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‘Live rough die tough’: Nightburner Print Company finds new opportunities at storefront on German Street

By Tabitha Johnston - Chronicle Staff | May 31, 2024

TJ Vance stands by his manual screen printing machinery in his storefront at 133 West German Street Suite 101 on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Nightburner Print Company held its grand opening at 133 West German Street Suite 101 on April 13.

According to owner TJ Vance, the business had first moved into the space in June 2023, after his previous studio in Shepherdstown became unavailable for rent. The studio’s building had been unexpectedly sold, forcing Vance and its other renters to move out.

“I was looking for a new space and I was kind of struggling to find another private studio space that was within my price range,” Vance said. “I was actually right next door doing a pop-up shop in the tattoo shop, when I was complaining to my buddy Reid Carroll about my difficulty finding a space, when he said, ‘How about this spot?'”

Soon after, Vance moved into the open space beside German Street Tattoo.

“Nightburner Print Company is my business screen printing for clients,” Vance said. “I’ve been doing both that and work for my clothing brand, Live Rough Die Tough, out of here since June.”

Nightburner Print Company is located at 133 West German Street Suite 101. Tabitha Johnston

Unlike with his previous space, his new studio had an entrance directly along German Street and in the path of potential customers. And so, after turning a profit in the new space for several months with the door closed to outside traffic, Vance decided to take the opportunity afforded by his prime location and begin selling his designs in-person, by opening his door to customers.

“My clothing brand I’ve always sold online or at events. This is my first storefront at which I’ve given it a shot,” Vance said, motioning to the racks of T-shirts, sweatshirts and piles of baseball caps featuring his hand-drawn designs. “Most of the stuff on the racks right now is my clothing brand, Live Rough Die Tough gear, and then I’ve also got some hand-drawn West Virginia designs and some Nightburner shop tees. I’m working on filling up the space a little extra.”

Vance learned the art of manual screen printing at the age of 15, after being hired on at a screen printing shop in Martinsburg. While most prints on clothing fade and begin peeling after a few washes, the manual screen printing method, in which ink is manually printed through a screen, can last for years.

Nightburner Print Company was founded seven years ago, according to Vance, while his clothing brand has been in operation for a decade.

“Live Rough Die Tough started as a play on the blue collar, West Virginia lifestyle — everybody just working their butt off to die proud when the day comes,” Vance said. “But since then, I started fishing about eight years ago. After a few years of that, I realized that I was going to be fishing for the rest of my life, so I decided to transition my brand into an outdoors-inspired brand. It has a lot of fishing designs, though it’s not exclusively fishing designs. I want to cater to everyone I can!”

A couple of tourists shop at Nightburner Print Company on Friday. Tabitha Johnston

The shop is open Wednesdays through Saturdays. On weekdays, the shop is open from 2-7 p.m. On Saturdays, the shop is open from 12-7 p.m. To learn more, visit https://www.liveroughdietough.com, email nightburnerprintco@gmail.com or call or text 304-820-3407.