Today we’d like to introduce you to Clayton McCune.
Hi Clayton, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My dad was a union laborer at the Port of Vancouver in Southwest Washington, and my grandfather was a wheat farmer in Eastern Washington. I grew up skateboarding and listening to punk rock and ’90s rap. Somewhere in my late teens, I also developed a deep love for classic country music and all things Americana and vintage.
I eventually found my way into the skate and snowboard industry, and then the apparel industry, working as a sales rep throughout the Pacific Northwest. Years of driving through Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington only deepened my appreciation for old diners, drive-ins, honky tonks, hand-painted signs and the small businesses that give a place its character. I’ve been in the apparel industry for about 25 years now and have had the chance to work with some incredible brands along the way.
I started King’s Embroidery Services as a way to supplement my sales business, but realized pretty quickly that it brought together a lot of things I already loved: apparel, design, vintage stuff, sales and small business.
Today, I get to help small businesses tell the world who they are. A lot of our customers know they want something classic and timeless, but they aren’t necessarily sure how to get there. That’s where I come in. We help take what’s in their head, and make something people are proud to wear.
The vision for KES is simple: help folks build a good life. That means the customers we serve, but it also means the people who work here. I want to build a good business, do work we’re proud of, and make the whole process as painless as possible.
We work hard to make it easy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’m still running two businesses, which means time is probably my biggest challenge. There are never enough hours in the day, and learning what to prioritize is a challenge. I am the Chief Everything Officer.
I also came into this knowing apparel and sales, but zero embroidery experience. There’s been a pretty steep learning curve, but I genuinely enjoy figuring it out.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We specialize in vintage-inspired headwear. We guide our customers through a discovery to their own classic piece of Americana.
We do our design in-house and really try to tie a customer’s story, history and personality into the finished product. We also love USA-made merch and can help with full ground-up design and production for customers who understand the value in that.
Our focus is on over-delivering on value. We’re a small, two-man operation—just a couple guys with small kids trying to get this thing humming!
Brand-wise, I’m probably most proud when someone actually wants to wear King’s merch. Or when a new customer tells me, “People keep telling me I need to hit up King’s.” That means a lot to me.
What matters most to you? Why?
Helping people build a good life.
We’re fighting a common enemy: that experience we’ve all had of someone with a dead expression telling you some variation of, “Sorry, I just work here.” I think that happens when people don’t believe the work they’re doing matters.
I want our work to matter. I want King’s to help our customers build their businesses and provide for their families. And I want it to provide a good life for the people who work here and their families too.
If we can make cool stuff, do work we’re proud of, take care of people and build a good life in the process, that’s the whole point!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kingsembroideryco.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingsembroideryservices/
