RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe Philadelphia 76ers announced Monday that the team has signed four-time NBA champion LeBron James - a move that has meant big business for small shops across the Delaware Valley.
Monkey's Uncle Retro Philly Tee Shirts in Doylestown has been pressing LeBron-themed shirts since the news first broke on Friday.
"I'm not going to lie, I was shocked," said Derrick Morgan, co-owner of Monkey's Uncle. "As soon as that decision came out, it was a whirlwind."
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Morgan said he immediately went into design mode on Friday. Within two hours, he had created a shirt that includes a nod to LeBron's iconic chalk toss.
"Every time that he does this chalk dust cloud, he's kind of putting out into the universe the dreams of our Philly sports fans. There's a lot of weight on his shoulders here because we're starving for a championship," Morgan explained.
The design includes the cloud of chalk dust filled with Philadelphia icons like Rocky, Billy Penn, and the Love Statue.
Monkey's Uncle is one of the many local businesses now printing merch to celebrate the star signing with the 76ers.
"For us, we're excited about that because we're apart of the disability community. Us just being able to print these shirts is giving job opportunities to young adults with different abilities," Morgan said.
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Meantime, Philadelphia merch shop 'Phillygoat' is cashing in on the LeBron craze by immediately making merch to mark the moment.
Ryan Cassidy, the founder and creator, told Action News, "We got into some pretty standard designs like 'It's a Philly King', but then we got a little esoteric with it."
They printed shirts with taglines like 'The Chosen One Chose Us', 'LeBroad Street Bullies', and 'LeBrontosauras', which has become their best seller.
"I think he recognizes what an incredible opportunity and sports town Philly is," Cassidy said. "Small businesses like myself, and there are dozens of other Phillygoat-type businesses, that's all part of it. We sort of fuel that fandom, that fire, and I think he's bought in."
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