Brian and Myra Bufka of Montgomery City’s 1st Place Printing are fighting a slowing market by making one T-shirt at a time.

They’re part of the initiative, Here For Good Mid MO, promoting area businesses via logos on shirts.

“This started with a woman in St. Louis, Sloan Coleman at Tiny Little Monsters,” Brian said. “We saw it on her Facebook post.”

The Bufkas thought she had a good idea — one that has now spread nationwide.

“We’re using someone else’s program with their permission,” Brian added.

Here’s the deal. The Bufka’s shop is printing logos of participating business (in Montgomery and Warren counties primarily) on T-shirts. Each shirt sells for $20. Of that, $10 goes straight to the business to help them keep going, and $10 is kept by the printing company to cover expenses and help keep the lights on.

“It costs the businesses absolutely nothing,” Brian said.

There also are Here For Good logo T-shirts listing several businesses. Proceeds from those sales are split between everyone in the program.

1st Place Printing opened in April 2009, and moved into its building at 375 S. Sturgeon St. in Montgomery City five years ago. Brian said he is a Montgomery City native, and Myra was born and raised in Warrenton, where the couple resides. They have six children.

“I worked for Fastsigns in St. Louis forever,” Brian said of his background. “They’re a franchise. At one time they had 450 worldwide.”

Usually at this time of the year, 1st Place Printing is busy printing ball caps, T-shirts, tote bags and more, plus making trophies.

“Most of our business is the schools, Little League teams, events – things like that,” Brian said. “We already bought the shirts. But the Little Leagues are cancelled. … Now we’re doing nothing like that. Normally UPS is dropping off three or four boxes of shirts a day; a box has 100 shirts.”

So, what to do with all that merchandise? The Bufkas said they wanted to make a difference.

“Buying a $20 T-shirt helps support two businesses,” Myra added.

They contacted a couple local businesses to get started, and a few more called when they heard about the initiative. Brian said he did a Facebook live event about the initiative, too, and advertised it on Facebook.

“It’s not just an ‘us’ thing. It’s happening in 15 states around the country,” Brian said. “A company contacts us and says, ‘Hey, we want to do this,’ and we print their design on a T-shirt.”

The couple also printed bear decals recently and gave them away for sort of a community scavenger hunt.

“We printed more than 100 of those decals and just gave them away,” Brian said.

There are several ways to participate in Here For Good Mid MO. Call First Place Printing at 573-564-0062 or email Brian@1stplaceprinting.com. Information can also be found on their Facebook page or at HereForGoodMidMO.com.

“We’ll be here as long as we need to,” Myra said. “More businesses can join — call, email, or send us a Facebook message.”

As long as the state shutdown over the current coronavirus pandemic continues, the Bufkas will practice safe methods.

“We’re just going home and here,” Myra said. “This is our life; this is what pays the mortgage on our house.”

So far, the St. Louis initiative has raised $60,000 worth of T-shirts supporting small businesses. 1st Place Printing also can provide embroidery, business cards, yard signs (including those for graduating seniors), banners and more.

“It’s hard to see a future right now, where we’re at,” Myra said. “But to steal a line from (the movie) Frozen, you just have to do the next right thing.”

“If we can help a business make $10, that can help get us all through,” Brian added. “Let’s help everybody.”