So much more than a newspaper.

By libby@gunnisontimes.com | on July 13, 2022

All the way from the back building of the local newspaper to a new location on Tomichi Avenue, OffCenter DeSIGNS has been Kirsten Dickey’s passion since around 1998. Just like the shifting locations of the shop, Dickey’s vision for her company has shifted and grown through the years, creating something both Dickey and her employees can find fulfillment in. 

OffCenter DeSIGNS is a screen printing and embroidery studio that specializes in shirts, hats, hoodies and totes. Dickey, creative director and owner, runs one location in Gunnison while her brother, John Stanley, is opening another in Hamilton, Ohio. The ribbon-cutting for the new location is set for July 27. OffCenter DeSIGNS is continually looking to grow, but like most businesses, it started out small. 

After receiving a two-year graphic arts degree, Dickey moved to Gunnison and worked at the local newspaper for five years where she met her husband, Chris Dickey. She left the newspaper and started a graphic design business, making logos for people and businesses. However, when the 2008 recession hit, Dickey said she lost many of her customers.

“I lost almost all of my clients, because graphic design is something people can teach themselves,” she said, “So that was fine. We needed two incomes, so then I started the sign shop.” That’s when the name OffCenter DeSIGNS was born.

By popular demand, the business grew to include screen printing T-shirts as well.

“When people started asking for T-shirts, we just figured it out,” she said, “It was just kind of having fun and messing around. It was definitely a hard thing to learn.” 

Dickey bought a T-shirt printing machine from Provo, Utah, and began the process of learning everything there is to know about screen printing. 

Before she knew it, Dickey’s sign and T-shirt printing business became busy. She began to hire college students to help her fill orders, but soon needed full-time staff to make sure the business ran smoothly. No longer was Dickey filling just one order a day, but pushing out two to three orders on each new machine she bought. However, a growing business calls for a growing space. 

About six years ago, Dickey moved her business from Main Street to West Tomichi Avenue where the old crossfit building used to be. With the increased staff and productivity, Dickey , no longer screen prints herself, is able to focus on her role as a production-manager and overseer of the shop. 

Dickey says that this process has been challenging, especially when having to learn how to print shirts and embroider hats, but it is all part of that “business adrenalin rush,” as she puts it. She enjoys all of the challenges that come with running her business, though it has been a big trial and error process. 

“I love to keep learning. It’s really frustrating, but it’s like having a baby. When it works, it’s fun,” she said. 

Evan Allison, a screen printer hired at OffCenter DeSIGNS said he enjoys the challenging but rewarding work environment as well. Having received his BFA in graphic design from Western Colorado University, he says that the job has taught him a lot about the craft of screen printing in a very hands-on way. 

Though he plans on leaving the Gunnison Valley within a year, he says OffCenter DeSIGNS has been a great stepping-stone for what he wants to do in the future. 

“Kirsten’s awesome to work with,” he said. “She is always looking out for us. The work environment is pleasant, and I don’t ever come to work not happy to be there.” 

Dickey said the most rewarding part of her job has been working with such a “laid-back” community that understands when mistakes are made. She said 95% of her business serves local buyers, and the Gunnison valley “really loves their T-shirts.” 

“Everything I do is someone else’s artwork or design, dream or logo for their company, or an event that they’re in charge of. That’s the best part, is people loving (the product) and then they’re giving them out, and it’s just like a progression of making people happy,” she said. 

(Sam Schaefer can be contacted at 970.641.1414.)

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