Creative by design

Published 9:57 am Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Steve Morris aims to bring a little bit of the beach to Charlotte County.

Morris owns Get Salty LLC, which is located on 142 King St. in Keysville. He makes an assortment of clothing with nautical designs and brings in other accessories, including blankets, footies, wall hangings, even tie-dye onesies for infants.

“It started as a hobby six years ago,” Morris said about designing clothing. As someone with a double major in chemistry and biology at Longwood University, he hadn’t anticipated going into design.

Previously, Morris worked in the Chicago area in an environmental organization.

He said owning a business has been a neat change of pace.

“I like working for myself,” Morris said.

Though Morris said it comes with its own challenges, and time off can be difficult to come by.

“It’s a small business,” Morris said. “Every day is a battle.”

Though the inside of the store is cozy, there is more to the building than it seems.

In the back, Morris keeps his printer used to print designs, and keeps a press machine that bears down on the t-shirts to emblazon the shirt with the designs.

He uses social media to keep in touch with customers and find the latest trends.

“Facebook is great,” Morris said. “A good, useful tool.” Though he noted that it’s best to avoid the superfluous posts and arguments that he said can happen on the website.

Morris said he’s received support from members of the community. He sells shirts with Randolph-Henry High School and Central Middle School logos on them. He will also craft shirts with designs given to him by people.

“People here have been so great supporting a small business,” Morris said.