As I’ve spent the last year working on Dufur.com developing the content and designs for all the shirts you see on the site, I’ve received a lot of feedback from friends, family, co-workers, Facebook friends, ex-co-workers, my dog and my kids — and not necessarily in that order. And of course, I hear from customers. Generally the feedback is really positive. (Hopefully they’re not just being nice.) One of the first things I hear is, “I have a great one for you… have you ever heard of a town called [insert town name here] ?” I’d estimate that about 1/2 the time it’s a town I haven’t heard of so I make a note and add it to my “towns in development” list. [This is a bit of an aside, but the "towns in development" list is growing much faster than I can keep up with the research and design! Kind of a good problem, I guess, although nobody likes falling behind. Maybe in a future blog I'll give you glimpse into a few of the funnier places on the list.]

Anyway, in the spirit of continual improvement, I do pay attention to what customers and others have to say about Dufur Tees. Besides the place suggestions, there are 2 other themes that have come up consistently in the feedback, and one super-sharp observation I’ve made:

1. 1. Feedback:  “You should put the state on there.”
2. 2. Feedback:  “Why is the design like that, instead of like…?” and variations.
3. 3. My super-sharp observation:  the economy isn’t doing so hot.

So, in the spirit of responding to these recurring themes (and that key observation), I bring you Dufur Basics.  Lower-price, no-frills, back-to-the-basics, core essentials with the state name on there.  Nothing fancy or outlandish — white, heather gray and dark asphalt colored American Apparel shirts with a return to the fundamentals: funny town names that say something about who you are.  Of course, this doesn’t mean I’ll stop doing the designed versions of the shirts, but as I mentioned in my last post, sometimes the town name is funny enough. And with the Dufur Basics line, I can launch towns more quickly in the Basic tee version and then release the designed version later. More towns, more quickly = more opportunities to find the perfect place that describes someone you know.  After all, that’s what Dufur.com is all about — finding the perfect shirt that features your other hometown.  As your friends will say, “well, that explains a lot.”

So check out Dufur Basics and let your shirt do the talking.
Thanks!
Mike