On Our Sponsor, 80s Tees

There’s nothing like a cool t-shirt.

80s Tees has graciously supported Unwinnable’s Geek Flea since Geek Flea 2. Their products have become a beloved part of our event, with good reason – high quality, nostalgic designs that you can’t get anywhere else are a surefire way to get the attention of our amazing community. If you don’t believe me, just check out a few of their recent NES-inspired designs:

When I was a kid, there was a store at the local mall called The Paper Tiger. This was a time before Hot Topic, but after Spencer’s gifts. The Paper Tiger was the place to get rock t-shirts and posters. I felt like there was always a Samantha Fox poster for sale. I wouldn’t dare buy it, but I certainly would stare. I was young and there was no internet.

In the late Eighties, things seemed to change at the Paper Tiger. They started to get Batman t-shirts. I can remember looking at pictures of Slash from Guns ‘n’ Roses wearing a Batman shirt. I liked Batman, I still do. My dad always thought the logo looked like a hippopotamus yawning. Think about it, you’ll get it.

The Paper Tiger eventually went out of business and sold off all their stock. I went back with my dad and I picked out a bunch of t-shirts while he negotiated with the manager for the sale of the fixtures. He ended up buying all of the track lighting in the store for $200. We had track lights for years to come, some are still up in my dad’s house today.

Now I am older and I can get anything at the tip of my fingers with the internet, there is no reason to go to the mall, no reason to go outside even, but I still long for those days of going to the mall and not knowing what to expect. Thanks to 80sTees, who still have the vibe of “check out this stuff, you might not see everywhere else,” we can have that feeling again.

However, they don’t sell incense, incense holders or Samantha Fox posters. Yet.

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Follow Chuck on Twitter @Japandudegirl and 80s Tees @80Tees. Last year, we dressed our friend Chris Mannix up in 80s Tees’ Tanooki sweatshirt and made him run around our backyard like a raccoon. We still love that photo shoot.