It doesn't feel like it but two years have passed since this photo was taken. I made a few tees for the last game of 2009, but the "brand" officially launched during this Opening Day tailgate party in 2010. I put the word "brand" in quotes because at the time I had no idea what this would eventually turn in to. I had no Twitter or Facebook account, and the only web presence was a blogger page that I rarely updated. I just enjoyed creating t-shirts and figured it was a fun way to make a couple extra bucks.
So much has happened in the last two years.... What started on a whim turned in to my full time gig and I couldn't be happier to be able to call The 7 Line my job. I never imagined that printing t-shirts for a team that the public sees as a joke would be embraced by fellow fans around the world. The die hard of this team are responsible for the rapid growth of The 7 Line and I am forever grateful to you guys.
While I am printing each t-shirt by hand it's crazy to know that they'll eventually be worn by someone across the globe or even a Mets player. If you told me that Johan Santana would be wearing a shirt from The 7 Line print shop in 2012 I'd never believe it.
Quite a few things have changed for the people in this photo as well. Three of the couples split up
(sorry guys), one couple moved and got engaged (
Congrats B.I. and Shauna!), Marino had a baby
(The fan base grew by 1!), and one of them
(Lizy, far back with the sunglasses) became my only part time employee. I think I'll only see a handful of them tomorrow, but hopefully one day everyone gets back to the stadium.
So here's to two years in business! I hope it's just the start. I really have a great time running this brand and it's an amazing feeling to see it's been accepted by the fan base. We may not know each other yet, but we already have a common bond.... we love the Mets in good times and bad.
I'm in it for the long haul and if you're reading this odds are so are you. There's no such thing as a bandwagon Mets fan. Keep Calm and Cheer On! HAPPY OPENING DAY! LGM!
Don't forget to print out your RIP KID FLYERS for the pre-game ceremony tomorrow!
-Darren Meenan
The 7 Line 2012
