Tim Sukits

Category: Features

  • How Sarasota’s dire unemployment numbers are driving our upcoming city elections

    Feb. 13, 2009
    Rick Farmer

    Perhaps to no one’s surprise, a look at Sarasota’s recent economic trends doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

    The unemployment rate for Sarasota County in December was 8.1 percent and approached 9 percent last month, higher than the current U.S. rate of 7.6 percent and Florida’s average of 8.1 percent. The shedding of government jobs has dropped the Sarasota Police Department down to 1990 levels and the Post Office plans to make major cuts soon. The Herald-Tribune has cut 40 percent of its work force in three years and countless smaller businesses have been forced to lay off workers or close altogether.

    Only two short years ago, Sarasota’s unemployment rate was 3.2 percent, and companies were having trouble finding qualified workers. Not anymore. And that issue is driving next month’s city commission elections. Nine City Commission candidates think they have solutions — we must choose two.

    Current city commissioner Ken Shelin — the only official running for reelection (the other open seat belongs to Lou Ann Palmer, who is retiring) — names economic recovery as the most important issue facing the city, and recently initiated an effort to develop a downtown improvement district. He also wants to expedite other road, water, sewer and bridge infrastructure projects that the city has planned. His favorite project on the shovel-ready list is changing the stretch of Fruitville Road from 301 to 41 into a more residential, pedestrian-friendly street with wider sidewalks and more landscaping.

    Shelin also wants to get Whitaker Gateway Park rolling. It would involve buying up some of the privately owned bayou north of Newtown and developing it as a recreational and environmental resource. “We can’t do much about the foreclosure rate or credit availability in the banks,” says Shelin, “but we can do certain things like taking vacant foreclosed property, rehabbing it, and putting it back on the market to create jobs in the construction industry and also some economic activity in the real estate market.” Shelin has seen Sarasota’s job loss firsthand. He himself had to make some cuts: A Florida state law requires cities to keep a balanced budget.

    Pete Thiesen
    Pete Theisen

    That same law could pose a problem for Pete Theisen, a retired acupuncturist who refers to himself as the “anti-growth” candidate. Theisen, 64, boasts his plans for a community-wide elevated railway. “The city might not pay for it,” he says. “This is the time of hope and change.” He plans to build the railway with federal money or develop a private partnership with the train company. He believes transportation is the city’s biggest problem, and that new public/private infrastructure would speed along economic recovery. His plan also includes a fleet of people movers to get residents from the neighborhoods to the train or bus stops. He then wants to pursue a car manufacturer, like Toyota, to build a plant east of I-75 which workers could be transported to — via the railway, of course. Theisen also wants to create 1,000 government jobs, including 100 positions for new police officers.

    If that plan isn’t forward-thinking enough for you, you might vote for Rick Farmer, the self-described “progressive” candidate. Farmer, 46, is a computer engineer who is taking a play out of the Obama campaign handbook. He is all about unity, transparency and green, sustainable jobs. He wants to post the city’s budget on the web and considers himself a fiscally conservative liberal. His goal is to shape a stronger accord between Sarasota government officials, neighborhood associations and normal citizens, as well as between the city, county and state.

    “The future of Sarasota is sustainable jobs, knowledge jobs, to make the city attractive to young people,” Farmer says. “When people graduate from Ringling, we need to make it attractive so they want to stay here. They can’t think of it as a retirement community. That was the old Sarasota; we have to look ahead.” Farmer also believes that it is very important for the commission board to hear input from the community as often as possible and thinks the controversial commission expansion question that will also be on the March 10 ballot — the provision would also create an elected mayor position — is an “assault on the city.” (Shelin is the only candidate who supports the measure.)

    Paul Caragiulo, 34, is the youngest of the five Caragiulo brothers, who co-own the restaurant that bears their name. He wants to work with city interests to develop a consensus on what the community wants, holistically, moving forward into the future. He believes people focus on minute details too often instead of looking at the big picture. “I have a young family,” says the “young professional” candidate, “I’m here not to retire but to earn a living and to hopefully live in a very culturally vibrant society, and I think that people like me are underrepresented.”

    Caragiulo believes that government has the power to augment economic recovery, but often impedes it instead. “I can’t believe the trouble they gave Ringling over the expansion that they needed, I mean that’s just a no-brainer to me,” says Caragiulo. “I think with the academia there is an opportunity for jobs. Go to Ringling and New College, these people are leaving here to work for companies like animation and things. What can be done to entice these industries to come here? We have locked ourselves into this thing where we are so reliant on hospitality, which is great, but that is reliant on something else — you have to have disposable income for these businesses to survive.”

