09/25/2026
Check out our article on the front page of this weeks The Town Line Community Newspaper!
Wings Custom Apparel marks first year
Wings Custom Apparel, in South China, marked its first anniversary September 2 with a Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at 12 Old Windsor Road, in South China. The ceremony doubled as a grand reopening: behind the ribbon stood a new addition and showroom, and gathered around owner Julie Wing was the family that runs the shop with her.
For Wing, the past year has been a leap of faith — and a family adventure.
Wings Custom Apparel began one year ago when Wing and her family purchased Whitt’s Garment Works from Tom and Anita Whittaker, who had operated the business for 27 years.
But Wing’s connection to the business goes back much further.
“I’ve always been around family-owned businesses,” Wing said. “My parents were self-employed, and growing up, they actually came right here for their company apparel.”
After marrying her husband, Julie spent nearly 20 years as part of their family-owned business, Central Maine Disposal, which also purchased its company apparel from the shop.
So when the family learned that Whitt’s Garment Works was for sale, the decision became about more than just purchasing a business.
“We knew how long it had been part of this community, and we knew there was still a need for it,” Wing said. “So we decided to take a leap of faith, learn something completely new and see what we could do with it.”
Wing thanked Tom and Anita Whittaker for the time they spent teaching the family the business and helping them through the transition.
Wing said much of the shop’s growth has come from listening to customers.
“One of my favorite things we hear is, ‘Hey, can you guys make this?’” she said. “And apparently, we have a really hard time saying no, because our answer is usually, ‘We’ll figure it out!’ And we usually do.”
Figuring it out has meant new equipment. Wings started with the shop’s traditional embroidery and screen-printing services. During its first year, the family added direct-to-film, or DTF, printing, laser engraving, additional embroidery equipment and an expanding selection of customizable products.
Those additions let the shop handle everything from business apparel and large team orders to highly personalized, one-of-a-kind pieces.
DTF printing, for example, gives the shop more flexibility with smaller orders and detailed, full-color designs. Customers who need only one shirt no longer need to meet the minimum quantities associated with traditional screen printing.
Newer embroidery machines have increased production capabilities and make it easier to embroider popular items such as trucker-style hats.
Laser engraving has opened another entirely new side of the business, allowing Wings to personalize products beyond apparel.
One of the biggest changes greets customers as soon as they walk through the door.
Wings Custom Apparel has expanded its location to include a new showroom designed to make ordering custom apparel easier and more personal. It is the experience Wing said she wanted to create: a place where customers could come in, look around, touch and feel the products, talk through their ideas and see firsthand just how much Wings Custom Apparel can do.
Instead of choosing everything from a catalog or computer screen, customers can browse samples of shirts, sweatshirts, polos, hats and other apparel. They can feel the fabrics, compare colors, look at styles and get a better idea of sizing before deciding what works for their business, team, school, organization or personal order.
The showroom also displays examples of the many products and decorating options Wings now offers.
The expanded space also includes the Erskine Academy School Store, another part of the company’s growing relationship with area schools. Wings operates online school stores where families can order school apparel for shipping or local pickup.
Although the business carries the Wings name, it takes a whole family to keep it running.
Julie works alongside her daughter, daughter-in-law, sister and mother, with her niece and nephew recently joining the family operation.
Her husband has also played a major role behind the scenes. During the ribbon cutting, Julie gave him a special thank-you for supporting what she calls her “crazy adventure” – and for rarely saying no when she comes up with another idea or another piece of equipment the business “needs.”
“He may not always know what he’s agreeing to when I say, ‘I have an idea,’ but he always supports me anyway,” she said.
The expansion itself – the addition and the parking lot – was also a community effort.
Julie thanked DW Excavation, owned by her son, Dylan Wing, for completing the excavation work; Legacy Home Improvements, owned by her brother-in-law, for the new construction; Carroll’s Paving for the new parking lot; Barnett Heat Pumps for “keeping us cool”; and Jason Cunningham Electric for “keeping us from blowing fuses with all these machines I keep deciding we need.”
The shop works with local businesses, schools, sports teams, organizations and individuals, and its expanded capabilities mean customers can come through the door with an idea rather than knowing exactly what they need. The Wings team can help choose garments, decide which decorating method makes sense for a project and turn an idea into a finished product.
For now, the family is taking a moment to appreciate how far the business has come in its first year – and to thank the customers and community who helped make it possible.
“Thank you for every order, every recommendation, every Facebook share and every time you’ve walked through the door and asked, ‘Can you guys make this?’” Wing told those gathered for the anniversary celebration. “We truly wouldn’t be here without all of you.”
And Wing said the family isn’t finished yet.
“Knowing me, there’s probably another machine we ‘need,’” she joked.
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Wings Custom Apparel
Location: 12 Old Windsor Road, South China
Hours: Mon.–Wed. 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Thu. – Fri. 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Contact: (207) 445-3776
Website: wingscustomapparel.com
PHOTO: From left to right, Mary Haskell, Montana Johnson, Mariah Bean, Ashlyn Wing, Jacob Sutter, Jenny Sutter. (contributed photo)
