t-shirt memorial park

Microsoft's IdeaWins competition asked for business ideas that would work on the internet, and in a storefront in New York City. Here is my entry's description from the official entry form:

T-shirt cloning at T-Shirt Memorial Park.

Everyone has at least one T-shirt that they are in love with, and cannot let go of. There are an estimated 605 million old fraternity, rock concert, children's character, and summer camp t-shirts hiding in dresser drawers and attics -- too ratty, too out-of-date, too embarrassing, or too small to wear.

T-Shirt Memorial Park is dedicated to giving eternal life to old T-Shirts designs. Using modern art, fabric, and ego restoration methods, we will clone those dearly departed shirts in the proper size.

We will also photograph the shirt and exhibit it on our special memorial website (tshirtmemorialpark.org) for eternity.

For T-Shirt mourners ready to move on, we also sell brand new t-shirts with both classic and up-to-date designs. And the old shirt? Respectfully embalmed, vacuum sealed in heavy plastic, and framed for hanging.

How is this idea different from what is out there?

Nobody is recreating and/or restoring old T-shirts. Lots of people will sell you new ones (and so will we), but our hook is that you can bring in your old, ratty, ill-fitting shirt and have it cloned. We respect people's memories, and offer a dignified service (we won't make fun of that tacky "Camp Cheekawowa" t-shirt with the bearded Indian maiden).

We will also have a tongue-in-cheek "memorial park" theme that extends to store decorations, graphics, verbiage, etc. And only recently has fabric printing and artwork-retouching technology been good enough and cheap enough to use for single orders.

Why should people care?

Because people love their old memories, and t-shirts = memories. With the aging U.S. population, anything that rejuvenates people and makes them happy is popular.

Plus all those spouses who are tired of seeing that ratty old t-shirt hanging in the closet with want to buy a t-shirt clone as a gift!

Concept creator, Designer, Writer: Bill Weber