Have you heard of..... Lake and Chapel?

Have you heard of......Lake and Chapel?! First off, have you heard of my interview segment of Word of Mouth called "Have You Heard Of....?" Since Kixpo I've gained some new followers and the hits on this page have been up (humble brag). So, here is the deal, I usually get in contact with an indie t-shirt brand owner and interview them about their brand, inspiration and all sorts of other random things that I can think of. Then I post the interview on this page to spread the word about their awesome brand.


Today we have a Canadian brand you may or may not have heard of. I've been seeing the brand on all sorts of other blogs and Twitter pages, so you might have come across Garth and his Lake and Chapel brand. I've been talking back and forth with Garth for a couple of weeks now about blogging and t-shirts and a few other random things. I've even recruited Garth to write an article for Word of Mouth, look out for that next week. Here is what our last talk was like...


Introduce yourself and tell me a little about your brand...

Hey. I’m Garth. LAKE&CHAPEL produces art-historical  and literary doodlings on t-shirts (as you will read if you head over to my twitter). It comes from my love of books and spending time doodling in libraries. I’ve been thinking about going out on my own for years. I went to art school and spent the next couple years working hard at jobs I didn’t like. Last year, the place I worked closed unexpectedly and that was the push I needed to give starting my own business a try. I spent the next 6 months writing a business plan and getting my ducks in a row and that’s it, now I‘m doing an interview.

How did you come up with the name Lake and Chapel?

I live on the corner of Lake and Chapel streets. The name started off as a working title  but it stuck.

What's the most important thing you've learned about running a tee line, so far?

Never stop learning. Be shameless. Get out there and work. That’s three things and from a newbie but it’s what I tell myself most days.

What is the craziest thing you've seen happen in person?

This question has made me realize how boring my life is. I honestly can’t
think of anything more exciting than walking down to the store to buy a
bag of chips but I forgot my wallet and walked home again. CRAZY!

What are some of your favorite indie tee brands right now?

I follow a lot of brands. I like seeing something new. A tee that pushes the conventions or takes an old idea and does it better. I like it when companies run things the way they want. I’d wear every shirt from Colus.There are many good things going on over at Blonde, makes me want to visitDetroit. Dream Gold was nice enough to write back after I asked for some advice (and they are out of Toronto) .  And I learned about The Good Child on your blog and smile every time they say good morning over Twitter…there are a ton more that deserve as much attention as they can get (but buy a shirt from me first).

What separates Lake and Chapel from all the other brands?

I’m not sure. Like I said, I follow a lot of brands but I try not compare.

Describe your perfect day..

A quiet day at a cottage in northern Ontario. Up early and in a canoe,
fish, read, swim, sit on the dock and listen to the wind in the trees.

Besides health care, what makes Canada so awesome?

What isn’t awesome about Canada? People are polite & friendly, long winters make you appreciate the warm weather and we spell colour with a ‘U’.

Why is it called Canadian bacon?

I don’t know. We call it back bacon or peameal. It’s my favourite of the bacons. Delicious

If you could go back in time and change one thing from high school, what would that be?

I would want to be less concerned with what others thought. I would have been more outgoing. As soon as you leave high school you don’t know why you ever cared what those people thought.

I love your "Participant" tee, I've read the meaning behind it, but can you talk a little about your thought process on the design?

Back in grade three, everyone would get a ribbon at the Track and Field meet and everyone was so excited. It was not about competition and winning. I love those ribbons. As an adult you can look down on the idea of be a participant as be no better then anyone else. Of being a follower; just part of the crowd. But back then it wasn’t about anyone else. Before you measured yourself against those around you but doing something to the best of your abilities. I took the ideals of that ribbon and ironically made it into a limited run tee  (I’ll probably print it in other colours but there will only 20 available in green/gold) I guess I just want to make shirt that you wear for yourself. That’s true of all my shirts.

Time for "this or that" you ready?

Lets go.

Football or Hockey?
Football ( just to avoid being a  cliché)

American women or Canadian women?
I have to go with Scottish women (I married one)

Pizza or Burgers?
Tough choice. Pizza because even when it is bad it’s pretty good.

Dogs or cats?
Dogs. Mines named Toby.

Tees or tanks?

Tees

Fitted or snap backs?

Either as long as it has the Blue Jays logo on it

Socks or no socks?
No socks.

Indoors or outdoors?Outdoors for sure, winter or summer.

New or vintage?
Vintage. I like the history.

Spicy or Mild?
Mild. I'm a sissy.

Ken or Ryu?
No preference. I haven't played since high school, I'm surprised I know
what your talking about.

Any shout outs?
Thanks to everyone who has supported me. I can't thank my wife enough for always being there. I got a lot of help from the Community Future Development Corporation in my area. They worked with me to write my business plan and get me ready for launch. I can't say enough good things about them. Art Imperial for putting out an awesome EP and for wearing LAKE&CHAPEL. And everyone who has bought a shirt, followed me on Twitter or Liked on Facebook. I have more good stuff coming up so stay tuned  and thanks.


Website:
LakeandChapel.com

TOBY!