Underground Printing and Moe Sport Shop Open New Location on Main Street in Downtown Ann Arbor

The downtown Ann Arbor area had a new look this past weekend, and it was not just because of the return of students and football fans to the campus community. Underground Printing opened the doors of its third and newest Ann Arbor location in the heart of the main street business district. The store, located at 329 S. Main St across from Gratzi and The Chop House, is the company's first Main Street area location, joining the flagship store at 1114 S. University and the newly acquired Moe Sport Shop at 711 N. University on either end of "the Diag" on campus. The space had been formerly occupied by Four Directions. Strong sales growth, an ideal location, and the ability to reach a new market fueled the company's decision to open on Main Street.

"That area of Main Street is one of the most vibrant shopping and dining districts you'll find anywhere," said co-owner Ryan Gregg. "We discovered a great space in the perfect location, and we knew it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up." The new Main Street location will offer the full services of custom printed and embroidered apparel that have become a trademark of the Underground Printing name. A heavy focus on customer-service, convenient locations, technology-driven order processing, and unbeatable quality have separated Underground Printing from its competitors and fueled their growth beyond the borders of Ann Arbor to twelve additional campuses in the Big Ten, SEC, and Big East. "We already have a great customer base in the Main Street area, " noted co-owner Rishi Narayan, "and this location will make it even easier and more convenient for them. We also hope that we'll be able to extend our services to even more of the businesses and customers who frequent the Main Street area but may not venture onto campus on a regular basis."

It was this new market, as well as the seasonal influx of football traffic, that prompted the company to include a full line of their officially licensed University of Michigan collegiate apparel, in conjunction with Moe Sport Shop. The company acquired "Moe's", as it's known about campus, from the VanDeWege family this past spring.

Underground Printing gave Moe's a face-lift and added some new and updated inventory, but much of what made Moe's a campus tradition for decades has remained unchanged. "Students, Alumni, and Ann Arbor residents all love Moe's as a part of their heritage with U of M," said Gregg. "No store will ever be able to fully recapture that in another location, but we hope that the Main Street spot will help extend the appeal of Moe's to those who return to Ann Arbor for a game or visit downtown without ever making it to campus." The collegiate apparel selection will also feature some of the unique products from the UGP apparel line available at the South University location. The company has seen significant sales growth at both of its other campus locations despite the sluggish economy, and expects great things from the latest edition on Main Street to the Underground Printing family of stores.

Underground Printing is located at 329 S. Main Street, across from Gratzi and next door to Mir's Oriental Rugs near Main and William. The store is open 9 AM - 11 PM Monday-Saturday and 9 AM-9 PM Sunday. Items can be purchased online at ugpmichiganapparel.com and moesportshops.com.

About Underground Printing:
Underground Printing offers custom printed t-shirts and other apparel online and at its fourteen locations to customers of all sizes. All of their custom apparel goods are printed and embroidered in-house at their 35,000 sq foot facility in Ann Arbor's historic west side. The company currently has fifteen locations in eight states, including seven locations with retail apparel lines. The company was recently named to the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America and is currently ranked as the nation's 16th largest printer by volume by Impressions magazine in 2009. For more information on Underground Printing, please visit www.undergroundshirts.com.