Bassline - So, what’s the history of Moose and MooseShirts?

Evan of MooseShirts -MooseShirts was created in 2005 when founder, Moose, was working as co-owner of a small independent hip-hop record company - Basement Records in Los Angeles. At the time, album sales, the company's bread and butter income, were tanking. Moose noticed that artist's fans loved to purchase shirts and memorabilia at shows but didn't have an avenue to buy these goods once the shows were over. Also, for artists, these items became an increasingly important source of income. And so the idea was born - to create a site that would allow fans to find their favorite artists’ shirts and at the same time provide artists the opportunity to distribute their shirts worldwide.

B - Is there a storefront for MooseShirts?

E - Not yet. Customers keep suggesting locations for a storefront. If we do create one, we want to make sure that it maintains the same positive vibe that we've created in the online store.

B - As an online store, what is your mission statement to your customers?

E - Our emphasis has always been on making our customers’ shopping experience as joyful as possible. This means that we try to carry the shirts our customers request, ship orders fast and with few mistakes, and respond to any concerns our customers might have.

B - How do you choose clothing lines to be placed on your site?

E - At this point, we have clothing lines approach us almost daily. We try to find brands that have a good fit with the site - shirts with relevant messages, shirts that are made with high quality and attention to detail, and shirts made by innovators in the industry.

B - How do you stay current on the hip-hop trends to stay ahead of the competition?

E - This is something we think about often. Some of the work gets done by keeping brands that have a strong buzz and trusting that our brands will deliver cutting-edge styles. But we don't worry too much about the competition. We believe that if we focus on our current customers, and deliver good products on time, we'll be doing our job fully.

B - What makes MooseShirts Web site unique from the thousands of hip-hop clothing Web sites?

E - I think that what makes us unique is that we won't sell any brand just because we can move it, and we won't buy any shirt from our brands if we think our fans won't be feelin’ it. Hip-hop is a culture, and clothing is a critical part of that culture - what you wear says a lot about who you are.

B - Does MooseShirts do any other vending besides the online store?

E - We did do some shows for a while. But it became difficult for us to control the inventory. Maybe we'll get back to that when the right MooseShirts employee is motivated to go in that direction.

B - Has MooseShirts ever taken part in a fashion show for the clothing lines you carry?

E - Not yet, but certain brands we carry often consult us about ideas for new tees and ways to present their lines in shows.

B - It's hard to break into the fashion industry on any level. Do you give up-and-coming designers a chance to sell their clothing on MooseShirts?

E - We have done that in the past, but for a completely unknown brand to do well on the site, it must have an original look and a relevant message. There's a lot of competition out there for the t-shirt customer, and it's not easy to break through.

B - How does MooseShirts promote the Web site? Have you used hip-hop music/CDs as a vehicle to get the word out about your Web site? Do you offer hip-hop CDs or mp3s for sale on your Web site?

E - We haven't gotten into selling music because there are some fantastic music-related sites out there, and we don't believe we have something unique to offer in that space. As far as site promotion, we try to target our customers directly by advertising in magazines that they would read or sites that they visit or searches they make online.

B - In closing, what is the one thing you'd like our readers to know about MooseShirts.com?

E - I think it's important to know that our entire team is really committed to making our customers feel like shopping at the site is a special experience. This means that we answer all phone calls immediately, we ship fast, we accept returns, and we listen to feedback. For us, the site is not just a retail store, but a community with a shared love for hip-hop t-shirts.