Grats, Starfire! When is your Grand Opening?

Doh! I needed to read further. I suck.

effing A!!

Now I have a one stop shop for all my pinko, treehugging, left wing antiamerican, bush hating, ungodly, commie, peacenik t-shirts, buttons...and other such propagandist materials.

AND it's a measly three blocks away from my house! (I love my neighborhood.)

Are you where the Oriental Grocery used to be? Across from the gas station?

that's the place...

i should bring him some plants. he's got that big east window, and i've gotta transplant a bunch of my bigger houseplants...

what say you sir, want a few cuttings from my collection?

When will the Charlie Parr shirt be done??

Hopefully in time for his 06.06 CD release party next week at the Brewhouse..

The CP shirts are done! They are hot.

Entrepreneurfire.

so is the CD! starfire i'm so proud of you!

This, my friend, is awesome news.

p.s. In the spirit of self-promotion, there will be a Starfire feature in this weekend's edition of the Budgeteer for everybody's fridge!

I drove past the sign the other night and thought "Huh, I wonder if Starfire knows about this."
Apparently he does...

Damn you , Lundgren! That was mine.

Printfire?
Uh, Screenfire?

No, Lundgren wins again...

Squeegeefire.

Congratulations!! T-shirts for everybody!!

Homegrown founder launches Starfire Screen Printing Co.
Matthew R. Perrine
Budgeteer News - 06/01/2007

When the story of Duluth is written, at least a few chapters will have to be dedicated to Scott “Starfire” Lunt. Homegrown, Random Radio, Geek Prom, the “Treasure Chest” CD — he’s been a key figure in all of these.

His next venture, Starfire Screen Printing Co., is more or less an extension of the work he had been doing at Bullseye Silkscreen & Embroidery (home of the “Duluth is a Cool City.” T-shirts) for the last six years.

“There’s a lot to learn,” Lunt said of the screen-printing trade, “but there’s a lot of help out there, and finding the good equipment makes a big difference.”

His shop is just the latest addition to Fourth Street’s growing business district. Lunt said there are many benefits to his location, including a quick walk to work.

“Another thing I’ve always liked is that no one seems to go out of business here,” he said with a smile. “This spot’s always had trouble, but businesses last a long time on Fourth Street.”

While Starfire (and the aforementioned Bullseye) is by no means alone in the local screen-printing business — Lunt said Advantage and On the Limit are two of the bigger outfits — its business plan is already starting to stand out.

Lunt wants to reach out to the creative community and incorporate what those individuals are doing into his products. (Lunt is an accomplished artist himself, both behind the camera and as a musician. His name has been attached to numerous musical projects, but he probably gets the most press for having fronted Father Hennepin for the better part of a decade.)

He foresees his as-yet-unfinished storefront as sort of a rotating art gallery.

“One of my first ideas is to have a monthly show, different artists, and then do some sort of T-shirt tie-in with it,” he said. “Because when you go to art shows, you usually can’t afford any of the art — even though you want it — so I always thought it would be great to have something that people can buy and sort of have as a souvenir of it.”

It’s not all for the sake of art, though.

“It’s partly selfish on my part,” he joked, “because I want something different to look at all the time. … It will (also) satisfy my need to throw little parties, network and get people in here so they know what the store’s about.”

Lunt expects the first show at Starfire to feature the photography of If Thousands’ Aaron Molina.

“He takes great shots,” he said, “and he’s really into it.”

This communal business model also includes inviting people to submit designs to a Web site where visitors can vote on their favorites and the winners will be printed (and the artists reimbursed, of course).

Like the storefront, the Web site is also in the beginning stages, as Lunt recently hired out the work for it.

“It’s like all these things I could do, but not super-well,” he noted. “I’d rather pay somebody that does it great.”

Although he’s already worked on a few shirts — including one for Charlie Parr and one for his shop — the first true Lunt original will be a play on the “JESUS” optical illusion that will now say “DULUTH.” (You know the one, on the wooden block with the raised figures between the letters … no?)

“I’ve always gotten a kick out of that,” he said, “and I thought it would make a cute T-shirt.”

Starfire and the guitar of destiny

As stated earlier, Lunt has had a hand in building some of the Duluth scene’s pre-eminent events.

But at one point in the interview, Lunt said it all might’ve happened just because of the type of guitar he owns (a Guild Starfire) … well, that and a gracious mix tape listener who deemed it necessary to refer to him by his “ax’s” name.

“I wonder how any of it would have happened if that guy hadn’t sent me a thank-you letter addressed to ‘DJ Starfire,’” he pondered. “I wonder, like … sometimes a great name can spur you to do things.”

Lunt said he had a similar experience when he dreamed up the name for Homegrown, the music festival he sold to Tim and Brad Nelson two years ago.

“I never meant for it to be a business, but I guess it sort of was a business. I didn’t treat it right,” he joked, “… that’s kind of why I had to get out of it.”

Things are different with the new business, though.

“I feel so oddly professional because everything’s working great,” Lunt said. “I’ve spent money on equipment that makes everything easier. It’s weird to spend a lot of money (for my business) … I feel like such an adult.”

Starfire Screen Printing Co. is located at 1131 E. Fourth St. For more information about the business, call 464-0403 or e-mail [email protected].