Connor Curran

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Connor Curran I'm the Chief Laundry Folder at Local Laundry.

What started with $50 and a Google search on how to start a T shirt company has grown into a national brand check it out at www.locallaundry.ca and www.locallaundry-custom.ca.

23/05/2026

🇨🇦 We just submitted another major public proposal—this time for the Cape Breton Regional Fire Department. They are looking for top-tier t-shirts, and we are ready to deliver them. This bid is actually personal for me. I studied out East at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. Back in my residence days at Lane Hall, there were two Connors in our dorm. The only way people could differentiate us was by our accents. You were either talking to me—Connor—or you were talking to "Canner from Glace Bay, bye!" Shoutout to Canner if you are reading this. Miss you, buddy. Atlantic Canada has some of the best, most dedicated people I have ever met, and I would love nothing more than to manufacture the gear that supports their frontline emergency services. When a public sector organization partners with our Merch as a Service model, they aren't just buying commodity shirts. They are investing in a system that ensures durability, reliable fulfillment, and a transparent domestic supply chain. We are pushing hard to show municipal and regional governments that keeping tax dollars inside the Canadian economy is an investment that compounds over time. Fingers crossed for this Cape Breton bid. I will let you know when the decision drops. Shop our standard, premium retail collection at www.locallaundry.ca. Learn how we can manage high-volume custom logistics for your organization at www.locallaundry-custom.ca. Does your local municipality actively prioritize domestic manufacturing in its procurement contracts? Thank you!

23/05/2026

A stadium lineup is a customer experience bottleneck waiting to happen. Most team operations think that game-day merch delays are just an inevitable part of the fan experience. They are wrong. Long queues at the merch booth don't mean demand is high; they mean your local transaction system is slow. Every extra minute a sports fan spends waiting in line to purchase gear is a minute they aren't in their seat supporting the club. When managing the official merchandise engine for Calgary Wild FC, we noticed a clear systemic friction point. When fans wanted a combination of custom hoodies, hats, and t-shirts, our staff had to manually scroll through iPads, search for sizes, and manually add every piece to the checkout portal. It was a massive operational logjam that cost precious time. So we re-engineered the workflow. Before the last match, our fulfillment team rolled out a new barcode scanning system across the entire product mix. We designed and placed unique barcode stickers on every single garment, enabling staff to leverage quick camera scans instead of manual search menus. The impact was immediate: Frictionless transactions that moved fans through the lines significantly faster. Eliminated manual search errors on sizing and colors. Boosted inventory throughput, getting more custom gear into the stands before kickoff. That is the absolute core of our Merch as a Service infrastructure. We don't just supply the clothing—we analyze and optimize the final delivery point to eliminate operational headaches. If you want to talk shop about re-engineering your organization's POS layout or accelerating your game-day logistics, our team is always ready to build a better system with you. Shop our premium, domestic retail essentials at www.locallaundry.ca. Learn how we can streamline your team's custom fulfillment infrastructure at www.locallaundry-custom.ca. What is the biggest operational bottleneck you have removed from your retail transaction process this year? Thank you!

22/05/2026

If you are pitching your business like it "might" happen, you have already lost. Most founders think scaling a business requires waiting for the perfect market conditions. They are wrong. True scale requires an absolute sense of inevitability and a complete system redesign. I just got back from a whirlwind cohort trip to Toronto with Next Canada. Here are the two biggest operational lessons that rewired my thinking: 1. Cultivate Absolute Inevitability Your business cannot sound like an "if." It has to sound like a "when." True founder mindset means moving past 100% belief so your team, investors, and clients can catch up. If you are constantly begging for validation, you aren't building a brand—you are building smoke. 2. Stop Building AI Point Solutions AI is not a flashy tool to drop into broken workflows. It is a full redesign of the factory floor. The companies that win will not use AI to replace people; they will use it to completely re-architect their end-to-end operational systems from scratch. That is exactly how we are scaling our Merch as a Service model at Local Laundry. We are moving past single tools to build a fully integrated, automated custom gear infrastructure. Shop our 100% Canadian-made retail essentials at www.locallaundry.ca. Learn how we can re-engineer your organization's custom clothing lifecycle at www.locallaundry-custom.ca. Are you building point solutions, or are you ready to redesign your entire workflow? Thank you!

