Letter jackets · school wear · embroidery
Everything in this store runs on the school year, so here it is, month by month.
Two of these months have a deadline on them and the rest do not. If you only read one thing on this page, read October, because a jacket ordered after it does not arrive in time to be worn to anything that matters.
- Made here
- Embroidery and screen printing are done in the back room, not sent out. One piece is a real order.
- Eight weeks
- The lead time on a letter jacket, from measuring to the door. It does not shorten in December.
- Alterations
- Sleeve length, waist and hem while you wait on anything bought here. No charge in the first year.
The year
August to July, because that is the year this shop actually keeps.
Nothing here is a sale calendar. It is when the thing you need has to be ordered so that it exists on the day you need it.
08August
Uniforms, gym kit and the first shirts
Polos, khakis and gym kit come in the last week of July and go out in the first two weeks of August, and the middle sizes go first. Name tapes and initials sewn on the same day. This is the busiest fortnight of the year and the fitting room has a queue in it, so come in the morning.
09September
Fall sports, and the parents’ shirts
Team orders for football, volleyball, cross country and softball, plus the run of parent and grandparent shirts that goes with them. A team order of twelve or more is priced per shirt and takes about ten days. Anything for a first home game needs to be in by the end of the first week.
10October
Deadline · letter jackets
The order window closes on the last Saturday
Jackets ordered by then are here before the winter season and before senior photographs. Jackets ordered in November are here in January, which is after the thing they were bought for. Bring the student, because a letter jacket is fitted over a hoodie and the size is not the size they wear in anything else. Chenille letters and any patches earned in the spring go on before it leaves the shop.
11November
Jackets land, and the pro shop fills up
October’s jackets come in through the month and are called as they arrive. This is also when the licensed team wear takes over the front of the store for the winter, which is a different trade entirely and pays for the quiet months.
12December
Gifts, and the last week of embroidery
Anything monogrammed for Christmas has to be in by the second Friday. After that the machine is full and we will say so rather than promise. Gift receipts on everything, and January exchanges without one as long as the tag is on.
02February
Winter awards, and patches added to jackets already out
Bring the jacket back in. A new sport patch, a year bar or a chevron is sewn on for a few dollars and takes a couple of days, and it is the cheapest thing in the shop. Jackets bought here get their first year of patches put on at no charge.
04April
Deadline · graduation and next year
Two things at once, and the second one is the one people forget
Graduation shirts, ties and blazers, fitted and altered by the middle of the month. At the same time, a junior who has already earned a letter should be measured now: a jacket ordered in April is here in June, which is the only way to have it before August rather than during the October rush. Roughly one family in ten does this, and they are the ones who are never in a hurry.
06June and July
Scouting, camp and the quiet months
Uniforms, badges and insignia sewn to position, plus camp name tapes. The shop is quiet, the embroidery machine is free, and any large order placed now is done properly rather than quickly. Closed the first full week of July.
The jacket
What a letter jacket is made of, and what each part of it costs.
Written out because nobody knows before they walk in, and because the number people brace for is usually higher than the number.
| Part | Price |
|---|---|
| Body 24 ounce melton wool, quilted satin lining, snap front, two colours. | $255 |
| Sleeves Full grain leather, set in, with knit cuffs to match the collar and waistband. | Included |
| Chenille letter Six or eight inch, school colours, sewn on rather than glued. | $46 |
| Name on the front | $22 |
| Year on the sleeve | $18 |
| Sport or activity patch, each | $14 |
| Back lettering, per letter | $4 |
| Hood, detachable | $38 |
| A common build: body, letter, name, year, two patches | $369 |
A few things worth knowing
A deposit of half holds the order and the balance is due at collection. Sizes run one to two larger than street size because the jacket is cut to go over a hoodie, which is why the student has to be here rather than a measurement over the phone.
Wool bodies are warranted against the seams for five years and the leather for two. A sleeve can be replaced without replacing the jacket, which is worth remembering before anybody buys a second one.
We will letter a jacket bought somewhere else. It costs the same as lettering one of ours and we do not make a face about it.
The rest of the shop
The other half, kept short.
Embroidery and screen printing
Both done in the back room. Embroidery has no minimum, so one hat is a real order. Screen printing starts at twelve pieces because the screens have to be burned either way. Ten working days in season, three or four out of it. Bring your own garment and we will decorate it, at a lower price than buying it here, and we will tell you if the fabric will not take it.
Licensed team wear
Professional and college, heaviest from November to February. Sizes to 4XL on the floor rather than ordered in, which is the whole reason people drive here for it.
Scouting
Uniforms, insignia and badges, with everything sewn to the correct position rather than handed to you in a bag. The only shop between here and the river that carries the full range in stock.
Alterations
Hems, waists, sleeves and taper. Free in the first year on anything bought here, and priced by the job on anything that is not. Two days in most weeks, a week in April and August.
On the square, east side, green awning.
The shop
123 Main St
Liberty, MO 64068
East side of the square under the green awning, two doors up from the corner. Park on the square or in the lot behind. There is one step at the door and a ramp at the back entrance, which is unlocked during opening hours.
| Monday to Friday | 10 to 5:30 |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 10 to 4 |
| Sunday | Closed |
Open to 7 on Thursdays through August and October, which are the two months people cannot get here in the day.
Before you come in for a jacket
Bring the student and the hoodie they will wear under it. Bring the list of what they have earned, including anything from last year, so it all goes on at once.