    On the other side of the spectrum is the “years-of-experience” candidate Terry Turner. Although never a public official, 68-year-old Turner has been a senior executive in a number of private companies ranging from a small software development company to Fortune 500 companies. He has also served on numerous corporate and community boards. He spent a number of years teaching financial economics at Berkley before moving to Sarasota in 1997.

    Turner believes the city is facing serious problems and the commission needs serious leadership. “I think we need to look beyond the budget and think about what the economy should look like after we get through this crisis,” says Turner. “We need to focus more on sustainable economic activity in what have traditionally been our core strengths: tourism, eco-tourism, health services and the visual and performing arts. Most of the job stimulus is going to have to come out of Washington, but we can do things here like focusing more on hiring locally and contracting locally. We need to be more vigilant about making sure that the terms of contracts are enforced and contractors are hiring locally. We need to develop the mindset that we need to help our citizens.”

    Job creation is complicated, politically contentious and absolutely necessary. No matter which of the candidates we end up electing to the City Commission, they better figure out how to create a lot of work. And do it quickly.

    We’ll have more on the March 10 City Commission elections — and the four candidates we haven’t had the chance to talk to yet — over the coming weeks, right here on The 941.

  • Obama Wants Americans to Serve Their Communities, So I Suited Up and Spent a Morning Hammering Down Shingles

    Jan. 9, 2009

    I ascend a ladder and step onto a roof covered with black paper still wet with morning dew. Kneeling, hammer in hand, and with a pouch full of roofing nails slung around my waist, I nail down shingles flush with the roof edge.

    This morning, the Habitat for Humanity crew is split up into pairs, one person tacking on a shingle and the next following up to nail it off. My partner and I polish off a row, and I move on to find a new helper: 86-year-old Bill Weiss. When was the last time I worked side-by-side with a man 60 years my senior? Never, I realize.

    It’s the kind of encounter that only community service can bring.

    Habitat for Humanity is just one of many service organizations dedicated to helping out the less fortunate. And many of these organizations should be getting a boost in volunteer numbers very soon. Next week, in fact.

    In 1994, Congress transformed the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday — which falls next Monday — into a national day of community service. The incoming Obama Administration has created a nonprofit that will work to help aspiring volunteers organize service projects on a scale never before seen, and they’re launching it on the very eve of Obama’s inauguration.

    If you’re wondering how you can dig right in and help, there are a number of websites that highlight different service needs and ways to get involved. USAService.org is a new website established by the Obama Administration that allows users to post their service events online or find existing ones in their neighborhood. It’s kind of like MySpace, but with fewer photos of last night’s raging kegger, and more information about community organizing.

    Charityguide.org, meanwhile, is on a mission to inspire flexible service — they call the approach “volunteering on demand.” The site provides a list of service opportunities categorized into the time commitments they will entail. If you only have 15 minutes, you can donate your ponytail to Locks of Love or your clothes to Goodwill. If you have a few hours, you can volunteer at the Salvation Army or start a food drive. If you want to take a service vacation, you can volunteer for AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps.

    When I sat down to think about what I could contribute, I decided Habitat was the way to go. The nonprofit kicked off in Sarasota in 1986 and, since then, has built 185 new homes in Sarasota for people who otherwise could never afford them. I signed up to work in Jordan’s Crossing, a Habitat neighborhood on the corner of Fifth Street and Rhodes. Volunteers were just starting to roof the 79th and final home of the neighborhood. Coincidentally, the owner of the house I find myself crawling all over is the sister of the owner of the first house ever built in Jordan’s Crossing, back in 2002.

    The house is dubbed “Cinderella’s Castle.” The name comes from the fundraising effort that began last year, when five women pledged to find 100 women to each donate $1,000 to reach the 100 grand it takes to sponsor a new Habitat home. These women are known as “fairy godmothers,” and they show up at the site often and work on the house when they can.

    But Habitat isn’t just a charity. Potential homeowners have to earn it. The down payment is set at $1,600; buyers can organize a payment plan if they don’t have the money upfront. After the purchase, they take over the mortgage, with monthly payments comparable to nearby rentals. Owners have to put in 300-500 hours of sweat equity, which means people often help build the house that will shelter their very own families. If the owners are more apt to hammer their thumb than the nail, they can find a number of different ways to help out in the Habitat office or outlet store.

