W-News

Screen printer Ambrose leaves Holland

Ambrose, the screen printing shop that has worked with Tulip Time on its T-shirt contest and whose owner helped develop the city of Holland’s new logo, is leaving Holland.

Ambrose started in 2008 as an after school program mentoring teens. It grew into what founder Adam Weiler called a “fully fledged community design and print lab.” In 2009, Ambrose started printing with the teens and, in 2010, it started printing guest art-designed apparel, he said.

"The students, volunteers and community have been so supportive of this experiment,” Weiler said.

Ambrose will be acquired next month by the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology located in Grand Rapids. Weiler will join WMCAT’s team as director of social enterprise. Ambrose and its programs will still exist, but will be located in WMCAT’s downtown Grand Rapids facility.

Ambrose will become WMCAT’s first social enterprise project, Weiler wrote when he announced the change to supporters. Ambrose will provide the same Screen printer services to the public while offering employment and professional development to urban teens and alumni from WMCAT’s Teen Arts and Tech Program.

“Last year we started talking with the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology about the role design, leadership and commerce play in developing better opportunities for teens,” Weiler wrote. I’ve long looked up to WMCAT’s mission of providing a culture of opportunity for people to make social and economic progress in their lives and community. After a few months of discussions, we agreed that we could do more together than we could apart.”

"We wrestled with the decision for a really long time," Weiler said in an interview with The Sentinel. "It came down to impact; we could do more together than we could apart. It's a little dream come true. ... It fits like a glove."

Weiler is fond of Holland and said the decision was bittersweet. Ambrose helped Tulip Time start the annual T-shirt contest three years ago and helped city of Holland officials develop the city’s new logo.

"I never thought I'd love Holland this much," said Weiler, an Iowa native who was introduced to the area, and his Detroit-native wife, while working at Camp Geneva. The best parts of Holland, Eighth Street, the beach and the caring community lured him in.

"I think we had a really positive impact."

Tulip Time Marketing Coordinator Susan Zalnis said the festival hopes to keep the T-shirt contest going and is talking with other Pad printer in hopes of having a contract in place soon, but the personal Pad printer that Ambrose did likely won’t be available.