zoo city apparel

What zoo city apparel does

Zoo City Apparel is a privately held custom apparel decoration shop headquartered in Missoula, Montana, founded in 2009 and owned by John Hughes since 2013. The company provides screen printing, embroidery, custom patches, heat transfers, promotional merchandise, and post-print finishing/fulfillment services. Its customer base spans outdoor recreation (fly shops, guide services, premium brands like Simms and Free Fly), craft beverage (Big Sky Brewing), non-profits (Glacier National Park Conservancy), cannabis (Soultonix Cannabis), artists/creators (Slinger Apparel), and events/festivals, with claimed capacity to service events at the scale of VidCon.

Service delivery is built around a screen printing core using ROQ Printing Equipment with laser screen exposure for resolution, supporting both waterbased and plastisol inks; waterbased printing is positioned as a rarity in Montana and is marketed on softness, durability, and eco-friendliness. Adjacent capabilities include embroidery, direct-to-garment printing, heat transfers, multiple patch materials (woven, leather, PVC, sublimated) sourced via a same-building partnership with Arrow Emblems, and finishing services covering folding, bagging, tagging, and drop-ship fulfillment. The team consists of approximately seven employees distributed across Montana, Arizona, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

The business operates a sales-led, direct model with no resellers or marketplace presence. Customers initiate orders through a multi-step website quote form (capturing order sizes of 24, 48–71, 72–99, 100–299, 300–499, 500–999, or 1,000+ pieces) or by phone/email. Revenue is per-piece with tiered volume discounts, $25 per color for Pantone matching, and small handling fees for customer-supplied garments. Markets served include Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, indicating a regional rather than purely local footprint.

Name

zoo city apparel

Legal name

Zoo City Apparel

Website

https://zoocityapparel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Zoo City Apparel is a Missoula, Montana-based custom apparel decorator offering screen printing, embroidery, patches, transfers, and promotional merchandise to regional clients across events, outdoor recreation, tourism, and the arts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Missoula

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Screen Printing Services: Primary revenue stream providing screen printing on apparel (shirts, hoodies, posters) and flatstock. Minimum order 24 pieces with tiered bulk pricing (24/48/72/100/300/500/1000). Revenue is per-piece based on order quantity and color count.
2. Embroidery Services: Embroidery for garments and custom patches. Minimum order 12 pieces. Offers various patch materials (woven, leather, PVC, sublimated).
3. Promotional Products: Stage banners, event swag, pens, cups, koozies, stickers and other promotional merchandise.
4. Finishing Services: Folding, bagging, tagging, and fulfillment services. Includes drop-ship fulfillment to end customers. Tiered pricing for high-volume annual clients.
5. Poster/Flatstock Printing: Gig posters and limited edition prints on various paper stocks with foil options. Max image size 18" x 24".

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zoo City Apparel provides custom apparel decoration services including screen printing (apparel and flatstock), embroidery and patch creation (woven, leather, PVC, sublimated), promotional products and banners, and finishing/fulfillment services such as folding, bagging, tagging, and drop-ship delivery. Orders are placed via online quote request or direct phone/email contact, with tiered bulk pricing by volume and minimum order quantities ranging from 12 to 50 pieces depending on service.