    Volunteers can serve in these ways too. The office always needs help with paperwork; people can bring snacks to workers during breaks; and, besides donating money, you can donate furniture and other household and home improvement items. Kids under 16 have to be part of a group to get involved, but many church groups, Boy and Girl Scout troops, and school organizations volunteer to help paint and landscape the houses. From October to April, a group from Fun and Sun brings home-baked goodies on Thursdays for the volunteers. Lucky me. I happen to have signed up for a Thursday shift.

    Grimy after a couple hours of labor, I trudge down from the roof for the 9:30 snack break. Before heading back to work, Manager of Volunteer Operations Janet Pederson points out one of the homeowners helping for the day and asks him to say a blessing. The man explains that he’s just arrived in the United States from Cuba; before he left, the Cuban government took all of his possessions, down to the forks and knives in his kitchen drawers. He thanks the 40-or-so assembled volunteers and tells them that, thanks to their kindness and hard work, he now has more than he ever could have imagined in Cuba. “This is my country now,” he says in broken English, “and I love this country because we are truly free people.”

    The man has quite a story to tell. But, when you spend time on a Habitat project, you hear amazing tales like it every day, and that’s why I’ll be coming back. We would all do well to answer the Obama Administration’s call to service, not only next Monday, but for a lifetime.

  • My Epic Quest to Buy Gifts for the Whole Family in One Day at the Red Barn

    Dec. 5, 2008

    Giddy-up! It’s that time of year when we buy useless items for people who will probably never use ’em!

    My editor, perhaps mischievously, informed me that the Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton had everything, so I figured I could knock out all my holiday shopping in one place in one day, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This was my inaugural voyage to the big barn and I’ll freely admit I was nowhere near prepared for the smorgasbord of randomness that lay before me.

    The first thing I saw as I walked in was a man selling every kind of blade imaginable: three-sided knives, Chinese throwing stars, machetes, every stabbing and slashing utensil known to man.

    Interesting.

     

    As I continued into the market I realized that I was indeed in a barn. It was a rainy day and I heard drops tapping on the tin roof and wind beating on the canvas tarps that form the barn walls. The place had a carnival feel to it, right down to the funnel cakes, elephant ears, kettle corn and other assorted state fair goodies you grew up with.

    There were clothes, hats, sunglasses, handbags, jewelry, games, toys, old signs, vases, candles, furniture, patches, buttons, golf clubs, action figures and a gold mine of used books – and that was just one booth. I saw bottles and jars containing every liquid, gel, lotion, potion and wonder drug under the sun. There were antiques, real and fake; Tupperware, new and used; strange handmade items, foreign and domestic. There were puppets, Muppets and stuffed animals of every shape, size, color and breed. Nothing had any kind of order. It was nick-knack heaven.

    Turns out, there’s a reason why this place is so random. Red Barn Marketing Director Linda Sterrett says pretty much anyone can get a booth by placing a call to the vendor manager, and you can sell anything you want, as long as it’s legal and appropriate for all ages. With that kind of freedom spread across 650 booths and 5 acres, you’re bound to find a little bit of everything.

    As I walked along the corridors, which all looked different but similarly chaotic, I noted some amusing contrasts. A booth selling soap sits across from a booth selling brand new cars. A booth selling hot tubs complements a booth selling statues of Buddha, both symbols of comfort and abundance, I guess. I saw a sign that said “Pain Relief – Free Samples.” I wanted to sample some pain relief, but no one was working the stand. Some booths had whole families tending them and some had nobody.

    I made my way to the food court to see what was cooking. At center stage was a hot dog stand called Maw’s Place. Through the glass, you could see two grills covered with hot dogs, hamburgers and long, spiraled, uncut sausages sizzling among a mountain of onions, peppers and sauerkraut. I ordered up a Polish sausage and some fries, sat at a table and took in the crowd, a motley bunch, with no shortage of jean shorts, indiscernible tattoos or Bucs jerseys.

    After lunch, I checked out some produce. Most of the food items are located in a strip of tents covered with leaky tarps behind the main Red Barn. The mist from the rain reminded me of the vegetable sprayers at the supermarket, but, unlike at a supermarket, the variety of flora here seemed endless. As I entered I saw a curly, gray-haired lady no taller than 5 feet wearing a softball jersey and holding a Chihuahua as big as a watermelon. A seeing-eye dog strolled past me, guiding no one.

