Justin Gontarek’s motto these days is to “keep it simple.”
This is also the mentality behind Simplicity Print Studio, his Warwick-based screen printing and embroidery business, which allows him to spend time with his family, work with his community and help other local businesses.
But this wasn’t always the case for Gontarek, who spent years working with large corporations. Everything changed in 2020.
“It’s not nearly as profitable as working with bigger corporations, but it’s just more rewarding,” he said.
Gontarek and his team offer screen printing, embroidery, engraving, signs and banner layouts, lettering, branding and more.
But Simplicity Studio is more than just screen printing and embroidering services. Since opening the studio, Gontarek has been offering classes ranging from tie-dye workshops to making tumblers. It all started with a friend asking him to make a cup for Christmas.
“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be really cool if I showed people how to do this?’ If I figured out how to do it, there’s people that want to learn,” he said.
Gontarek and his wife have been offering the classes from their studio and in various locations in Rhode Island, teaching groups of up to 25 people. It’s one of his favorite things about Simplicity, Gontarek said, a way to give back to the community and involve local families.
“We’re not just a family-owned business,” he said. “We’re very community-involved.”
Two years before starting Simplicity, Gontarek was the owner of Oceanside Graphics, another screen printing and embroidery business in Warwick. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to temporarily close and lay off his staff.
Gontarek took the opportunity to become a front-line advocate for small businesses. At the height of the pandemic, he worked with then-Lt. Gov. Daniel J. McKee to launch a website to help small businesses navigate the pandemic and support them through the crisis. Soon after, Gontarek co-founded the Rhode Island Small Business Coalition, an association advocating for small businesses in the state.
But eventually, Gontarek missed his family and needed a change of pace.
“I have two young kids; I wanted a studio that was based around more of a family work ethic and not so much a bottom line,” he said.
Chasing this dream of a family-focused, “keep it simple” business is not easy, Gontarek said. “As you start to get into it, you start to realize … there’s a reason that people don’t do this.”
Competing with the prices offered by larger companies can be hard for small businesses, especially with the rise of product costs and continuous supply chain issues.
“Now with the rising costs of everything, it’s definitely making it tougher to stay competitive,” Gontarek said. “Especially when there’s big customers and a lot of online retailers that make it super easy to just jump online, order something, get it done and get it delivered in three days.”
Going “simple” is not a decision Gontarek regrets. Everyone at Simplicity Print Studio is an artist, often owning a business or bringing a specialty to the studio.
“You get to hear everybody’s story about how they started the business and what their plans are,” Gontarek said. “And as they evolve their businesses, you get to see it in a different light as opposed to just being worried about making that paycheck.”
OWNER: Justin Gontarek
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Screen printing and embroidery
LOCATION: 2260 West Shore Rd., Warwick
YEAR FOUNDED: 2020
EMPLOYEES: Six
ANNUAL REVENUE: $200,000
