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Business Booms for Columbia Screen-Printer

In 1998, Kelly Sly launched a screen-printing business in the shed in his backyard. Since then, he has outgrown the shed, and has a large list of clients, but has kept a home business, DIY feel to his downtown design shop.

Before starting his business, Sly considered himself an artist, but never thought he would make a living from his art. However, after getting a loan for his first screen-printing machine, he has never considered failure as an option.

While studying fine art at the University of Missouri-Columbia in the early ‘90s, an introduction to graphic design gave him the idea of combining his artistic flair with his knowledge of computers.

His first designs were at the University, at a local T-Shirts shop, rendering designs. Enjoying the work, by 1998 he began thinking about starting his own business.

Columbia is a great place for his business, where custom T-Shirts are in high demand. Already this week, Sly’s shop, Diggit Graphics has processed orders from the Rock Bridge High School swim team, Marching Mizzou, Jefferson Junior High cheerleaders and many others.

More than a dozen screen-printing companies are in the area, and the town is known for the great printed designs that emerge from the many print shops. Sly says, “It’s not uncommon to get calls from businesses in Kansas City and St. Louis seeking embroidered fleece Sweatshirts or original T-Shirts.”

Other than T-Shirts, Sly also does graphic design, video editing, commercial production, and strangely, DJ gigs.

Sly‘s staff are very supportive of him, and have only good things to say about him.

"Kelly is really branching out and trying new things," said Maura Mudd, a designer and office manager who has worked at Diggit for two years. "There’s not a lot of dead time here. Everything keeps moving."

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