Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Craig’s List’s Craig Newmark … what do all of these have in common? Each had seemingly “crazy ideas” that turned into multimillion-dollar companies. While the success of their idea might have seemed far-fetched in their beginnings, their determination for success far made up for whatever doubt there may have been.
Tullahoma residents and best friends Jared Olive and Drew Cochrane are no strangers to “crazy ideas.” And who could blame them? Living in Tullahoma’s bustling and ever-changing and growing landscape, the two see possibilities for growth in their small town. Luckily, both are supported by their level-headed wives, Macy Olive and Nikki Cochrane. Between the two couples, they have made plans to positively impact Tullahoma.
An idea that became a plan
That positive impact would come from purchasing a long-standing and well-known business, The Sweat Shop. For three decades, the shop has provided apparel for Tullahoma sports teams. Originally owned by Phil and Donna Pettay, the shop was the go-to spot for local sports apparel and merchandise.
Looking to positively impact the community, an idea began brewing between the two couples. All had backgrounds that would support them in running such a business. Macy Olive said purchasing the business was the positive impact they were looking for.
“Jared and Drew became friends while working together at a local school,” explained Macy. “We were all like-minded and wanted to do something to serve the community. We all had some kind of background that would be beneficial. Jared was involved in athletics, and [he] enjoys graphic design. I worked for Joe Barstad at Sports Plus for a long time, and I [now] work at the UPS store owned by Drew and Nikki. Working at UPS, we began to see a number of people coming in with printing needs that couldn’t always be met in the store. The more we got to talking, the more we realized that helping the community with its printing needs would be something we’d like to do.”
While the idea still seemed somewhat “crazy,” Drew knew that the best way to set it in motion was simply to pick up the phone and ask.
“I called the Pettay’s and asked if they were interested in selling, and they said yes. It was a whirlwind of sorts, but now, around three months later, we are official owners,” he added.
All hands on deck
Both couples knew that going into business together would require a team effort. Each person has their own position essential to the business’s success.
Nikki serves as the business account manager, Drew works heavily in embroidery and screen printing, Jared is over the graphic design, and Macy focuses on the front side of the business. They also recruited Drew’s brother, A.J., as a screen printer for the business. While each has an area of focus, at the end of the day, it’s all hands on deck and helping wherever it’s needed to create the best product possible.
“We care about each thing that is printed, maybe a little too much,” said Drew. “It’s not just a machine cranking it out. For every shirt we hit, we look at the smallest detail. We may see a pinhole that you’d never know is there, but we’re going to stop and take the extra time to fill it, make a new screen, or whatever it takes to make sure that everything going out is as best as we can possibly do.”
A ‘thread’ in the community
Now officially known as Threads, Macy said the store’s name showcases their dream to become woven into the community.
“We felt ‘Threads’ represented what our business does in the simplest terms,” she said. “Also, like a thread in a stitch that pulls a design together, we hope to be a thread in the community that connects and builds people together.”
The group knows where the shop has come from and hopes to continue honoring the Pettay’s work while weaving its own unique thread through the community.
“The Pettay’s had an established reputation,” said Macy. “People knew Phil and Donna and what a great job they did. We are trying to be consistent with their customers but also trying to grow into our own. We hope to do a lot of good things. And hopefully, we’ve already started doing that for Tullahoma and the surrounding community. We hope to be able to serve not just Tullahoma but other area teams such as Franklin County, Cascade, Shelbyville, Moore County, and Warren County. We want customers to be able to come in and sit down and allow us to bring their vision to life rather than going online and paying more without any control over the product or the quality of what they get back. We are looking forward to growing relationships and care a lot about everything that goes out the door.” GN