    I walked back to the main barn, where the man at the Wonder Knife stand glared at me like he wanted someone to talk to. In the next stand a guy who looked like the town drunk sold jumbo shrimp out of a big, white cooler.

    Despite hours at the Red Barn, I struck out when it came to gifts. Perhaps my editor was fooling with me. That jackanapes.

    But while I didn’t walk away with any must-haves for the fam, I’ll definitely be back for me. I concluded my Red Barn experience with an elephant ear from the Hot Rodd Café. I was up to my elbows in powdered sugar, when I looked up to see a kid staring at me. I guess we all look weird to somebody.

     

  • Townie Q&A: Pedro Arévalo

    Pedro Arévalo, 32, could be called the bass player of Sarasota. Odds are, if you’re out and about and you see someone plunking away, it’s Pedro.

    How many bands do you play with around town?

    My father has a band called The Acoustic Pete Blues Trio, which despite its name, ranges from four to 10 people. He also has a bluegrass group called Swamp Grass. I have a flamenco group I’ve worked with for many years called The Lotus Fire. I’ll have a project with my brother starting December called Los Mosquitoes. I’ll be playing a few Saturday evenings at the Oyster Bar under my own name. I’ve been playing also with Rastus Kain; he’s a prominent blues guitarist that’s been in the area off and on for decades. The main groups I play with are not local though. Dickey Betts (of the Allman Brothers) lives here in town. I’ve been his bassist for the past five years. We did two tours in Europe over the summer. … Aside from that, I’ve been playing slide guitar with Greg Allman’s son, Devin Allman. The band is called Honey Tribe. We also did a tour of Europe this summer as well. I suppose I’m on the road between 200 and 250 days a year.

    What’s your favorite type of music?

    I like variety. I played in a number of West African groups when I lived in Boston. I got to travel with them to Africa. I played in a salsa group around town called the Vine Street Rumba Band. I love blues, country-blues, and all kind of hillbilly music like bluegrass. I love jazz, just improvisation. I consider myself an improviser. That’s my profession.

    Do you have any advice for the Sarasota music scene?

    It’s a tough scene. There’s plenty of work, but most of them don’t want to hear a lot about original music. Pandering to the tourist is the nature of the game. It’s nice downtown having the luxury to play foreign music. There’s a nice international interest, even on Lido and St. Armand’s you can get away with it. On Siesta it’s much more difficult, they want to hear Buffett. My advice is not to give in to the bars and do what you need to do to gratify yourself. Otherwise, everyone will be playing Jimmy Buffett at every venue.

     

  • Music feature: Take five classical musicians, throw in some Led Zeppelin and Radiohead and, voilà, you’ve got Sybarite5

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    May 10, 2010

    FOX FORCE FIVE: Angela Pickett (viola), Louis Levitt (double bass), Laura Metcalf (cello), Sami Merdinian (violin) and Sarah Whitney (violin), from left to right

    Sybarite5
    9 p.m. Fri., May 14, The Hub Incubator, 1421 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota, pay what you want; 8:30 p.m. Sat., May 15 and 2:30 p.m. Sun., May 16, Holley Hall, Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, $10-$100,brownpapertickets.com/event/99543, 513-543-1981 or sybarite5.org/upcoming.htm.

    Sarasota native Louis Levitt fielded some nasty emails following last year’s inaugural Sybarite5 performance at Holley Hall. The Herald-Tribune had printed an incorrect start time for the quintet’s one-night show, causing a line of concert-goers to form hours before the doors opened, unaware that it was already sold out. This year Levitt decided to make it up to folks who missed out, by offering three opportunities to see the group: a Friday night show at The Hub and Saturday and Sunday performances at Holley Hall.

    The popularity of Sybarite5 comes from their unique mixing of genres, juxtaposing works by well-known classical composers with the music of popular modern bands. “For me as a classical musician and a creative artist, I want to play music that I like and that I think is good,” says Levitt. “If that music is written by Mozart and Dvorák or if it’s written by Led Zeppelin and Radiohead, then I don’t care. I want to play music that I want to hear.”

    The composition of the quintet allows them to make these crossovers work. “We have incredible flexibility with this group because we’ve got two violins, viola, cello and double bass,” says Levitt. “The double bass really allows the ensemble to pivot between musical genres more easily than a regular string quartet. Double bass is found in every genre of music. No matters what it is, there’s always a bass player.”

