People Who Move Buffalo: Dan and Del from 26 Shirts

By now you have probably heard of the company 26 Shirts {and in case you haven’t here is a little blurb about them: 26 Shirts sells different limited edition sports-themed t-shirts every two weeks. After the two week period ends, the design is retired and never sold again. For every shirt sold, $8 is donated directly to a family in need. To see where donations have been made click here}. With that being said it is only fitting that I put them in my category for People Who Move Buffalo, because that's what they do.

Working out of suite 516 in the Tri Main Center on Main Street in Buffalo, 26 Shirts began in Buffalo and has expanded to other cities including Chicago, Pittsburgh and soon to be Cincinnati!

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit down with the masterminds behind this brilliant idea – Dan and Del and learn more about them, their background and some future plans for the company.

When I asked the guys what is it is that they love about their job, they both had similar answers, giving back. Dan said he loves having a business that is helping others with every sale made. Having the interaction from the company side and then with the family/child, the impact is amazing. Del loves helping families. His love for the Bills, t-shirts and the creative process together combine into paying it forward and helping others in need and that is the best feeling in the world.

To date 26 Shirts has raised over $164,000; that is a pretty impressive number and they aren’t done yet!

After talking with the guys I learned that they always are on their game, they plan ahead, but nothing is ever finalized until midnight. They like to be creative and authentic just like they like there product to be. When they look for artists they like to have people who know what is going on in their city, especially outside of Buffalo as they cannot always be in Chicago or Pittsburgh.

Recently the guys have brought back some best seller shirts – the “Comeback Shirts,” as they call them. For a limited time, people have a second chance to purchase a shirt they wanted,  but missed out on. The guys have recently partnered with Wegmans on this.

{just a blonde in Buffalo photo}

Dan and Del have also started to offer sponsorships with local companies who would like to get their name out there while helping a great cause. Sponsors come from big and/or small businesses within the community. Dan and Del are super flexible, so if you know of, or are a business interested in being a sponsor contact the guys here.

Another cool feature to be aware of is when you purchase a t-shirt you have the option to add on an additional monetary donation if you want.

The last thing I asked the guys was what they love about Buffalo. Both are born and raised here and this is what they said:

Del: Outside of his love for attending Bills games, he loves the summer time and Canalside. Every time you go down there is it continuously growing and expanding and that is pretty cool to see.

Dan: Loves the month of October and outside of football and hockey season being in full swing he likes to watch the baseball playoffs, loves Fall and the activities and events that come with it – specifically the Start Up events taking place with 43 North.

The guys are excited about the future and the amount of money they have been able to donate so far. They are looking forward to growing that number and helping more families in need. With that being said they wanted to thank everyone who has bought their idea and purchased a shirt. They also want to thank all of the artists they have worked with and who have helped them in this process.

At the end of day, to be able to work for yourself, be as creative as you want to be and to give back to your community and people in need on a daily basis is an amazing thing to do and the guys from 26 Shirts have a lot to be proud of.

Until next time.

-B