Building Merch That Actually Means Something
Ali Bey isn’t just in the merch business—she grew up in it. Today, she and her brother Sam run Merchly, a white-glove custom merch company that brings style, strategy, and soul to t-shirts, hats, and everything in between (we’re obvi bullish on merch brands) But the road to launching Merchly wasn’t a straight line. It started with a gap year, a Sony internship, a drum kit, and a boutique moto club.
This is the story of how a fashion-minded art director and a road-weary touring drummer turned side hustles into a full-fledged, design-forward merch brand.
Creative Roots and the First Jobs That Matter
Ali and Sam grew up in a creative, entrepreneurial home in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Their father was building brands in the earliest days of logo wear and licensing in the 1980s. Watching him hustle left an impression.
So did the music and fashion Ali dove into after high school. She interned at Sony, worked in digital marketing in SoHo, and freelanced as a self-taught graphic designer in the beauty industry. She eventually earned a degree, took an art director role at L’Oreal, and built a cult brand called Chicka-d through multiple acquisitions. It was hands-on, ground-up brand building.
Meanwhile, Sam was touring nationally and internationally as a drummer. And like most drummers, he became the unofficial tour manager—handling gear, logistics, and merch. That experience laid the groundwork for what came next.
How a Moto Club Sparked a Merch Business
When Sam settled down in Asbury Park, he and a friend opened AP Moto Club. Ali helped consult. And while the shop sold jeans, bikes, and curated brands, the best-seller by far was the merch. People wanted the shirts more than anything else.
So Sam spun up a side business: Kay Prints, a small-batch screenprinting company that started printing shirts for bands. At the same time, Ali was diving deep into apparel production and brand management. They didn’t know it yet, but they were training themselves to co-run a merch company.
Then a local company, Bands on a Budget, approached Sam with a proposal: buy them out. The siblings took the deal, merged it with Kay Prints, and began looking for a better name.
Acquiring Merchly—and Making It Their Own
In researching competitors, they found Merchly—a domain owned by CD Baby and BookBaby, the go-to distributors for musicians and indie filmmakers. Ali and Sam loved the brand, reached out—and ended up buying the whole business.
The name meant something too. In Hebrew, “lee” means “for you.” Merchly literally translates to "merch for you."
In 2024, they officially rebranded everything under the Merchly name, merging old customers and systems into one brand identity that finally felt like theirs.
"Everyone else treated merch like a side project. For us, it’s the main thing."
What Sets Them Apart
Most merch companies fall into one of two buckets:
A high-volume, low-touch ordering site
A slow, bloated agency experience
Merchly is neither.
Their pitch: full flexibility. Want to upload a design and order 100 shirts solo? Go ahead. Want expert help designing your merch line and handling fulfillment? They've got you.
The white-glove layer isn’t just a marketing gimmick—it’s a creative standard. Ali’s fashion background and Sam’s experience with real-world merch tables mean they actually care what the product looks like. It’s not just about slapping a logo on a hoodie (although we do love a good hoodie).
"It’s self-expression. It’s a walking billboard. It should be sick."
The Merch Supply Chain, But Smarter
One major differentiator is how Merchly sources and prints. Instead of funneling all orders through a single facility, they use regional print partners to fulfill orders locally. That cuts lead time, shrinks their carbon footprint, and keeps business flowing to mom-and-pop print shops around the country.
Need shirts in Los Angeles? Merchly sends the job to a printer in Long Beach. A tour stop in Dallas? They’ll use their Dallas vendor. It’s faster, greener, and more community-driven.
Big Goals, Bigger Fish
Ali and Sam have their eyes on bigger clients.
"Who makes those dumb blue polos at Best Buy? Why aren’t we doing that?"
They’re aiming for major B2B customers who already spend big on uniforms and merch but don’t realize how much better it could look. The goal is to elevate boring swag into actual brand-building tools—products people actually want to wear.
They’re also targeting music festivals. This year, Merchly is designing and producing merch for the Sleepy Hollow Music Festival in New York, handling everything from creative to fulfillment. It’s the kind of white-glove, all-in-one partnership they thrive in.
Their dream? Land a partnership with Austin City Limits or Lollapalooza. Sam goes on tour. Merchly handles the merch.
A Family in Business
Ali and Sam don’t call Merchly a family business. They call it a family in business. That distinction matters.
They’re different, but complementary. Ali brings structure, taste, and branding chops. Sam brings scrappy ops, community, and a deep understanding of what makes good merch actually sell.
Together, they’ve built something that feels small but ambitious. Lean, but durable. Passion-led, but process-driven.
And it shows.
Great community often feels as close as a family should. If you’re building, and don’t feel like you’ve got (an entrepreneurial) one, throw in an application to Thrive.
