When asked what makes Buffalo so special, Scott Schranz knew exactly what he wanted to say.
“The city is our heartbeat. We’re all one big community, but the city is what keeps us together. We want to see Buffalo become strong and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Promoting Buffalo and its resurgence has always been a dream of Scott and his partner Chris, who recently opened Nickel City Designs, located at 278 Buffalo Street, in Hamburg. Scott was born and raised in Buffalo and worked for the Buffalo Sabres. Chris is from Erie, PA and worked as a nurse. While these are both amazing careers, Scott and Chris knew they wanted more.
“I decided I wanted to get back to my roots which was graphic design. Chris and I happened to be downtown and we stumbled upon a Buffalo store and realized we didn’t have any of these in the southtowns. We thought why don’t we start our own store carrying Buffalo products with unique Buffalo designs,” said Scott.
And thus Nickel City Designs was born. Scott and Chris started online with a cafepress.com store & a etsy.com store to get their feet wet. The store took off quick and the two decided to upgrade and buy equipment for sublimation printing. Sublimation printing differs from other printing in that it uses heat to transfer dye onto materials.
“Unlike screen printing or pastel printing where the logo will start to fade or break off, sublimation printing is permanent and stays on the shirt. I have a shirt that we made with sublimation printing and I must have washed it 100 times and it’s still as vibrant today as when we first did it,” said Scott.
Knowing they were onto something great, Scott and Chris opened their storefront right in the Village of Hamburg. Using their skills to design unique logos, work with local artists to bring in quality Buffalo products, and get a little creative themselves, Nickel City Designs was the perfect fit.
“Working with my best friend is great. I use my graphic design background to get creative and make new products and Chris works in the front of the store and focuses on ordering goods and finding local artists,” said Scott. “I’ve always wanted to work without the constraint of having a boss over my shoulder, and to work towards something for myself, and now I can.”
Scott says the best part about Nickel City Design’s sublimation printing is it doesn’t just work for t-shirts. Customers can have their design permanently printed onto bags, mugs, hats, keychains, and so much more. Chris is also dabbling into the creative world by embroidering a variety of products as well as doing glass etchings on wine, beer and cocktail glasses. Together, they hope to achieve their dream of shining Buffalo in a positive light.
For more information on Nickel City Designs, visit www.nickelcitydesigns.com or call 716-777-4500. You may also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to check out all their latest Buffalo products or perhaps create a unique product of your own!
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