By AMANDA KIMBLE
TheFlashToday.com
STEPHENVILLE (December 8, 2016) – A pair of young entrepreneurs is ready to bring their booming clothing business to the Cowboy Capital.
Jentry Benke, 26, Kylee Schumacher, 30, and Crazy Train Clothing have been in business since 2013, and now serve a client base that includes 10,000 registered retailers, according to Benke.
The business is currently based in Canyon, but Benke said she made a decision to move the warehouse closer to her family and hometown in Spring Branch.
“Stephenville is a happy medium,” she said.
The custom clothing and jewelry business won’t bring another boutique to the Cowboy Capital, but it will bring a warehouse serving as a design and distribution point for a line of custom creations that Benke said includes just about anything you would expect to find in a woman’s clothing store.
“We do business-to-business, selling to stores across the United States, Canada, Mexico and even a couple in Australia,” Benke said. “When we got started, we made a decision to not sell directly (to consumers) to avoid competing with our retailers. We make sure they’re getting the business they need to be successful, continue making profits and continue stocking our products.”
A quick search at www.findcrazytrain.com shows a number of area retailers, including many home-based, online boutiques, that stock the Crazy Train line.
“We have retailers across the region, including Chick Elms Rodeo Shop in Stephenville,” Benke said.
The partners are still on the search for the right piece of property to construct the warehouse and have looked at several prime locations.
“We still looking for land, but we are definitely looking seriously,” she said. “I’ve already purchased a house in Stephenville and it’s just a matter of time until we find Crazy Train’s new home.”
The brand includes t-shirts, sarapes, leggings and other items designed by the business owners and their growing staff. Benke said most of the screen printing is done by a Lubbock-based business, but with a backlog of work at the print shop and the relocation of Crazy Train, the plan is to utilize local printers to keep up with demand.
Other items are manufactured at facilities across the United States and with a select few being outsourced to foreign manufacturers.
Benke is looking forward to establishing roots in the Cowboy Capital, where she is confident Crazy Train Clothing and its owners will have no problem fitting in.
“Kylee grew up in Oklahoma and I grew up in Spring Branch, and we both have western backgrounds,” Benke said, adding the clothing line has a western flare that’s popular with local shoppers.
In addition to adding revenue to the coffers of area taxing entities, Crazy Train Clothing plans to bring between 12 and 20 jobs to the local workforce. Benke said part-time and full-time positions will be available, offering competitive pay to the right applicants.
“We have outgrown our current warehouse and plan to construct a facility that is three times its size,” Benke said. “And, we’re already shorthanded, and we hope to add more as we continue to grow.”
The current plans include the construction of a more than 7,000 square-foot warehouse.
Benke said she hopes to purchase land in the coming weeks and begin construction on the facility in January. She also said Stephenville Economic Development Authority has be helpful in the planning process, offering information and options for relocation assistance.
SEDA Executive Director John Hubbard said he has been working with Benke for several months.
“This business is a good fit for the community, the right kind of business,” Hubbard said. “I am going to recommend that SEDA and city officials work with Jentry Benke and Crazy Train to make this relocation project a success. It makes good business sense for her to be here.”
Check out the Crazy Train Clothing look book at www.crazytrainclothing.com.
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