size. Customers can now order custom tee shirts, stickers, buttons posters and various other products from Marks’ company.
“Tee shirts and stickers have always been the core of it,” he said. “We’ve gradually been getting one piece after another to offer more options.”
Though the company has a new office downtown, VG Kids’ production will still run out of its shop on Michigan Avenue. He said the new office will increase visibility and serve for local customer service.
“We want to be more visible in Washtenaw County,” Marks said. “We want to be the most visible thing ever.”
Serving as the general operational headquarters for the company, Marks said he hopes the new location also will serve as a location for community gatherings. He said there will be several events held for the public with snacks and refreshments. Participants can watch production, movies or concerts in the new office.
The first event after the grand opening is a poster production demonstration for Ann Arbor’s Zingerman’s on June 15. A similar event for another Ann Arbor company, the Shaman Drum Book Shop, is scheduled for July 12. Marks said he has several clients in Ann Arbor.
“We’re bringing Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti,” he said. “Ypsi’s been in the shadow of Ann Arbor and it doesn’t have to be that way.”
Contact Staff Writer Dan DuChene at 697-8255 or at dduchene@heritage.com
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