MOUNT VERNON — If you need Mount Vernon city school apparel, Mount Vernon Apparel is the place to go.

Whether you need socks, water bottles, windbreakers, jackets, t-shirts, or hats, rest assured they’ll have the Mount Vernon school logo on it.

The store front on 206 S. Main Street opened a month ago, store co-owner Mike Garee said, and the customers have been excellent.

But the store doesn’t only do school apparel, there’s bulk printing, embroidery, promotional products, and materials.

Garee — known as District Image — first came from Sunbury seven years ago under the store name Big Walnut Apparel.

Locating downtown was huge for the store, Garee said, who worked alongside Knox County Foundation to secure the space.

Another important factor was being open when the school year began, Garee said, with it being one of the busiest times of the year for apparel.

“We like to have something for everyone,” Garee said. “A basic t-shirt, it doesn’t fit everyone’s needs, so we like to have polos, jackets, pullovers and t-shirts, long sleeves and hoodies.

‘That’s also why a lot of the garments that you see are blank,” he added. “The designs are back here behind the wall. You can take a blank garment and pick your design and make your product.”

When is the store open?

Garee expressed gratitude for the appreciative customers who frequent his newly-opened store, as their presence helped alleviate the anxieties that often accompany launching a new business venture.

He felt a deep sense of thankfulness for having seized the opportunity to open his store, rather than pondering the hypothetical “What if?”

Mount Vernon Apparel is open Wednesday/Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday/Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to noon.

by Grant Ritchey September 8, 2023