So
last year Halzel and Haney launched their company. Its first line of
T-shirts, called Rock-Bod-Tees, focused more on fitness with such messages
as "Addicted to Iron," "Built in America" "Size
Matters" and "If you look like this, life is not good."
Accompanied by an image of a stick figure, the latter spoofs the "Life
is good if you look like this" message of T-shirt giant Life is
Good Inc.
DonZel had a product. Now all it had to do was sell it. "I had
to learn the business," says Halzel, whose previously job had her
selling a medical device to dentists. "We were only working with
black and white shirts back then and selling them out of our car. Then
we decided to do a few trade shows. The first was a flop, but we kept
building the business, getting more sayings, doing more shows and business
got a little bit better."
Then Haney came up with an idea for a second line of T-shirts. "He
said, ’Every shirt has a word. What if we just define that word?’"
Halzel recalls. And def-i-ni-tions was born.
While each T-shirt in the line does contain a word, the definition isn’t
likely to be found in Webster’s as Haney adds a sense of humor
to each definition. Most of the words describe someone or pertain to
what their interests are. The first definition was "delicious --
adjective, highly pleasing to the senses, tastes great but less filling."
"I wore that shirt out one night and I got such a response,"
says Halzel. "Business skyrocketed from there."
The second shirt became one of its best sellers. This one features two
words: "wine -- noun, fermented juice of the grape; whine -- verb,
what you do when you run out."
More trade shows followed, including the New England Sporting Goods
Trade Show. There, DonZel attracted the attention of David Bergin &
Associates in Westborough, who became the company’s first representative.
More definitions were added with sports entering the mix. For example,
a "snowboarder is "someone usually seen flying past or over
someone on skis."
Tennis, running, soccer, skateboarding, basketball, football, dance,
gymnastics, golf, soccer, cheerleading and surfing all received definitions.
They became personal, too. An alpha male is described as someone who
"never gets lost, can operate the TV remote in the dark and thinks
the word ’insensitive’ is a compliment."
While a few have a naughty edge to them, most of the definitions are
sweet, cute and funny, according to Halzel. "Like Life is Good,
we want to promote the positive," she says.
As its def-i-ni-tions line took off, DonZel decided to discontinue Rock-Bod-Tees.
"That was more geared to a fit person so it was limited in its
appeal," says Halzel.
Def-i-ni-tions had already expanded its appeal by adding family members
and occupations. For example, it has two definitions for nurse: the
person who covers the doctor’s gluteus maximus" and "a
person with the innate ability to read a doctor’s handwriting."
The shirts are now sold in a nurses’ catalog.
As for relatives, mom is defined as "your first best friend, who
never judges but always loves, usually heard saying, ’I’m
calling your father.’ See unconditional chef maid and chauffeur."
Dad is "a source of strength and encouragement, usually heard saying,
’Go ask your mother.’ See ATM."
A grandparent is "someone with a license to spoil, the go-to person
when Mom and Dad say no."
DonZel soon added colors, offered funky fonts, enlarged the writing
and placed artwork on the shirts.
"That has made a huge difference," says Halzel. "The
shirts became more of an eye-catcher."
The company also found a new representative -- New Hampshire-based Coed
Sportswear, which now manufactures most of its shirts. For custom-order
requests, DonZel relies on Imprint Graphics in Framingham. These come
with a 24-shirt minimum.
In addition, area stores began carrying the T-shirts, including The
Grapevine in Holliston. This spring, they’ll be also available
in T.J. Maxx, Bob’s Stores and Dick’s Sporting Goods stores.
The company, which continues to operate out of the Halzel-Haney home
in Ashland, also accepts orders by phone.
DonZel now sells shirts with 150 different definitions with each shirt
priced at $15 to $20. They come in all sizes.
Halzel even managed to get Maidenform to release its trademark on the
"def-i-ni-tions" name.
She acknowledges that the T-shirt business is "a tough one. I don’t
know many companies that are successful. Usually they come and go."
Relying on fads has much to do with this brevity, she says.
"I believe we’re a little bit more timeless," the Natick
native says. "There’s always going to be a mom, a dad, a
teacher, a drama queen.... And the possibilities (for definitions) are
endless."
DonZel’s shirts can also be sold in a variety of stores, Halzel
adds. "We can be in high-end stores, sporting goods stores, gift
stores," she says. One company DonZel is focusing attention on
for sales is The Paper Store. "That way people can buy a card for
Mother’s Day and pick up a Mom shirt," says Halzel. "It’s
like a card. You can find the perfect word for anyone.... It makes a
great gift."
While Haney handles the company’s creative side by inventing the
definitions, Halzel is responsible for all the business components.
Haney, an Ashland native, is also co-owner of Nobscot Painting, a painting
contractor in Framingham.
For the immediate future, DonZel hopes to launch its Web site, definitiontees.com,
this spring. The preview page is available now.
The company is also involved in a fund-raiser for the Ashland K-8 PTO.
Half of all T-shirt sales go to the school organization. The fund-raiser
runs through March 3.
"This was something we thought the public would like because who
doesn’t like a T-shirt?" asks Halzel rhetorically. "We’re
hoping it will be successful."
The fund-raiser isn’t the company’s first and it won’t
be the last as it actively welcomes fund-raising work. A breast cancer
fund-raiser is planned for April 30 at 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Tara in
Framingham.
"I feel like I’m contributing as much as I can to help a
cause while at the same time getting the product out there," says
Halzel.
The product is definitely out there.
"We’ve really been lucky to take something that started as
a funny idea and turn in it into this company," says Halzel, acknowledging
that plenty of hard work also went into the process. "We always
felt there was something to it.
"It’s been fun, too, and very exciting," she adds. "Every
time I wear a shirt, people stop me and say, ’Where did you get
that?’"
She can simply say, "From my company." And that’s no
joke.
(Bob Tremblay can be reached at btremblay@cnc.com or 508-626-4409.)
DONZEL ENTERPRISES
Partners: Karen Halzel and Don Haney
Employees: 2
Industry: T-shirts
Company background: Based in Ashland, DonZel Enterprises sells a distinctive
line of T-shirts. Its phone number is 508-881-6713.
