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When we opened the doors to Turn90 Columbia in October 2021, truth be told, we had no idea how it would go. We were confident we’d prepared as best we could. The staff was trained and ready, and the program participants were on time for class. But! This was our first time replicating our pilot program. What were we missing that we didn’t even know about?

It turns out, there was plenty we didn’t know, and plenty of lessons to learn for our next expansion.

Still. Turn90 Columbia is more than we ever dreamed it could be. It’s served 18 men in the past four months, and a few participants are getting ready to become the first Columbia graduates. That being the case, we thought it was a great time to check in with our Columbia Program Manager, Sarah Brown, to see how things are really going up there.

At Turn90, we make every effort to make our ordering process as smooth and transparent as possible. To that end, we recently sat down with Maura Langston, our Business Development Manager, to learn a bit more about how orders move through our system, and how we’re working to meet every customer’s needs

They decided to offer the Association fourteen (14!!!) different items. From polos to windbreakers, beanies to baseball caps, this is by far the most products any Turn90 client has sold in a single campaign. Each garment will have the FPPOA logo hand-printed by a man out of prison who is working to change his life.

If I had one thing to teach those camp directors after a year of working here at Turn90, it would be this:

When ordering t-shirts, the fabric is everything.

Here’s a basic rundown of what fabrics work for what purpose, and why 100% cotton isn’t *always* the fabric of our lives.

Men coming home from prison face a unique set of challenges. Many of those barriers – clothes, food, bus passes – can be addressed by reentry programs that focus on emergency needs. Other barriers are more complex, like navigating the DMV to get a driver’s license or finding a new job but are visible and well-documented. 

However, some of the most complicated reentry issues are less often discussed. Many are emotionally fraught and none are easy to solve. Any one of these six hidden barriers can cause someone to say “F*** it” and return to street life. 

It’s hard to walk three feet these days without hearing about supply chains. Merchandise is stuck on container ships. No one can get the supplies they need from overseas, so manufacturing is grinding to a halt. It’s the end of the world!

Okay, so maybe not THAT extreme, but you get the point.

The fact remains that supply chains are an issue, and yes, we’re feeling it at the Turn90 Print Shop. Absolutely. Sometimes we go to order a cut/fabric/brand of t-shirt we’ve ordered a million times and it’s just…not…there…

If this is your first time ordering custom-printed t-shirts, you’re probably feeling some type of way.

Because…

Do you need screen printing? 
DTG?
Heat pressed vinyl transfers?
Why ARE there so many kinds of printing?
And what the heck is sublimation anyway?

Let us help you with this handy-dandy primer of printing terms to help you get started on your printed apparel journey.

As 2021 winds down, we’re thrilled to share more good news! Last week, Turn90’s Director of Operations, Kim Huey, was named to the prestigious 2022 Accelerator Cohort of REDF. REDF (the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund) is a pioneering venture philanthropy accelerating a national movement of employment social enterprises – businesses with a social purpose to … Read more

Turn90 Founder and Executive Director Amy Barch is one of 20 South Carolina leaders to be selected for Liberty Fellowship’s Class of 2023. Following the successful completion of five, multi-day seminars in the U.S. and abroad and an individual leadership project, Barch will join the community of more than 300 Liberty Fellows working collectively across … Read more