22/05/2026

If you try to chase two rabbits at once, you will catch neither. Most business leaders think that hyper-growth means saying yes to every single customer segment and expanding all your services simultaneously. They are wrong. True operational scale requires absolute, ruthless focus. If you try to execute two completely different strategies at the exact same time, you will split your focus and dilute your impact. It is 7:00 PM on Friday heading into the May long weekend. The entire Local Laundry team just wrapped up the final fulfillment shift and headed home. Looking out across a warehouse packed to the rafters with custom orders, samples, and prototypes, I just wanted to stop and say thank you. The first half of this year has been the strongest start to a year we have ever had in our 11-year history. And it didn't happen by accident. It happened because we finally stopped trying to chase two rabbits. For years, we tried to scale our B2C retail brand and our B2B custom division with the same level of intensity. But the reality of business logistics is clear: they are two completely different operations with entirely different systems. This year, we made the strategic choice to focus our core energy on engineering our Merch as a Service custom division. By dedicating our full infrastructure to perfecting high-volume production handoffs, seamless e-commerce fulfillment networks, and top-tier custom design systems for corporations and sports teams, the results have compounded exponentially. It has been the most challenging, but also the most incredibly rewarding work I have done in a long time. Whether you have supported us as a retail customer, a custom corporate partner, a sports fan, or an advocate for local manufacturing, your trust is what keeps this engine moving. The team is going to take a much-needed break over the long weekend to recharge, and then we are heading right back to the floor to keep building. Shop our standard, 100% Canadian-made retail essentials at www.locallaundry.ca. Learn how we can streamline your organization's entire custom clothing opera

22/05/2026

You have a closet full of company shirts you'll never wear again. Don't lie. That's the merch problem nobody wants to talk about. We build the kind of merch that doesn't end up in landfill. https://www.locallaundry-custom.ca

21/05/2026

Smith The "Buy Local" conversation is easy until you look at the raw invoice. Most people think that supporting domestic manufacturing only adds a standard 5%, 10%, or maybe 20% premium to the retail price. They are wrong. When it comes to true, trace-focused Canadian-made apparel, the actual cost difference is far higher than most consumers expect. I get asked about this a lot, especially when we talk about the economic realities of keeping production within our borders. People love the idea of supporting local builders, and we love manufacturing here whenever possible. But we have to look at the real operational numbers. If you are comparing a garment made from scratch in Canada to one imported from a high-volume, offshore supply chain, you aren't looking at a minor markup. The domestic option is often 100% more expensive. Sometimes it is 3x or 4x the price to handle everything locally—from the raw dyeing, knitting, and milling to the final precision cut and sew. That is the absolute reality of manufacturing in Canada. It requires an investment in local labor standards, quality materials, and domestic facilities. So the serious question isn't just "Do you support local?" The question is: how much of a premium are you actually willing to absorb to keep tax dollars and jobs inside the Canadian economy? For our retail line, we accept that premium every single day because we believe in the longevity of the product. And when our custom corporate clients have the budget to prioritize local impact, we build the exact same domestic systems for them. Shop our premium, 100% Canadian-made collection at www.locallaundry.ca. Build a custom corporate gear system that fits your organization's budget at www.locallaundry-custom.ca. When buying apparel for yourself or your team, what is the maximum premium you are willing to pay for domestic manufacturing? Thank you!

20/05/2026

I love failure here's why $50 + 10 years + 1,000 mistakes = these 10 lessons.

20/05/2026

When we say "Made in Canada," we actually mean it. Most brands think that "Made in Canada" means importing blanks, stitching a local label on the collar, and calling it domestic. They are wrong. In a world filled with shortcut marketing, true domestic manufacturing means owning the process from the raw fiber to the final stitch. When you buy from our core retail line at Local Laundry, "Made in Canada" is a complete, trace-focused operational blueprint. Every single garment is: Dyed locally Knitted locally Milled locally Cut and Sewn locally Printed and Labeled locally Even the custom hats we manufacture follow this exact, rigorous domestic path. But as a "Merch as a Service" partner, we also have to face the hard financial data. Manufacturing a premium garment entirely within Canada can cost 2x, 3x, or even 4x the price of importing from an offshore supply chain. For our retail customers, we commit to that premium 100% of the time. But on the custom side, we understand that not every corporate client has the budget to absorb those domestic production costs. We do not believe in shutting people out based on price. If your organization wants to go fully Canadian-made, we have the custom infrastructure to build it for you from scratch. If your budget is tighter, we have established strong relationships with premium, responsibly sourced global partners to provide high-quality alternatives that fit your financial constraints. The goal is transparency, not buzzwords. We provide the options that match your budget, but we will always champion the builders who keep our domestic factories moving. Shop our 100% Canadian-made retail essentials at www.locallaundry.ca. Build the right custom apparel system for your team's budget at www.locallaundry-custom.ca. Does your organization prioritize local sourcing, or is budget the final deciding factor? Thank you!

