How Boring Run Club outfits its community with made-to-order custom hoodies

Mikey Ricks, a filmmaker and creative based in New Orleans, started Boring Run Club in April 2024 with a simple idea: make running more social.

"I thought running alone was super boring, so I posted about it on social media… for the first couple of months nobody really showed up. Maybe a couple of people, a handful of just close friends."

But the run club quickly caught on.

Within two months, Boring Run Club hit over 250 runners. Powered by house music, word of mouth, and a strong sense of belonging, Mikey turned a simple weekend run into a full-on community movement.

Designing community merch people actually want to wear

As the club grew, so did demand for merch. Mikey didn't just want to put a logo on a blank, he wanted to create something people would actually want to wear while running.

"People kept saying that we needed warm merch for fall. But doing merch is kind of a risk. I didn't want to buy 200 hoodies and sell 20."

The community kept asking, so the search for the perfect hoodie began. He called friends who run streetwear brands. He dug through websites. He knew the first drop had to be great to maintain community trust: the fit, the GSM, the exact color.

That's when he found Tapstitch.

"The first time I landed on the site I was just like... okay, this is tight. I was looking at GSM, looking at colors… and then I found that Eden Green and I was like: holy sh*t, that's it!"

The hoodie in question? Tapstitch's Oversize Fleeced Hoodie - a 350gsm heavyweight, available in sizes S-2XL.

"People love the green. It's just not a color you see every day - and if you do, it's usually on some crazy store shelf selling for 10x the price."

Now it's a Boring Run Club staple. You'll see them at Saturday meetups, in local gyms, on race day, and everywhere in between.

‍

Tapstitch made designing merch shockingly simple

Mikey expected custom merch to be complicated. He thought he'd need a blank supplier, a separate printer, maybe even a manufacturer, until he found Tapstitch.

"When I'd found the hoodie I wanted, I saw a button saying ‘Design Now' next to it. I thought if I clicked it, the price would go way up. But it didn't. It was basically the same price, which was just mind-blowing."

From there, everything clicked. He uploaded his logo, placed it exactly where he wanted, and previewed it in real time.

"The whole design process was so sleek, it was basically just a drag and drop. Most platforms only let you design on the left or right of the chest, but with Tapstitch I could place the logo full center, exactly how I wanted it."

For Mikey, it meant the whole process - from idea, to sample, to launch - could happen fast.

"When I got the sample, I was losing it. To get that price, with the customization, with multiple shipping options, was unbelievable."

Skipping the warehouse with made-to-order merch

Mikey doesn't have to operate Boring Run Club like a typical apparel brand, there's no need for a warehouse. Instead, he opens limited-time preorders for his community and coordinates local pickup on run day.

That's where Tapstitch comes in. Each hoodie is made to order, individually bagged, clearly labeled, and ready to hand out: no manual sorting, no unnecessary admin.

"With other platforms, you've got to order in batches of 12 or 30 just to make it work. One of the coolest things about Tapstitch is that I can order everything to the tee, exactly what people want. That matters when it's community merch."

And with express shipping, the turnaround was faster than he expected.

"The first time I used it, I think it was three-day production and maybe five-day shipping, which is insane when you think about everything they're doing: printing, size-checking, folding, packing, labeling, shipping… all of it."

Every hoodie arrives folded, sealed in compostable bags, and clearly labeled with size and color.

"You don't see this a lot. Most places just send you 80 t-shirts in a box and say, ‘Good luck.' But this? It looks like something you'd buy in a real store. Folded perfectly, compostable packaging, there's a professionalism about it."

For Mikey, it means he can show up for his community with merch that feels thoughtful, polished, and real, not like it came out of someone's garage.

Powered by community, backed by Tapstitch

Boring Run Club is building momentum. What started with a few runners has become a full-blown movement, with national collabs, packed events, and new runners joining weekly.

"I'm really excited to see what happens over the next year. We've got events in February, collabs lined up for spring, and a big summer night event with ASICS and some local brands. It's gonna be wild: big production, lots of people, and of course, more hoodies."

With every drop, the merch gets more creative and more meaningful. For Mikey, it's about giving people a way to show up for the club and for each other.

"People want to be part of something. That's really what the hoodies are about. They want to show what they do on the weekends, who they're doing it with. And it works better because it's comfy, and it looks sick."

Behind the scenes, Tapstitch keeps things simple. Each drop gets easier, more streamlined, and more hands-off, giving Mikey time to focus on planning events, making content, and connecting with his growing crew.

"Every time I create merch I get a little bit better and more streamlined in the process. I'm definitely a Tapstitch loyal customer. I'm excited to see what else I can design."

‍

Want to turn community energy into merch people actually want to wear?

Tapstitch helps you create premium apparel, sell with confidence, and bring people together, without the headaches of traditional production.