When Matt and Jen McManus started printing t-shirts after college in 2007, it was mostly for friends and family—word-of-mouth projects pulled together with grit and a love of creativity. But what began as a side hustle quickly became a business, and then something even bigger.
Today, that small screen printing shop has evolved into two connected but distinct brands: Dapper Ink, a Greenville-based custom print shop, and The Landmark Project, a national lifestyle brand carried by REI, Disney, and national park stores across the country. Their story is one of evolution, intention, and staying grounded while scaling up.
Back in 2008, with Jen freshly graduated and the economy in freefall, the couple had a choice to make: find “real jobs” or double down on the business they’d started from scratch. They chose the latter—and opened their first brick-and-mortar location at Stone’s Point (now home to Methodical Coffee), where Jen ran the front of the shop while Matt printed shirts in the back.
Over time, they hired an intern, brought on employees, and shifted focus from client work to creative work. But by 2015, burnout was creeping in. Printing other people’s ideas had lost its spark. That’s when Jen came up with a new idea—one that would quietly change everything.
They called it The Landmark Project—a design series inspired by their love of hiking and local parks. At first, it was just for fun: create some shirts, sell a few, see what happens. But what happened was clear—people loved them. No one had seen anything quite like it before, and there was space in the market for meaningful, design-forward apparel that celebrated the outdoors.
What started with local parks quickly expanded to national parks, and after a leap of faith at a trade show, they caught the attention of a buyer from REI. That same buyer is still with them today, and helped put Landmark on the shelves in some of the country’s biggest outdoor retailers.
As Landmark grew, so did the team—adding designers, marketers, and sales staff. They launched their own website and entered the world of wholesale, securing rep groups that helped break into the complex network of national park stores (which are run by third-party concessionaires, not the parks themselves).
COVID brought new challenges—but also unexpected growth. When everything shut down, national parks became one of the few open destinations, and outdoor retailers saw record traffic. Landmark was ready. But managing boom-and-bust cycles has remained a balancing act.
Since 2022, they’ve diversified their product line—adding hoodies, women’s cuts, accessories, headwear, and even licensing their artwork to other companies. It’s all part of a deliberate strategy to build a broad, stable lifestyle brand, not a one-hit wonder.
“We saw too many people put their entire identity into a single successful product—then struggle when competition came in,” Matt said. “We didn’t want that to be us.”
Today, Dapper Ink is still running—but it’s no longer the backbone of the business. The Landmark Project is the focus, and Dapper Ink has become the fun, local-facing side of their creative life.
They’ve started separating the two companies to plan for the future—and potentially, an eventual sale. With 40 employees, a seasoned CFO and COO, and a clear division of roles—Jen leading sales and operations, Matt leading creative and brand—they’re running a tight ship. And they’re doing it all from Greenville, a city they credit for their early momentum and confidence.
“From Saturday Market booths to trade shows in Denver, Greenville has always been part of our story,” Jen shared. “We’ve seen clients grow into icons here—and we’ve grown right alongside them.”
During the Roundtable, founders asked about how they’re navigating new tariff pressures. Their answer? Margin protection and small-batch experimentation.
They now source some products from Guatemala (with a manageable 10% tax, split with the factory), and are rethinking plans for a fleece line that uses Chinese materials, which face higher tariffs. To avoid passing major costs onto customers, they’re adjusting in smaller ways: raising prices on accessories, reducing discounts, and changing shipping policies.
“You can’t always be the cheapest,” Jen explained. “If you build your business on razor-thin margins, you can’t recover when things change.”
They’ve also learned from past mistakes—like over-ordering a product that flopped. Now, they test in small batches, then scale what works.
For Landmark, trade shows remain the best avenue for new accounts. Platforms like Faire have leveled off, and post-pandemic trends are pushing people back to in-person events.
Their advice? Treat your trade show booth like a real store. Set it up with intention, so buyers can imagine your products in their own space. Every show includes a Home Depot and Target run to build that visual story—and it works.
“Wholesale needs to be an impulse buy too,” Matt said. “Less is more. Let the designs speak for themselves.”
At the Textile Roundtable, the McManuses didn’t sugarcoat anything. They talked openly about mistakes, margins, burnout, and building for the long game.
For founders in the room, especially those building product-based businesses, the message was clear: don’t chase fast growth—chase alignment. Between your lifestyle, your values, and your vision.
“We’re growing slowly, but we’re growing on our terms,” Jen said. “And that’s what makes it sustainable.”
Want to hear stories like this in person? Join the next roundtable—intimate, industry-specific conversations designed for founders, by founders.
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