Thursday, December 23, 2010

A conversation with Madison & Ryan with Indi prints.



I was so impressed with my Kingstongirl tee-shirts, Madison & Ryan made. They do such great work. They were able to on many projects for the local events, festivals,  and business. Thank you Indi Prints for buying ad space! :) 

How long have you lived in the area?
Madison: I have lived in the Kitsap area my whole life (22 years) moving between Indianola, Kingston and Poulsbo. But Indianola will always be my hometown (hence the name IndiPrints :)
Ryan: has lived in Poulsbo his whole life (24 years)
How much family history do you have in the area?
Madison: My family (great-grandparents) bought their first home in Indianola in 1922. At first, it just served as a summer home but my grandparents fell in love with it and made it their permanent place of residence. Ever since then we have had great pride in calling Indianola our home. My father, his two brothers, his sister all still live in this small community and I plan to do the same when I get older and buy a home.
Ryan: Ryan's family history is on Bainbridge Island a huge part of his family lives in the Kitsap area.

 What is your favorite thing about the area?
Madison: I love the beauty of our surroundings. I tried to live in Seattle while I attended the University of Washington, and found myself coming back to Indianola every weekend. Having the water and the moutains both in such close proximity make the Kitsap Penninsula a gorgeous place to live and work. I also enjoy that we can still maintain small-town communities, walking down the street in Indianola I know almost everyone and thier families by name and it makes you feel so at home and secure.

 What would you change if you could about the area?
Madison: I would stop the huge amount development. While I'm not naive and realize the area is growing and more is needed to accomidate that growth, its so sad to see what once used to be forest turn into Wal-Mart and Home Depot. Not only that but what is being built is huge and in excess and detracting from our beautiful landscape!
Where would you like to see your business be in 5 years?
Madison: We would like to be making a profit instead of in the hole from starting this business :) We would like to have a wide variety of clients and hopefully many repeat customers!
 What is the hardest part of having your own business?
Madison: At the moment, the hardest part is putting so much into it and trying to get our name out there and as of yet, not seeing a whole lot of interest.
Where would you like our town to be in over the next five years?
Madison: Ideally I'd like it to not change too much. I would like more people to become aware of their impact on small business instead of just doing what is easy and going to a big chain store. I know its something that as a young person I wasn't even aware of until I began working at the bookstore and realized how often you hear people in the store comment that they'll just go to Barnes & Noble later or shop on Amazon.com. It's so important to support local businesses because you're supporting your own community, even if it might cost a little bit more.
What is your favorite thing to do in our town?
Madison: My favorite thing to do by far is to go to the beach! Pretty much any hot day during the summer you will find me and my family at the Indianola beach enjoying the weather and the scenery!
What is your favorite Store in town? 
Madison: I really love working and shopping in the bookstore (Liberty Bay Books). I also of course love the Indianola Country Store and Deli because of the history and the sense of community. Also, my aunt & uncle just opened an art studio in Poulsbo called Indi Studios and its full of art from Indianola artists and soon IndiPrints will have some original designs in their store!
 Do you give to any local charities you work with? 
Madison: At the moment we're so new we're just working with getting the business going, but do offer a discount to customers who are purchasing shirts for fundraisers and other charity events so that the shirts are cheaper and they can make a larger sum of money for their cause.
What is your business motto? 
M&R: Committed to giving you the best!
Tell me anything you would love to share about your business
M&R: We're just really passionate about our business and are really excited to start getting some bigger jobs and making some beautiful apparel! We will beat any competitors price quote and offer many options for discounts!