    Levitt began his classical music experience in the youth orchestra program while attending Pine View, and later joined the youth program at the Sarasota Orchestra. “When I was at Pine View there was a great music director named Ken Bowermeister and it was one of the best programs in the state,” says Levitt. “Then in high school I studied privately with John Miller, who’s the principal bass in the orchestra here. Without that training there was no way I would have ever been exposed to or had the capability to actually become a professional classical musician. I think it speaks volumes for the culture of Sarasota. It’s not something that can happen anywhere.”

    While studying double bass at the Cincinnati Conservatory, a professor invited Levitt to the Aspen Music Festival for their annual summer program. It was here that he made the connections that would soon lead to the formation of Sybarite5. “A bunch of us wanted to make some money so we went out on the streets of Aspen busking and the same group of us came back to play year after year,” he says. “We found that we really liked what we were doing and eventually we all kind of ended up in New York and said, ‘Hey, do you want to do this seriously?’”

    The group started Sybarite5 as a nonprofit in order to help bring music to schools. They still head to Aspen every summer to play over 30 free outreach concerts. As part of this year’s stint in Sarasota they are spending this week performing for students at Pine View, Booker High School and the Sarasota Music Academy. “We’re able to connect with [students] by playing music they like, but having it rooted in classical music,” says Levitt.

    Sybarite5 is also connecting with local schools through Friday’s event at The Hub: New Music Idol. New College asked their composition students to write one-minute pieces for the group to perform, and there will be a panel of local celebrity judges who will critique the pieces. At the end a live audience text vote will decided the champion. The winning work will be performed at Sybarite’s gala concerts Saturday and Sunday.

    It’s not just the music that is fresh at Sybarite5 shows. The group tries to get around longstanding traditions they feel have held back classical music. “We try to break down the boundaries between the audience and the performers,” says Levitt. “Sometimes in classical music that’s a bit of an invisible wall. You have to dress a certain way and you have to clap at a certain time. We encourage people to clap whenever they want.” Sybarite is partnering with Showcase Designs, a Florida-based home staging and redesign company, to convert Holley Hall and The Hub into a living room, complete with couches and tables spread around the room and on stage. Levitt says the shows will have “an MTV Unplugged feel.”

    As far as the musical concept behind Sybarite5, Levitt says the idea came on a whim: “It actually started out as a joke. We were playing a concert in Aspen and somebody screamed from the audience, ‘Hey, play some Zeppelin!’ I just kind of took the challenge. … Zeppelin’s like the Beethoven of rock.”

    The Radiohead tunes came about after the group started the Radiohead Remix Project. “We actively commission composers to do new works for us that are based on Radiohead pieces,” says Levitt. “With Radiohead music, a lot of the sounds are created electronically. So we have a really unique challenge, which is how do we make that sound on our instruments without making it electronic? In the end what we’d really like to do is just commission a work from Radiohead and have them collaborate with us and write something for a string quintet.”

    Looking into the future Sybarite5 plans to attract new listeners with an even broader spectrum of genres, pulling songs from avant-garde artists and even the ’90s grunge scene. “I think a Björk suite is on the way,” says Levitt. “She’s classically trained and she does all of her own arrangements for all of the orchestra stuff. I think it’d be really cool to collaborate with someone like that. … I want to play some Pearl Jam. What’s wrong with us doing some ‘Even Flow’ or ‘Porch’? Those are good songs.”

    “For me it’s really exciting as someone who grew up in Sarasota to come back here and share the music that I play all around the world that wouldn’t be possible unless I was from Sarasota,” Levitt continues. “This is the type of thing that I would do in New York City, where people are open to anything. I’m doing it in Sarasota because people here are open to anything.”

    Photo by Brian David Braun

  • The City: Rock the Line

    Nov. 19, 2008

    Austin Kowal holds up a plain gray T-shirt and ponders it like a blank canvas. He strategically places it on the wooden palette and smoothes the wrinkles. He lowers a metal-framed screen like a copy machine lid down on to the shirt, stopping just short so he could eyeball where the design would land. He spoons a glob of thick, black ink onto the screen and scrapes some of it over the design. He lifts the screen and the shirt bears the perfectly stenciled image.

    His art is ready to wear.

     

    Kowal, 23, is part of a group of local artists who have taken their passion and put it on the line, literally. He and his partner Evan Ekasala, 19, are the owner and manager of Clothesline, a screen-printing shop that makes T-shirts designed by local artists. They only print one of each design on every shirt size, so no two shirts are exactly alike.

