New store to offer Homewood ‘swag’

After 18 years in the promotional product industry, Marian Bloomston decided in December to buy the Homewood-based screen-printing business she had worked with for many years.

The storefront, located at 2780 BM Montgomery Street, Suite 110, mostly handled bulk orders to print or heat press logos and designs. But with some unused space at the front of the building, Bloomston saw potential.

“Why don’t we turn this area into a small retail spot where we can have Homewood swag?” she said.

That led to the creation of Off Central, which opened to the public on June 20. The name came from Bloomston’s directions to customers: “off Central Avenue, behind Iron Tribe.”

Bloomston said she has done printing jobs for Homewood teachers and coaches before, and she got good feedback from the public when the company brought T-shirts to We Love Homewood Day in May. Off Central can print “anything and all things Homewood” in-house, in addition to its regular bulk orders and promotional products for other customers.

T-shirts will be the shop’s biggest inventory, as well as hats and cups. Later, she plans to add a seasonal rotation of items like beach towels, blankets, raincoats, golf shirts, pullovers and other “swag.”

“Anything Homewood is where we are starting,” she said. “… You really can’t find a lot of Homewood stuff around.”

The designs will include the Homewood Patriots logo, the HWD abbreviation and a Homewood logo that the shop created, along with seasonal and Birmingham-area designs. Bloomston said monogramming will be available on hats and some gift items, such as graduation gifts.

The goal is to offer items and designs people can’t buy just anywhere, she said.

Off Central is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, and Bloomston said she may add Saturday hours and online buying options in the future. Learn more about the store and its products on Facebook by searching “Off Central” or on Instagram by searching @offcentral_homewood.