Local T-Shirt Printer Celebrates Two Years in July
Monmouth T-Shirt Printer Gives Back, From Small Business Support to Ukraine Fundraising
Mihir Shah is a new, small business owner, but no newcomer to business at all.
Having arrived in New Jersey from India in 1999, he spent more than 20 years in corporate America, traveling across North America, doing IT sales, and selling software to Fortune 500 companies. But he was ready to put a halt to being on the road constantly and be more present for his family, including two high school children who would be going away to college soon.
“If I can sell for others, then I can certainly sell for myself,” Mihir thought.
And with that he began looking to start something on his own. Turned out, a business was available right in his own back yard and in July 2020, he purchased an existing shop in his hometown, Big Frog Custom T-Shirts & More at 2412 Route 9 in Howell, N.J., which he now owns and operates with his father, Shrikant Shah.
Small Business Helping Small Businesses
“It’s been so nice to no longer travel, stay home, work for myself and have more time with my family,” Mihir said. “We help a lot of schools, non-profits and sports teams but would love to get more involved and participate with other outreach and group fundraising needs in the Monmouth County and Howell area.”
He’s intent on local support so, at the beginning of March when another local small business owner asked for help with an effort to support the people of Ukraine, he said “yes.” Over the last weeks and months, Mihir has been printing t-shirts at Big Frog Monmouth for a discount so Darina Sagitova can maximize the dollars she sends over to her contacts in war-torn Ukraine. (For information on t-shirts for Ukraine, please contact Mihir Shah 732-719-8880, monmouth@bigfrog.com.)
In general, Mihir believes so strongly in supporting the community that he was an active participant in the brand’s nationwide Shop Local All the Way campaign, an initiative to promote small businesses. Mihir recently spoke on national franchisor’s Facebook live event with his friend and fellow small businessperson, Jennifer Baque, owner of VisionWorks Mobile Entertainment. Mihir and Jennifer shared how their brands got connected, provided valuable local business insights, and encouraged everyone to “shop local” in small town neighborhoods like Monmouth.
Local T-Shirt Printer Makes an Impact
Mihir’s regular customers vary widely and include electric and construction companies, fire station first responders, a business that offers mobile entertainment for kids, and even one customer from far-away Bahamas that orders everything from polos, t-shirts, and other custom items from Big Frog Monmouth.
Local folks in the Monmouth area have probably met Mihir – or at least his giant green frog mascot character – at the Big Frog booth at various summer community festivals, open air events, and township celebrations like Howell, Freehold, Jackson, Marlboro and Manalapan Days. And people have probably seen Big Frog’s t-shirt designs around town since he also does much work with the armed forces at nearby Fort Dix. Pilots, officers and other service members from the Army, Air Force and Navy can usually be spotted sporting a Big Frog tee since Mihir’s shop prints many shirts for fundraising events as well as for training and working out.
Big Frog Monmouth is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday by appointment and closed Sunday. Located at 2412 Route 9, Howell, NJ 07731, contact by phone at 732-719-8880, by email at monmouth@bigfrog.com or online at https://www.bigfrog.com/monmouth/
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