    The shop is still a work in progress, but the quality of the printing is top notch. You would never guess that only four months ago the two bought their first screen-printing starter kit for $80. “Right at the same time we were learning to screen print I was like, ‘Let’s open a shop,’” says Kowal. “Everything kind of spiraled and fit into place.”

    After getting comfortable with the starter kit, the pair began pricing screen-printing machines. They couldn’t find anything under $1,000, so they decided to make their own. They bought a DVD online that explained the construction. “We kept searching for the right one; they all looked so janky,” says Kowal. With help from a woodworking friend, they slapped some wood and screws together and built their own machine. Their screen-printing operation was underway.

    Kowal’s mom, Denise, has owned the Harold Square building that houses the shop in Burns Court for 25 years. She had used the retail space at 537 South Pineapple Avenue for a handmade jewelry store that Kowal helped manage. “It was hard in our economy,” Austin says. “Not a lot of people are splurging on jewelry right now.”

    Not a lot of people are splurging, period, right now. In 2008, a number of small, independent Sarasota shops and restaurants have gone under. Metro, the Boathouse, Boogie Woogie, the list goes on.

    Kowal ignored the negative signs and decided to use his mom’s space for his new screen-printing shop. He and Ekasala set up their DIY contraption in the upstairs apartment and started printing T-shirts.

    The two believe their business will be successful because of its originality. “It’s very creative. I’m constantly changing up inventory. Nothing’s going to get stale,” says Kowal. “I’m always bringing in new people that make a lot of different things.” They plan to sell glass-blown items, handmade jewelry and other accessories created by local artists. They are starting to accept designs for T-shirts and provide a little compensation. “It’s not going to make anybody a million dollars. You just get people wearing your stuff. There is nothing better than somebody buying your art.”

     

    Location set, the next order of business for Kowal and Ekasala was coming up with a name. The latter suggested Clothesline. “It wasn’t really a new or creative name, but what we put into Clothesline is creative,” says Kowal. “There’s no stores that show their shirts on clotheslines and have a website out with clotheslines. We just added to the whole image of the clothesline.” To complete the shop’s image they tagged graffiti on the walls. Kowal tagged one wall and their friend Dave Troxler — Ringling School graduate and fellow shirt designer — tagged a cityscape on the other. They attached an upside-down umbrella clothesline to the ceiling and the store was ready for business.

    There was only one little problem – they didn’t have any inventory. “Everything was set up,” says Kowal. “I got my bank accounts, my merchant accounts, my business licenses. I just needed some inventory.” Everything with the printing process was on a trial and error basis. They had trouble at first with seams because the bumps would create gaps in the ink. They discovered how to swipe things in different directions to make a solid print. The night before their shop opened, the two young entrepreneurs stayed up late making screens and printing T-shirts.

    Each member of the Clothesline crew has a different style. “Mine varies,” says Kowal. “I’ll go from stuff that is very abstract to character designs, and then a lot of intricate, fine-line stuff.” Kowal comes from an artistic background. His grandfather, Dennis Kowal, is a local sculptor who has taught art all over the country. He has pieces behind the Van Wezel, in front of the Chamber of Commerce and at other public spots around town.

    Ekasala is more focused on graphic design. “First and foremost, I’m a photographer,” he says. “Like that one,” he points to a navy shirt with a design high up on the left breast, “I took a picture of an artichoke, ran it through Photoshop, traced it on my screen and made a graphic out of it.” Kowal’s wife Becky designs the women’s shirts. Their two Chihuahuas — Mac and Cheese — inspired one of her designs.

    The group lists designers like Obey, Johnny Cupcakes, Upper Playground, Karmaloop and Digital Gravel as influences on their clothes line. They only buy ink in white, black and the primary colors. In other words, even if you convince them to reprint a design in your size, the color mix will be slightly different.

    It’s that commitment to individuality that sets Clothesline apart from the chains. But what else would you expect from a couple kids who built their own screen-printing machine from scratch? All in all, Kowal and Ekasala spent less than $1,000 to get their business up and running — that’s less than the cost of one pre-made screen-printing machine. DIY, sure. But it’s also just good business sense.

    A lot of Sarasota’s independent shops have struggled this year, but Clothesline — with its one-of-a-kind styles and bear-hug-tight budget — just might buck the trend.