20/05/2026

A regional name is just regional slang until you build a national category. Most brands think that regional terminology is a major barrier to building a cohesive, national marketing strategy. They are wrong. In the apparel business, understanding the unique linguistic quirks of your regional markets is the most powerful tool you have for building authentic, localized trust. I am currently unboxing a high-volume drop of fresh meals from the team at BetterDay Food Co, and it got me thinking about a comment on one of our recent posts. Someone mentioned that growing up in Calgary back in the 70s, a standard hooded sweatshirt was always called a "kangaroo jacket." It is a classic piece of Canadian regional slang, but it is not the only one. If you travel east into Saskatchewan, the exact same piece of clothing is universally referred to as a "bunny hug." Go over to the UK, and they call it a "jumper." To most global manufacturers, it is just a product code on a spec sheet. But to Local Laundry, these names are a roadmap of our community. Whether you call it a hoodie, a sweater, a kangaroo jacket, or a bunny hug, our goal is to build the highest-quality version of that garment entirely within our borders. Through our Merch as a Service engine, we don't just supply standardized products to corporations. We help you design custom gear programs that respect and reflect the specific community values, and yes, even the regional terminology, of your local teams across Canada. No matter what you call it, we have the system to build it. Time to stock the office fridge with some Better Food Sticky Wok Orange Chicken and get back to the fulfillment floor. Shop our premium, 100% Canadian-made collection at www.locallaundry.ca. Learn how we can streamline your organization's custom gear system at www.locallaundry-custom.ca. What did you call a hooded sweatshirt growing up in your hometown? Thank you!

19/05/2026

Your $50 business idea is about to become a paperwork nightmare. I started Local Laundry with a small budget and a vision for Canadian-made apparel. I thought it was all about the fabric and the designs. Then reality hit. Incorporating. Annual filings. Compliance deadlines. There's a whole side of business nobody warns you about when you're just starting out. Registering and incorporating with albertamotorassociation was one of the best moves I ever made. They know Alberta. When you have a high-stakes question, you can get a real human on the phone who actually understands the local landscape. They didn't just help us get started. They've been our partners for 11 years, managing our annual returns and keeping us compliant so we can focus on what matters. If you're running a business in Alberta, do yourself a favour and get the right support early. Link in bio. What's the one piece of "boring" admin work you wish you had offloaded sooner? Drop it below.

19/05/2026

🇨🇦 A "Buy Canadian" policy means absolutely nothing without local builders who can deliver. Most people think that a government policy shift is a golden ticket that automatically guarantees local business success. They are wrong. A policy is just a framework. Winning the contract still requires the infrastructure, the volume capability, and the grit to go out and take it. We are incredibly excited about the conversation surrounding a federal "Buy Canadian" policy. It is exactly the kind of push our domestic manufacturing sector needs, and it gives a company like Local Laundry a real fighting chance on massive public bids. We are actively hunting for these specific opportunities. We are tracking federal contracts and public RFPs that explicitly prioritize supporting Canadian-made suppliers. But we also have to face the hard operational data. 1. The True Scale of Domestic Cost Manufacturing a premium garment in Canada can cost 2x or even 3x the price of outsourcing production offshore. That is a major factor that any procurement team must consider, even with a policy directive in place. 2. The Competitive Edge Because we operate a highly flexible "Merch as a Service" system, we don't have to put all our eggs in one basket. We can confidently submit a top-tier, 100% Canadian-made proposal to match their policy goals. 3. The Global Contingency If a public budget simply cannot handle the domestic premium, our supply chain allows us to offer a separate, responsibly sourced global alternative. Either way, we stay in the game. The goal isn't just to look for handouts. It is to build a case for keeping Canadian tax dollars inside the Canadian economy so our domestic facilities can scale and become more efficient over time. We are ready to put our system up against anyone, and we are going to keep swinging at these federal bids. Shop our premium, 100% Canadian-made retail essentials at www.locallaundry.ca. Learn how we can manage high-volume custom logistics for your organization at www.locallaundry-custom.ca. Does your organization have an internal policy that explicitly

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1212 34 Ave SE BAY 130

T2G 1V7

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http://www.locallaundry.ca/

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