Meet Trenice Martin | T-Shirt Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Trenice Martin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Trenice, what do you think makes you most happy? Why?
Happiness for me is peace.

Now, I have five children, so I don’t mean peace as in quiet. That’s impossible! Even when they’re asleep it’s noisy! (LOL)

I mean peace in my mind and body. When your thoughts are settled – when your nerves are calm and there’s no anxieties, insecurities or overwhelming feelings. That’s peace – and being able to reach that point allows you to be more productive and reach goals that you never thought you could. It takes you places you didn’t think you were allowed to go. It just exudes an overall difference in your appearance and your life in general.

It’s Trenice Da T-Shirt Lady is the name of my business. I’ve been designing shirts for seventeen years with another company, but I ventured out and started my own business a few months ago, which I’m very proud of. The biggest challenge for me was getting my own supplies while running the shop. With my previous company, there was someone to do all the running around when supplies were running low in the shop. While they were doing that, I was designing shirts, sending out proofs, printing the shirts, pressing the shirts, answering the phone and dealing with the customers as they walked in all by myself. Knowing that I was capable of doing all that alone gave me the confidence to start my own venture. I just had to adjust the way I did things slightly to fit supply runs in. That was a great deal of trial and error. I’ve balanced it out a bit so it’s not much of a challenge now.

There are many great t-shirt shops all over the city of New Orleans, but I believe organization is what sets me apart from majority of them. I’m constantly changing how I do things in the shop because of my customers. The goal is to make things easier for both me and them, so if they make a comment or suggestion or I find that something wasn’t as clear to them as I thought it should be, I change it. Simplicity and efficiency helps the shop flow smoothly.

I’ve learned many lessons along the way, but I think that first impression is everything. Whether you’re a small business or an extremely large one, that first encounter with a customer determines whether they will return or even if they recommend you to other people. I do my best to ensure customer satisfaction so if you’re ever in the New Orleans area, stop by and check out my shop. I’d love to see you!

Also, I’m giving the first 100 people a 10% discount on their next online purchase! You don’t want to miss out on this offer so head on over to www.datshirtlady.com and enter promo code SHOUTOUT at checkout to unlock your savings.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ok…so…(LOL).
I’m the boring best friend and I don’t just go out. BUT…if I had to plan things to do here in New Orleans, I would definitely go to Cafe Du Monde for some beignets and cocoa. We would also grab a wild cherry snowball, jump on the St. Charles streetcar and travel in the blazing heat to nowhere while cracking jokes. I’m a kid at heart, so to cool down we would go to the Cool Zoo and float down the lazy river. As far as food…I’m not much of a “try new things” person. With that being said, we going to IHOP for chicken fried steak or New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood for chicken and waffles. Then we going back home and find something funny to watch on Prime Video (LOL).

I hear there’s interesting people and things to see on Bourbon St., but she’ll have to drag me there kicking and screaming if she really wanted to go.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This has been a rough year for me so far and in this season, my top supporter is definitely my mom, Tina. When I’m having a tough time in this field called life, she’s the one in the stands with the bullhorn screaming “KEEP GOING!” Then there’s my aunts; Debbie, Joann and Gail – my cheerleaders that tell me I’m awesome sauce when I feel like I’m not. Lastly, I would have to say is my cousin, Jamal Marichal. He manages to contact me in some type of way every single day and makes me laugh. People say this quote, “sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying” and that’s what he does…keeps me laughing.

So…shoutout to them!