Exploring the Custom Ink Showroom Experience With Victor Fong

Custom Ink’s showrooms aren’t like traditional retail stores—these locations are built to help customers browse our products and consult with our expert staff to bring their designs to life. Our teams are passionate about helping others build community by harnessing the power of custom gear, creating a sense of belonging and purpose through shared interests and ideals. 

Showroom manager Victor Fong has been with Custom Ink since August 2022, and we were lucky enough to get his insights on what he loves about interacting with customers, what’s special about his New York showroom location, and the tools his team uses to keep things running seamlessly.

CI: What drew you to Custom Ink?

VF:  I was familiar with Custom Ink because I’d ordered merch before for college and recreational clubs. Plus, Custom Ink is one of the top sites that pops up when you are looking for custom-designed t-shirts! 

CI: What sets Custom Ink showrooms apart from traditional retail? 

VF: What sets Custom Ink Stores apart from traditional retail is that we do not actually sell a physical product to the customer at the store. The team is here to help with common pain points, and to find solutions through our in-store appointments and consultations. Our stores are considered more of a showroom than a sales floor. 

CI: What’s unique about your showroom’s location?

VF: I took part in opening the first showroom in the New York area! Custom Ink already services many customers in NYC—now that our showroom is open, we can elevate that experience with in-store consultations and samples. We are located on the corner of 61st Street and 3rd Ave, down the street from the historic Bloomingdale’s Flagship building.  

CI: What tools/programs do you primarily use for your work?

VF: The primary tools and programs we use for work are Google Suite and Salesforce. 

Google Suite is used for internal and external communication; the world of technology is always changing, and with video conferencing, I can communicate with various team members from different cities as well as set up virtual appointments with customers. Google Drive with shared Docs, Sheets, and Slides makes information storage and sharing a breeze! 

We use Salesforce for Customer Relationship Management, where I can find all of my customers’ information and interactions in one place. In Salesforce I can plan and see my team’s daily, weekly, and monthly workflow. 

CI: What is the product you are most excited about?

VF: Port Authority carries a wide range of affordable products for everybody! They have jackets that are made with a “port pocket” to accommodate custom designs, providing a space for left chest embroidery. My favorite products are their Collective system items, which can create the 3-in-1 jacket experience—a fleece or soft shell jacket, topped with a waterproof outer shell that can be worn together or separately.

CI: Do you have any favorite memories from being with Custom Ink?

VF: My favorite moment at the Custom Ink showroom was getting creative to help a customer. I had a customer come in for an appointment to go over her designs for her club that required a variety of products. Her concerns were about the pricing of items and minimum production requirements, and I was able to see there were a couple of items with shared designs.

I put her embroidered totes and hats into the same order to reach the minimum production requirement, white tees and black sweaters into the same order with a color change on design, and black and gray quarter-zips in the same order to offer better bulk pricing.

This resulted in the customer being able to order all the products she wanted while paying a lot less than what she saw online when getting separate quotes on the items. It also resulted in our first Google review! 

CI: Who inspires you?

VF: A lot of my inspiration comes from my immigrant mother. She is the epitome of NYC’s hustle culture and taught me life lessons such as “a dollar saved is a dollar earned.” 

CI: Is there a quote that motivates you?

VF: TEAM – Together Everybody Achieves More. 

Custom Ink has an omni-channel approach where we are able to help the customer through various forms of communication. There may be many different departments in Custom Ink but our “Inkers” are all working towards the same goals! 

CI: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

VF: My customers are happy to know that our showroom is open 7 days a week, and even though we close at 6 p.m. on weekdays, there will be a live person to pick up the 1-800 number up until midnight!

Interested in joining our team? Check out our available job opportunities here.