A Kew Gardens couple thinks it's time to start wearing your Queens pride on your sleeve.
Richard Boehmcke, 33, and his girlfriend Annie Scott, 30, founded The Local Wit, a company making T-shirts, tanks, onesies and home accessories with quotes inspired by Queens, last October because they felt that their borough is underrepresented when it comes to “quirky and funny T-shirts," they said.
"We knew that there was a need for it," said Boehmcke, a filmmaker who has lived in Kew Gardens for 8 years.
The borough, which 3 years ago was picked as the top place to visit by travel experts "Lonely Planet," has finally started getting some buzz — prompting several recently formed companies to began capitalizing on the its name, including Astoria-based Unified Queens which makes T-shirts with designs featuring local landmarks like the Unisphere.
But the couple said that the borough is still far behind when compared to Brooklyn and Manhattan — which inspire a seemingly endless array of T-shirts.
"There is a need for T-shirts about other boroughs that would be fun and we haven’t seen any for Queens," said Scott, a special education preschool teacher who moved to Kew Gardens from Brooklyn last August and is smitten with her new home, which she said "offers larger apartments and quieter streets" as well as many great restaurants.
First, the couple came up with a list of quotes they would like to print, like “Queens, Because The L Train Was Just Temporary,” “Stop Complaining And Move To Queens,” and “Queens, Don’t Tell The Hipsters.”
Courtesy of The Local Wit
Then they found a manufacturer in California who prints their clothes and accessories, which customers can purchase online.
Currently, the couple is looking for a manufacturer in New York as well as for stores in the borough and beyond to carry their items, they said.
T-shirts and tanks cost $28, onesies are $26 and tote bags are $24. The Local Wit, which is planning to introduce sweatshirts soon, donates a portion of their proceeds to New York Cares, the couple said.