Product overview

Zoo City Apparel is a screen printing and embroidery shop in Missoula, Montana offering custom apparel decoration services. The core offerings include Screen Printing (apparel and flatstock/poster printing), Embroidery & Patches, and Banners & Promo Swag. Supporting services include Finishing Services (folding, bagging, tagging, and fulfillment), Heat Transfers, Clamshell Tags, and Direct-to-Garment printing. The company also provides a Pricing Calculator tool for customer cost estimates. With 15 years in business, the shop specializes in waterbased and plastisol ink printing, offers patch creation in various materials, and provides tiered bulk pricing based on annual volume.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Screen Printing Custom apparel and flatstock screen printing services using ROQ Printing Equipment with laser screen exposure for high resolution. Prints on t-shirts, hoodies, posters, and other garments using waterbased and plastisol inks with Pantone color matching. Minimum order is 24 pieces. Targeted at businesses, organizations, events, and brands needing bulk custom apparel decoration.
• Embroidery & Patches Custom embroidery services for direct-to-garment stitching and patch creation. Offers patch materials including embroidered, woven, leather, PVC, and sublimated options. Minimum order of 12 pieces for embroidery. Designed for businesses, brands, and uniform buyers seeking premium embellishment on apparel, hats, jackets, bags, and accessories.
• Banners & Promotional Swag Promotional products including stage banners, event decorations, stickers, pens, cups, koozies, and various imprinted merchandise items for events, festivals, and conferences. Serves event organizers and brand marketers needing bulk event merchandise and signage at scale.
• Finishing Services Post-print fulfillment services including garment folding, bagging, tagging, and drop-ship fulfillment to end customers. Includes inventory holding and direct-to-consumer shipping for retail and merchandise clients. Tiered pricing available for high-volume annual clients.
• Poster & Flatstock Printing Gig poster and flatstock printing with foil options on various paper stocks. Maximum image size 18" x 24" final cut. Serves artists, musicians, and event promoters producing limited edition prints and event posters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of thousands of impressions printed over 15 years of operation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Arrow EmblemscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerArrow Emblems is located in the same building as Zoo City Apparel and supplies custom-designed patches including embroidered, woven, leather, PVC, and sublimated options. Zoo City Apparel applies these patches to customer hats, jackets, bags, and other apparel. This same-building partnership enables streamlined patch ordering and application workflow.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CustomInk: CustomInk is a leading online custom apparel and accessories retailer offering screen printing, embroidery, and promotional products to groups, businesses, and organizations. Directly comparable to Zoo City Apparel in custom screen-printed merchandise and embroidery services for B2B customers.
• RushOrderTees: RushOrderTees is a custom apparel company specializing in screen printing, embroidery, and digital apparel decoration with quick turnaround. Highly comparable in offering custom-decorated apparel to businesses, teams, and organizations.
• Printful: Printful is a print-on-demand and fulfillment service offering screen printing, embroidery, DTG, and other apparel decoration methods. Comparable to Zoo City Apparel in providing custom decorated apparel and drop-ship fulfillment, though operating at much larger scale and online-first.
• Underground Printing: Underground Printing is a custom apparel and screen printing company serving businesses, Greek life, and collegiate customers across multiple U.S. locations. Directly comparable in custom screen printing and embroidery services with multi-region physical operations.
• Real Thread: Real Thread is a custom apparel decoration company offering screen printing, embroidery, and finishing services with a focus on premium apparel brands. Comparable in providing high-quality custom decoration on premium garments for B2B clients.
• SquadLocker: SquadLocker is a custom team apparel and gear platform offering screen printing, embroidery, and fulfillment for sports teams, schools, and organizations. Comparable in providing custom decorated apparel with integrated fulfillment services.

Broad incumbents

• 4imprint: 4imprint is one of North America's largest promotional products distributors offering apparel decoration, embroidered apparel, and promotional merchandise to businesses. Broad incumbent in the same custom-decorated apparel and promotional products category as Zoo City Apparel.
• Vistaprint (Cimpress): Vistaprint, part of Cimpress, is a large-scale custom printing and apparel platform offering business cards, signage, apparel, and promotional products. Overlapping capability in custom-printed apparel and promotional merchandise for SMBs.
• Proforma: Proforma is a large distributor network for print, promotional products, and custom apparel serving businesses through franchise owners. Overlaps with Zoo City Apparel in custom screen-printed apparel and promotional merchandise for B2B clients.

Regional players

• Alphagraphics: Alphagraphics is a print and marketing services franchise offering custom apparel, signage, and promotional products to local businesses. Comparable regional/multi-location model with overlapping custom apparel decoration services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ZooCityApparel
• Instagraminstagram.com/zoocityapparel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zoo-city-apparel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about zoo city apparel