From sweeping floors to co-owner, Marcus Bieth builds a business and his city

FLINT, Michigan—You know their shirts, recognizable largely because they are like none other. 

Flint City T-Shirts has  been delivering unique slogans and their own take on Flint for 14 years. 

“Flint Strong”

“Flint: the toughest town around since 1855” 

“Flint: Now with unicorns”

You will usually find Marcus Bieth here. He started working as an employee at Flint City T-shirts when it opened in 2003 and became a co-owner of the business three years ago. 

 “At first I was just cleaning stuff and sweeping floors, but I’ve learned the whole process up and down, left and right,” Bieth says.

The philosophy behind their unique Flint apparel is easy to explain. 

“People see all these shirts on the Internet that are funny and (have) negative shirts about Flint. And, that’s just not what we do,” Bieth says. “We explain to people that you can get those shirts outside of Flint. People in Flint don’t want to spread the negative stuff. We want to spread the positive stuff.”

These days you’re likely to find Bieth behind a computer creating t-shirt designs for local businesses, churches, and events.

“Every now and again we get somebody that just has a hilarious idea and it’s fun to just execute it,” says Bieth, who especially liked making shirts recently for a birthday party. 

The shirts featured the a picture of man from back in the day and with a really bad haircut.  The ridiculous photo adorned the T-shirts being worn by everyone who attended the man’s 30th birthday party.

“We’re definitely a DIY shop that gets out there and figures out whatever we need to do for a client and get out there and make it happen.”

Recently, the company participated in a Kickstarter campaign selling the “Believe in Flint” T-shirts with Flint’s iconic weather ball in the background. The money raised will be used to improve the storefront.

Flint City T-shirts started with just one press, but now use three and also have added embroidery and two staff designers. 

“Things are moving in the right direction.” Bieth says. And, he says they remain unflinchingly loyal to Flint.  

“We’re not going anywhere,” says Bieth, “We’re staying here in Flint, to keep up with the good work.”

Flint City T-Shirts is located at 629 S. Saginaw St. in downtown Flint. It is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. They can be reached at (810) 232-2887 or www.flintcitytshirts.com.
.