Spartan gear is now online.
Visit Matt Nicolo and DECA's online store at thomasjefferson.peapodprint.com. photo by Rhea Boyd
After years of providing quality products to the students of TJ, the DECA store is now online and constantly being updated with new products, such as a variety of t-shirts, jersey style items, sports bags, and much more.
“We plan on promoting the site to the students, faculty, parents, and community through various activities such as weekly specials, event items like homecoming, and e-mail blasts,” said DECA Advisor Matthew Nicolo. “We have some pretty cool stuff to get out there, we just need to let people know what it is and where to find it.”
The online DECA store is maintained by numerous individuals, including DECA officers, Nicolo, and students in the School Store class. “We are responsible for what to put on the site and how to categorize it,” said Justin Racine, a student in the School Store class who contributes a lot to the DECA website. DECA officers are also in charge of setting up the form for advertisements and designing formats for special clubs.
The DECA store is also undergoing many changes in order to improve the site and its products. “Coach [Grant] Laman and I have made an adjustment to the logo to better represent the school colors, and the School Store class is currently in the process of updating all of the products with the new logo. We are also in the process of developing new items for promotion this month,” said Nicolo, regarding the progress being made. Nicolo also claims that the site will look “pretty impressive” once all the new items are added.
The DECA website also provides various items, such as blankets, sportswear, and accessories, that contain some of TJ’s most renowned logos. “All designs are either forwarded as completed artwork (previously put together), or I design the artwork based on what the customer is requesting,” said Nicolo about the process of acquiring new designs and logos. However, there are strict regulations that the site must follow. “The artwork must be owned by the party; we can’t just use any logo we want. That would be an infringement on trademarked property,” said Nicolo.
Not only does the DECA website make available countless products for the students of TJ, but it also presents vast opportunities for the DECA program itself. “It provides us the opportunity to fund some of our activities. It also gives us the freedom to sponsor groups within the school, and ultimately it gives the students the chance to operate a real business and help with decisions that will ultimately decide whether we have a successful enterprise or not,” said Nicolo.
Nicolo says that the DECA website, with a consistently updated line of items and products that greatly emphasize school spirit, grants the students of TJ with both quality merchandise and business experience. “The students realize we will ultimately be responsible for the success or failure of this venture, and as most people know from the business world, there is no experience like experience!” said Nicolo.
