Bill Windsor Created Shirtcans – a Paint-Your-own T-shirt.
After a trip to Atlanta where Bill Windsor saw hand-painted T-shirts in boutiques in Buckhead, he came up with the idea of a do-it-yourself hand-painted T-shirt. He wanted a catchy name, and ShirtCans was born. “You wear what we can.”
Bill Windsor invented ShirtCans in1976
A variety of designs were offered. Each can contained a white T-shirt printed with a black outline design, four acrylic fabric paints, a paintbrush, and instructions. After a test at local K-Mart stores, Bill flew to New York and wore out the soles on a pair of shoes walking all over town to make sales calls on apparel buyers. Then he flew to Chicago where he received a large test order from Sears.
Bill returned to Orlando very excited, and he opened a manufacturing facility at 119 W. Kaley Boulevard in Orlando. Business #10.
1976 ShirtCans ad
In addition to manufacturing and distributing ShirtcCans to retail chains, the product was also offered to the advertising specialty industry and to premium companies.
Rich Sarver was a very talented artist who did all the art for ShirtCans
Rich Sarver was the talented artist who created the designs for the ShirtCans and the labels and promotional material. Incredibly talented!
After several years as a retailer, screen printer, and manufacturer, Bill Windsor launched a company to distribute apparel products to the advertising specialty industry. The business was called The Shirt Tale. Business #11.
The Shirt Tale brochure 1976
The Shirt Tale had beautiful catalogs to promote its line of imprinted sportswear, heat transfers, and related products.
How to Sell T-shirts book 1976
Bill Windsor published a book titled “How To Sell T-shirts.”
ShirtCan distributor Robert Grant with Bill Windsor in Brussels Belgium
Bill and Barbara began exhibiting at advertising specialty trade shows.
Bill met people like Robert Grant, who signed a contract to distribute Bill’s products in Belgium and France.
The Wear-House expanded to a 6,000-square-foot store in Winter Park, Florida.
New location of The Wear-House on 17 -92 in Orlando
Bill divided the 6,000-square-foot space into a 4,000-square-foot retail space, a 1,500-square-foot screen printing shop, and a 500-square-foot office.
It was a big freestanding building on Highway 17-92 in Winter Park, just South of Fairbanks Avenue.
1976 Wear-House staff opening party
The Wear-House staff at the grand opening party.
Wear-House view from McDonalds of early days in 1976
The building was located right next door to McDonald’s.
Bill decided he should try to attract the customers from McDonald’s. He cut a window and door to the McDonald’s parking lot, but it appeared to be tiny on the 120-foot long building.
So, Bill had Rich Sarver create some cartoon characters wearing imprinted sportswear.
Mural drawing on side of The Wear-House
The characters were 10-feet tall, but the mural still seemed really small.
More mural work on The Wear-House 1976
Bill had Rich Sarver continue to create characters. Rich painted the outline of the art on the wall, and people were invited to come paint. When it was done, the 120-foot x 10-foot mural became the World’s Largest Cartoon Mural. And most of the customers for The Wear-House came in from the door next to McDonald’s parking lot.
After a year off the busy Park Avenue in Winter Park, Florida, Bill was able to convince wealthy orange grove owner and real estate owner, Jerry Chicone, to rent him a 1,600-square-foot store at 435 Park Avenue South. The impact was a huge increase in retail sales.
With this move, Bill acquired an advertising specialties business from Tom Bonneville and expanded it into a retail operation. Bill sold over 100,000 items that could be personalized for businesses, clubs, and more. Business #9.
Bill’s biggest advertising specialties client was Disney. Bill sold all of the Do Not Disturb signs and shower caps used in the original hotels at Walt Disney World.
To expand on Park Avenue, Bill needed some money. With the support of dear old Dad, Bill borrowed $10,000 from Sun First National Bank. He did manage to repay it.
A fabulous cartoonist, West Reid, did the artwork for The Wear-House.
The business had a number of products that schools could sell for fundraising projects.
1972 Wear-House – Bill Windsor with a display of rings
I, William M. Windsor, am not an attorney. This website expresses my OPINIONS. The comments of visitors or guest authors to the website are their opinions and do not, therefore, reflect my opinions. Anyone mentioned by name in any article is welcome to file a response. This website does not provide legal advice. I do not give legal advice. I do not practice law. This website is to expose judicial corruption, government corruption, law enforcement corruption, attorney wrongdoing/corruption, and political corruption. Whatever this website says about the law is presented in the context of how I or others perceive the applicability of the law to a set of circumstances if I (or some other author) was in the circumstances under the conditions discussed. Despite my concerns about lawyers in general, I suggest that anyone with legal questions consult an attorney for an answer, particularly after reading anything on this website. The law is a gray area at best. Please read our Legal Notice and Terms.
When Bill Windsor and Barbara moved to Florida from Rolling Meadows, Illinois, Bill Windsor opened a store in Winter Park Florida named The Wear-House. Business #7.
1972 Wear-House – Bill Windsor with display of rings
The Wear-House was an expanded version of the retail store he opened as a college student at Texas Tech.
Bill and Barbara sold a full line of fraternity and sorority merchandise, but they also had a heat transfer machine and sold imprinted T-shirts, customized while the customer was there.
Barbara Windsor at Barbara Windsor at check out counter at The Wear-House in 1972
We didn’t have much money, so our decor consisted of free pickle barrels and orange crates obtained from local restaurants and fruit stands. The wall decor was for sale. We didn’t have a good location, just off busy Park Avenue. We survived because I was selling to fraternities and sororities all over Central Florida.
