WHERE WE BEGAN
Tom Arnall and his wife Sherri lived and worked in Houston, Texas. In 1982, they started a sporting goods story called Bass and Bay Sporting Goods which sold fishing tackle and gear. After a while, Tom saw a need for fishing apparel for both the average and avid fisherman. When his search for such a thing came up short, Tom took matters into his own hands. Tom purchased an embroidery machine, the first of many. From there he began designing fishing-styled artwork and embroidered clothing. These custom items practically sold themselves.
As years went by, the sporting goods industry shifted. This allowed Tom and Sherri to leave the business in Houston and move their new popular apparel business to Lufkin, Texas. Tom continued to build a brand which prided itself on quality and customer service for the next 30 years.
In 2010, with rising demand for full color sublimated jerseys for sports fishermen, Tom saw a new opportunity in the sublimation process. Purchasing the best printer and equipment on the market, Tom and his team began to create and perfect the ideal sports jersey. This became what you know as the Sports Thread jerseys we offer today! These jerseys are handcrafted in-house in the USA and, even better, in the great state of Texas!
MERGING WITH REAL GRAPHICS
In 2016, with Tom seeing the need for more services to take care of his customers and after 30 years in the industry, the perfect merge happened. The combining of Sports Threads and Real Graphics took place.
Real Graphics, founded by Chris Fleniken, specializes in graphic design, custom websites, signage, printing, vehicle wraps, screen printing, and - you guessed it - not embroidery or sublimation. The combination of Sports Threads and Real Graphics was deemed the perfect fit! Now, all under one large roof, we can do just about anything you need for your team, organization, and business.
Since then, we at Sport Threads have continued to grow and thrive by offering great quality products and services to fishing enthusiasts nation wide.