The Print Bar’s move to Melbourne / Naarm

It seems to be the Brisbane / Meanjin rite of passage, to eventually make the move to Melbourne / Naarm. While many embark on this journey, few may have had as many bumps in the road that we happened across. With over 30% of our orders coming from down south, there was no doubt that it was time to spread some of our Print Bar love with Melbourne / Naarm.

The COVID-19 lockdowns did give us a few obstacles, and at lockdown 6 we were wondering how we’d find the right location when we couldn’t even inspect our potential new home! Eventually, we found the right warehouse, and our incredible team has been working hard to build everything out so we can get back to doing what we do best.

In just the short time we’ve been here the surrounding community has made us feel incredibly welcome. Our resident Barker and Chief of Mischief, Daya, has been making plenty of friends and reports that we’ve picked the perfect location. Her keen oversight on the operational set-up has been instrumental in creating high morale for an excellent rollout.

Will this move change our relationship?

Look, Brisbane / Meanjin, you’ll always have a special place in our heart, it’s just time for us to spread our wings, find new people and see the world!

We’re just kidding! We’re not ACTUALLY leaving you behind. How could we? Brisbane / Meanjin is our home and it always will be. That history holds strong and won’t ever be forgotten. Our promise to you is that we’ll be the same Print Bar that you know and love, it’s just time for us to spread the love around.

For our Melbourne / Naarm community, this move will absolutely change our relationship. With our local warehouse, you’ll not only be able to pick up your orders in person, but we’ll also be able to ship them to you a lot faster. This means quicker turnarounds, but it also means that we get a chance to meet our Melbourne / Naarm community. One of the best parts about printing your merch, is that we get to see your ideas come to life and we get to share in that passion!

There’s nothing better than seeing your face when we hand over your printed t-shirt. We want to hear the full story, where did the idea come from, who’s it for, is this the beginning of something big? Some of our favourite stories start from the first t-shirt printed, and we get to hear all about your vision of a new project or business being started, and then we get to see you coming back again and again with stories of how your dreams have become realities.

The Print Bar Community

Community is a huge part of The Print Bar way of life. The focus on community started with our internal team. You spend the majority of your waking life at work, and we believe that wherever you spend the most of your time, should be a place where you want to be.

A big part of creating this community was making sure that everyone felt included and that where you work is a place where you are celebrated. It probably won’t come as a surprise to you, that a business that prints t-shirts may draw people who are interested in expressing themselves and wearing their hearts on their sleeves – literally. We put the focus on our team’s self-expression and watched as the creativity born from this translated into great creations for The Print Bar’s users.

Creativity can only thrive when people are feeling at home. Our team works so well with the community, because we understand the need for self-expression. To identify with others with what you wear, to wear your art on a t-shirt or to say something that needs to be said. Our team wants to bring your ideas to life and we can’t wait to connect with the Melbourne / Naarm community.

Community Action

Our strong focus on community means that we can never ignore when some of our members are being left behind. At The Print Bar, we have a strong ethos of inclusion, and that doesn’t just finish with our team members, but extends to our broader community. We promote social justice issues because it’s the right thing to do.

The Print Bar is a place where everyone is welcome and where all voices are heard. Our work with community action groups continues to help shape what we think and how Australia thinks. We’re so happy to continue working with so many idea makers at our new Melbourne / Naarm location.