About Us
Haze Gray Apparel is a veteran-owned and operated e-commerce business located in Houston Texas.
Actually, there is no brick-and-mortar store in Houston, or anywhere else. It is only me - your humble veteran store operator and purveyor of fine apparel - that is located in Houston. The goods ship from various print shops around the nation, using established print on demand technology. This just means we don't carry inventory, and we do not print items until you order them. All products are American made.
Full disclosure here. I'm not a retired veteran, served in the Navy about six and a half years only. I'm not a disabled veteran. I'm not a hero. I am just some random average Joe that served, brewed and consumed a lot of bad coffee (some of which we used to wash the front windows of our aircraft). My role in the service was probably not the same as yours, but also probably not all that different. Certainly, I do not intend to be any kind of authority on serving in the Navy or the armed forces in general, but just like many of you, I showed up. I did my thing as a crypto-linguist, and over the years, I came to realize that I am proud of what I did. And that I still respect and miss my shipmates.
So why build an online store?
All along my intention was to press ahead with one original goal: to build a brand around an affinity group, and to do it using a combination of various digital marketing channels. In doing so, this little shop has served as a hand-on learning lab. This is less about making a buck selling a few tee shirts than it is learning the skills required to actually do it. Basically I am teaching myself to fish (online).
The first and greatest challenge is discovering the demand, what exactly to offer. This is about offering something that our target audience wants (that's you), something that resonates.
Haze Gray Apparel started as an online experiment that continues to grow. We just decided to offer plain, simple straightforward designs - nothing too obnoxious - that celebrate all the many communities with the Navy and the Marine Corps (or as many as we can).
Our objective is to offer products that resonate with other veterans of the Navy and the Marine Corps, as well as all those families and friends that support them.
How We Operate
As noted above, we do not pre-print any orders until you order them. Orders are transmitted to vendors immediately upon order, and the items go into production. This takes a day or two during slower periods, and can take a week during the busy holiday period.
We only used trusted vendors with a proven track record, all of whom are located right there in the United States.
And we only use quality brand-name apparel that most American consumers recognize and trust: Bella-Canva, Gildan, Port Authority, and District.
All designs are digitally printed onto the t-shirts, using massive high-tech 'direct to garment' printers. All orders are then shipped directly to you, the customer. We never see them, other than the samples we order and the occasional return.