'94 Charity Shop

https://shop.nhl94.com/

🤔 How / Why
I’ve had this idea in my head for over a decade, and when Sochel raised money for the Mario Lemieux Foundation, I wanted to see if we could keep that going, somehow.

Also, there’s NHL ‘94-style merch floating around on Etsy/eBay, and some of it is decent, but I knew I could design better.

I setup a video with slide deck with and presented it to Evan and Darrell. Evan and Darrell were on board so I decided to move ahead and got started in January.
While the store was ready for King of '94 this year, the payment processor that Printify uses (which is Stripe) wasn't completely setup and since we had to wait for that, we didn't announce anything.

Also, I have zero interest in running a personal business with this stuff or putting money in anyone’s pocket. This community has never been about that and I didn't want to bring that element into the fold.

It could be a good thing, but it's not something I'd want to participate in, personally.

🥅 The goal
- No burden on the community; we all have enough going on in our personal lives and in our NHL'94 lives
- No added workload
- No inventory
- No upfront cost
- Keep it simple

Printify made that possible. It handles the printing, shipping, and fulfillment, and the version we’re using right now is free.

That’s also why the store is barebones. No real search, limited layout control, limited footer no FAQ options, etc.

✅ What This Is
- A community merch store
- A charity-focused project
- A print-on-demand setup

For now, all profits will go to the Mario Lemieux Foundation but I am in talks with Hockey Fights Cancer.

🚫 What This Is Not
- Not a business
- No one is taking money from this
- Not a full custom store
- Not a registered 501(c)(3) Non-profit charity, yet

Important: while all profits are donated to the MLF, purchases are not tax-deductible right now. So, until we are a formal registered charity, you can't write off a purchase from the store come tax time.

⁉️ Depending On What Happens We Could...
- Form a real 501(c)(3) registered charity. Members of the board would be from the US and Canada. Potentialy Evan, myself, Darrell, smoz or whoever else want's to be involved.
- Partner with other hockey charities
- Improve the store by upgrading from the free-version of Prinfity
- Using charity status to help with future tournaments, venues, sponsors, hotel rates, etc. So long as it's above board and on the level, it shouldn't be an issue. It's possible - that we could write off traveling to events if we are doing real charity work and holding a fund raiser during our tournaments.

🎨 Designs

I kept the first batch really basic. We can do inside jokes, hats, hoodies, beanies, etc. There's so much different stuff it's bewildering. 

We’ll also be careful with NHL trademarks, team logos, player likenesses, and anything involving someone’s tag/name/face. 

👀 Transparency

I’ll share updates on sales, orders, donations. Perhaps monthly or quarterly, whatever the community wants.

💬 Feedback

Feedback is welcome. Tell me what you like, what sucks, what could be better, and what you’d like to see added.

Have a design for a motivational poster or whatever? I can design it. Just let me know.

Also, as things progress, other members of the community can take over managing / running it.