Free Cheese Prints
What started as a simple idea to bring people premium printing on the best t-shirts has grown into a full-service creative shop known for exceptional customer care, affordable prices, and products people truly love to wear and share. With over 15 years of design experience, the team at Free Cheese Prints has built a reputation for turning client ideas into wearable art, helping businesses, bands, and individuals stand out with unique, eye-catching merchandise.
Beyond their specialty in screen printing, Free Cheese Prints offers a wide range of services including stickers, embroidery, hats, patches, and even laser engraving. Their dedication to quality and customization ensures that every item, whether it’s a shirt for an event, branded merchandise for a business, or a personal project makes a lasting impression. By combining creativity, skill, and customer-first service, Free Cheese Prints has carved out a space as Amarillo’s trusted partner for custom printing and design.
Get to know Tate and Reesa and hear their advice for other small business owners in their Q&A!
1. When did you start your business? We officially started Free Cheese Prints, LLC in 2022, but we had been operating it as a side project to our full-time jobs long before that as a partnership.
2. Why did you decide to start your business? We started Free Cheese Prints because we saw a gap in affordable, high-quality custom printing, especially for local bands, artists, and small businesses. We wanted to create something fun, community-focused.
3. What is your favorite memory in the business? One of our favorite memories is selling our own designs at local markets and having people connect so deeply with the artwork and the Texas themes. Seeing someone light up when they find that shirt that reminds them of home never gets old.
4. What is the most rewarding part of running a small business? It’s getting to bring people’s ideas to life. Whether it’s a brewery or coffee shop wanting custom merch or a community event looking for great designs and prints for their organization, we love helping them tell their story through print.
5. What is the hardest part of running a small business? Wearing all the hats. There’s no one else to pass things off to when you’re tired, but you keep showing up because it matters to you.
6. How does the business get to positively impact your community? We get to be part of people’s milestones like opening a new shop, hosting a fundraiser, building a brand. We also love creating our own shirt line that reflects Amarillo, Canyon, and Texas pride, which lets locals and visitors rep where they’re from or where they’ve been.
7. Biggest challenge in the business? Balancing growth with capacity. As demand increases, so does the need for better equipment, more help, and faster turnaround which takes time and capital to do right.
8. What makes your business different from your competition? We’re hands-on with every job. Our designs are thoughtful, our materials are high quality, and we take real pride in what we make. We’re also a family-run business, and that shows in how we treat our customers.
9. Best tips for others in business? Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Start where you are and learn as you go. Keep showing up and refining your craft and never undersell yourself.
10. What’s something you wish someone had told you or that you wish
you had learned earlier? That your time has real value. In the beginning, we said yes to everything, often undercharging or overextending, but learning to price and protect your time is huge.
11. How did the SBDC help you on your venture? The SBDC gave us the tools and guidance to build out a full business plan, which helped us clearly define our goals and strategy. That plan ended up being a big part of winning the EnterPrize Challenge, and we’re incredibly grateful for their support.
12. What's a place you'd love to travel to? As a couple, 50 states and 26 countries later we’ve had our fun in Europe and the U.S., but after visiting Japan we know we really want to explore more of Asia. Thailand and South Korea are still on the bucket list and we look forward to visiting one day!