Behind the Story: Who We Are and What We’re Building Toward
Chapter One Tees started as a family project, not a business plan. As a father of five (from kindergartener to college senior), I’ve watched storytelling shape my kids in ways I never expected. Every night, my wife and I still read to our children. They refuse to miss their bedtime book.
My wife is a librarian, and her love for public and school libraries sits at the center of our home. We’re strong believers in reading, literacy, and the institutions that keep books accessible to everyone. That’s not just a line on our About page. It’s why this shop exists. Every design we make comes from wanting readers to feel seen, and wanting to put a little support back into the book world that’s given our family so much.
That’s also why we’re building relationships with people and organizations who care about the same things: local libraries, independent bookstores, and fellow readers who want books to stay central in their communities. If that’s you, we’d genuinely love to hear from you.
Here’s how your shirt actually comes to life.
We’re a print-on-demand shop, which means something specific: nothing sits in a warehouse waiting to sell. Every shirt is printed after someone orders it, your shirt, made because you specifically wanted it. No mass overproduction, no guessing which sizes and colors to stock, no unsold inventory. It’s a slower, more deliberate way to make things, and we think that’s worth being upfront about.
Our printing partners are based in the US. We work with a small number of them and carefully weigh quality, speed, and reliability so we can give you the best experience possible.
It also means we’re small, a family running this, not a warehouse full of people. That’s exactly why your experience matters so much to us. We read every message. We take feedback seriously. If something isn’t right, let us know so we can fix it. If you love your shirt, we’d be grateful if you left a review.
Email us at hello@chapteronetees.com or send us a message on Facebook.
So here’s an open invitation: if you’ve got a design idea, a phrase that lives in your head while you’re deep in a good book, a genre we haven’t touched yet, or even a fully custom piece you wish existed, tell us. We’re actively building more personalized and custom options, and real reader input is what shapes what we make next.
And if you’re part of a book club, a library program, a local bookstore, or a bookish community and we can help, let us know. This is a company built by readers, for readers, and we’d like it to grow that way too.
Check out our Chapter One Collection here:
Thank you for being part of our story. 📚❤️
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