Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Bacca.
Hi Joe, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my own clothing brand in 2014. I left my 9-5 and with no experience and just a passion to create, I set out to show the world my vision. I was very happy with my first designs, but in taking them to apparel printers, I was never fully satisfied with what I got back from them. There was no attention to detail, or even general care in printing my clothing for the most part. Once in a while, I’d get a good run back, but even if I went through that same company the next time and time after that, I was eventually disappointed.
I learned that in the printing industry, I was part of what is called a “turn & burn” clientele- burn through the job, and turn out as many in a day as possible. It’s a money-making view and essentially all apparel printing shops abide by this model. I endured these shops from 2014 until 2020. I would do periodic drops- maybe one a year and sometimes even less than that after I would hit a dead end with my clothing and would have to go back to work. I would even give clothes away or maybe make $10 off of one piece, just to try and keep the name alive and relevant. I had a lot to learn about the industry and I still do. All I know is that I love to create.
I’ve always been kind of a risk taker, sometimes it pays off and sometimes it ends up biting me in my ass. During covid, when everyone was shutting down, I secured and renovated a downtown space and opened a boutique to sell my clothing brand in a building which hosted another local business as well. I didn’t ask for any help via the loans that they had for businesses back then during covid, I just went for it. When I was about 2 months away from opening my boutique, a very small space in that same building opened up in the back. I immediately asked a friend who had a shop if he wanted to do a satellite location, but he said he wasn’t interested. Being a BIG believer in the Universe however, I put it out there that it would be great to get what was required to open an apparel printing shop.
Well, low and behold, with no seed money (I was all in with my boutique renovations and inventory for my line and opening my store), I was able to convince a friend to allow me to house some equipment that he had just purchased, but didn’t have anywhere to put it. I brought in a very kind-hearted gentleman named Steve Urquhart and one of the best printers I knew named Wizard and Pharos Design was born.
I was spreading myself too thin with both businesses, so I chose to close the boutique. But as a result of that, we’re no longer in that space anymore; we outgrew it and moved into a larger footprint and expanded a bit. We’re still a very young company, being open now for exactly 2 years, and every day is a lesson from the Universe in learning how to evolve and be better. It has been a painful experience, I won’t lie. Everyone who’s trying to do something significant, that is out of their comfort zone will tell you how difficult and uncomfortable it can be. Most growth is this way though- this is something I’ve had to come to terms with and surrender to.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not been a smooth road by any means, which should come as no surprise to anyone at all. But even knowing it would be difficult, didn’t prepare me for how hard it’s been. The difficulty materializes as self-evolution. It doesn’t matter if it’s an internal issue, a customer issue, a distributor or supplier issue etc. If I don’t grow as a person, this business won’t grow either, as it’s simply an extension of me. It’s hard to change, it’s hard to evolve; it’s hard to know if progress is being made. Why? Because growth is often difficult to gauge due to its invisibility and ambiguous nature. Personnel issues have been considerably difficult at times and have occasionally forced me to truly practice my values. Daily, I try and remind myself a little phrase I came up with a while back: “Today I get to be who I say I am.” So, when I get frustrated with employees for making mistakes and being human, even when the pressure to get a job out is high, I have an opportunity to BE who I say that I AM. These instances allow me to practice what I preach.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am the creative manager for Pharos. I can screen print, but I don’t, due to the fact that there are others much more gifted than myself, especially my printer Wizard- he’s phenomenal; he’s also the guy covered in colors from the Holi festival in the pictures. I manage the creative aspect of the printing process. Aside from the typical screen print runs, we are currently venturing into high-end printing, and one-of-a-kind pieces. We’re currently working with an old skool hip hop legend and a true graffiti legend, along with an award-winning urban clothing designer for our next big piece. Stay tuned…
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up I was a very nice boy. My Dad told me that if he had known all of his children would be as pleasant as I was, he would have had 6. Unfortunately, as I got a little older, I was afraid to be myself and became quite a follower. This led to me being involved in gang life as I got older and by the Grace of God, survived multiple attempts on my life. It wasn’t all bad though, I found my niche in creating as an emcee and signed to my first record label when I was 23. I travelled quite a bit and met my wife in NYC.
Contact Info:
- Website: pharosutah.com
- Instagram: @pharosdesignteam
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepharoscreative
Image Credits
Joe Bacca
