Taking the Leap to Start Their Own Shop

Kathy and Derrick Stewart of Cato, New York, worked at several graphic shops before deciding they had enough experience to start their own print shop. They launched Mad Moose Designs in 2015. Since then, they’ve vastly increased their customer list, upsized their location, and refined and deepened their product assortment. 

e caught up with the Stewarts to ask how they knew when it was time to launch their own business, how being located “in the middle of nowhere” works to their advantage, and what lies ahead for these successful entrepreneurs. 

We have to ask – how did you choose the name Mad Moose Designs? 

Kathy Stewart: Mad Moose Designs is actually named after our dog Maximus, whose nickname was Max A Moose. Sadly, he passed away March 4, 2022. We have two other shop dogs now

What made you decide you needed to start your own shop? 

Kathy:  We had both worked at several graphics shops, and we still have good relationships with many of them. Eventually, we realized that we had what it took to run our own shop. The hardest part is just taking the leap and doing it.  

“We like the wider range of colors we can achieve on the TrueVIS VG3, not only the bright greens and oranges, but the greys as well.”

 
We started in what was basically a storage building at our home. Ironically, it used to be a print shop called The Thompson Press, owned by my grandparents. It had been inactive for a long time when we took over the space, but we tried to honor its past by having some of the old printing items on display.  

We grew so fast that we quickly ran out of room. About a year ago, we moved into an old RG&E (Rochester Gas & Electric) building. We had to jump through a lot of hoops to purchase the property, but after two years the sale was finalized.  

 

What production equipment do you use? 

Derrick:  At every shop we’d worked at, we had always used Roland DG printer/cutters. We couldn’t deny the quality, so we stayed with what we knew. We started out with a Roland DG CAMM-1 cutter that we still use today. Our first printer was a 30-inch Roland DG VersaCAMM followed by a 54-inch TrueVIS SG-540 printer/cutter, and we currently have the TrueVIS VG3-540 54-inch printer/cutter.  

We like the wider range of colors we can achieve on the TrueVIS VG3, not only the bright greens and oranges, but the greys as well. We are using the Magenta, Cyan, Yellow, Orange, Light Black, Magenta, Green and Black ink combination. We get asked for brighter colors by some of our customers who really like their vehicles to stand out. Whether it be an ATV, racecar, or a construction business, being able to provide our clients with a vibrant range of colors has been great.  

Another big plus is the VG3’s fast print times and nice crisp prints. The cutting is even more accurate, and we like that you don't have to remove the rail when cleaning. The extra lights positioned within the printer are also a plus.  

 

How is your shop arranged? 

Kathy: Our facility is approximately 1,860 square feet. We have a small showroom where customers can tell us what they're looking for and review examples of our work.  

The rest of the shop is production area. We have one garage bay, approximately 16' x 35', for vehicle installations. For anything larger than that, we typically go directly to the customer. 

 

How do you staff the shop? 

Derrick: I’m the designer and I handle most of the vinyl production for signs, decals, banners, and vehicle graphics. Kathy does the remainder of the production and all the paperwork. We run the shop together – at present, it’s just us.  

We've been talking about hiring for a while now, but we haven’t found the right person yet. We work many long days to make sure we meet deadlines and get things out in a timely manner. It can be hard to find someone who shares the same level of work ethic and dedication that you have for your own business.  

 

Do you get a lot of requests for vehicle graphics? 

Kathy: We wrap a ton of vehicles, but due to staffing issues, trying to dedicate time to full wraps is tough, so we are currently only offering partial wraps.  

We’ve had some unusual wrap projects, including wrapping model trucks to make them look like the full-sized versions and wrapping a child’s Power Wheels ride-on vehicle to make it look like his dad's police car. 

How does being located in a small town affect your business?

Derrick: We are situated right near the center of the Village of Cato, New York. We are in the middle of nowhere, a go-between spot for the bigger cities in central New York. But, in my opinion, that's what makes us successful.  

Many people couldn't believe we would open a shop here. To get to a larger city, you have to travel for at least 30 minutes. But the people in this area have the same graphic needs that people in larger areas have. Everyone needs signs, decals, and graphics. Believe it or not, we also have people traveling to us from those larger cities. Convenience and customer service are key for us.   

What are people asking for most for their businesses? 

Kathy: We have a huge range of customers. Our biggest clients are in trucking, farming or farm production, forestry, and construction.  

Many of these clients need projects done yesterday. For example, we deal with a lot of truck drivers who need DOT numbers before they can get on the road legally.  

Typically, our clients will start out with ordering shirts and vehicle graphics. We also do a lot of decals and signs.  

We're able to turn projects around quickly. The printer allows us to add extra colors or textures within the prints that otherwise would need to be done by layering vinyl. Not having to keep as many color options on hand for vinyl has been great. That not only does saves us money, it also saves us space – which can be just as valuable.  

Are you doing print-and-ship requests also?  

Kathy:  Yes, we regularly ship all over the country and are now branching into Canada as well. We have had requests to print and ship graphics for customers that refuse to use anyone local because they like our work. We also print for other shops on occasion, but not often.  

How do clients find you?  

Kathy:  The vast majority of our customers find us through word of mouth. We have steadily grown our presence online, and we hope to keep it growing. We use Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. We also have a few YouTubers that give us shout-outs from time to time.  

It seems like giving back to the community is important to you. Can you tell us more about how you do that?  

Kathy:  Giving back is huge for us. We offer to set up online shops that allow people to have fundraisers. We give a predetermined percentage to the organizers for their cause at the end of their sale. Our very first job was -a benefit for a lady with breast cancer. To see people come together and support her was amazing.  

What directions do you see for your business in the future? 

Derrick: We are always looking for new ways to expand what we offer, while maintaining the high quality standards that got us where we are today. We've been doing more partial vehicle wraps than ever, and we would love to continue growing that part of our business. When we are able to, we’d like to start offering full wraps.