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Leon and Tammy Bloom, owners of Lammy Teon Creations, at their Custom T-Shirt, Hat and Accessories business at 114 Liberty Street in Batavia. The business moved to the location at St. Anthony’s School this past July. Link to their Facebook page (20+) Facebook
While spending a year in recovery from alcohol and learning to live differently and with purpose, Leon Bloom spoke to his wife Tammy often on the phone. During a conversation, Tammy told Leon about an idea to create a custom design T-Shirt and apparel business out of their home, an idea another local business owner planted in her head.
After talking about the idea, a lot, Leon and Tammy didn’t waste any time getting the idea off the ground. The pair got a DBA, and Tammy started looking at YouTube videos and pressing T-Shirts, while Leon was completing his rehab and helping out a few hours here and there when he could.
“At first, we were just doing markets, but then the word started getting out, and then, you know, a shirt would come here and there, and then we got a guy that wanted prints, he was ordering a bunch of prints from us,” says Tammy.
“He ordered like 300 transfers from us,” says Leon
Leon then decided to convert a printer at home and started doing direct to film prints, along with vinyl on a Cricut machine.
“I bought a printer. I saw on YouTube how to convert that printer, a regular Epson XP 1500 printer into a DTF printer. I had to put DTF ink in it, you have to buy a $500 software to put the white ink over the color ink. You have to configure it quite a bit. You have to take the rollers out so the film can go through. So yeah, it was a big process,” says Leon.
In the spring of 2025, the couple’s apartment began to fill with orders in a short amount of time and Leon outgrew his converted DTF printer. They needed more space and the ability to make the process work more efficiently and quickly and without problems, so they decided to upgrade to an actual DTF printer.
A DTF printer allows you to print directly onto transparent film, which can then be transferred onto various fabrics.
(Provided photo)
“Our business started to grow when we we’re at the apartment. And, I mean, customers were coming to our apartment to pick up products, and it was pretty embarrassing, you know, I felt like we were selling drugs because we’re not letting them in,” says Tammy.
The house was also a mess, according to Tammy.
“We got all this stuff. We got inventory all over the place and, so I’m running things down the stairs because we lived in an upper and handing it through the window. I’m like, you know, yeah, this doesn’t look good, right?”
Tammy says she was worried people might call the police on them, especially when people arrived later in the evening after work. She says she eventually explained to their neighbors about their new business, Lammy Teon Creations.
“We laugh about it now, so then we start talking to our pastor, and that’s when it came about for us, renting this space from him. We said, you know, we have to do something because the business can afford the rent, so let’s go for it.”
After moving in in May, the business started to grow again as they started getting orders for teams, schools, and businesses who needed logo shirts for their employees. That’s when Leon and Tammy purchased a second DTF Printer in November 2025.
“Lately, we’ve been getting into a lot more design stuff, like people send us ideas, coming in with ideas, and then we’ll just work out the file for them,” says Leon
(Provided photos)
Tammy’s 14-year-old daughter and her mother, who is in her mid 70s, have also now started helping out. Her daughter takes orders over the phone and helps at vendor fairs and her mother assists with folding and packaging. Tammy and Leon say they couldn’t continue to build their business without the help of family.
Referring to himself as an element artist, Leon gets his ideas from the community and then talks to AI to learn how to communicate his art in creative way. Leon and Tammy say they are thankful to Brian Kemp from T-Shirts Etc. on Center Street, who helped plant the idea of getting into the apparel business.
“One day, he called me up while Leon was in the rehab and he said, Babe, what do you think about T Shirts? And I said, T-Shirts? What are you talking about? He said, you know, doing T-Shirts, like selling them and stuff. I’m like, you mean, like, as a business or something. He’s like, yeah, I’m like, you know, that’s not a bad idea,” says Tammy.
“We went, got a DBA, yeah, we just started running with it,” says Leon.
Leon and Tammy were both working full time jobs and on opposite shifts before their joint venture. They’ve known each other since 1996 through their siblings who have been married for many years.
“We would run into each other at family functions or gatherings, and this time around, we just kind of had a spark. Because I’m always in and out of the picture. I’ve done 22 years (in prison), so from 1998 into 2023. I did nine years, I did three years, then I did 10,” says Leon, who has served time for robbery, grand larceny, and assault.
“He’s been in and out half of his life. So, it amazes people, because he’s known as having a troubled past, and he’s been in and out. I have a little bit of a past myself, you know, with alcohol and stuff like that. So, both of our families were really not supportive. They didn’t think we could do it,” says Tammy.
Even after viewing their Facebook page, (20+) Facebook the couple’s family didn’t believe it.
“They would see videos on Facebook and stuff, and they really didn’t think we were serious. They thought it was a joke. Then his mom came here, and then she started, yeah, I’ve seen the place, you know. And then other people started coming here, and they’re like, that’s really a business. They really have a business.”
Since moving into their new location this past summer, and investing in another DTS printer, and making custom design products that are one of a kind, they have been able to secure orders for schools, sports leagues, businesses, churches and non-profit organizations.
Leon and Tammy say the difference in working for yourself versus working for someone else is that you have to answer to yourself. Leon says this opportunity gives him a chance to be somebody else.
“We wanted to do something more, you know, and we wanted to be in the community and be involved,” says Tammy.
Working with different groups in the community has also made the couple realize how what they do connects them to the community and what role they play.
“We just kind of learned this year how integrated what we do is to the community, like with the Bulldogs, how important of a function we play, it really felt good to be part of the community and have our names and faces out there,” says Leon.
Since beginning their venture, the also participate in many vendor events around the WNY area and would like to create a vendor event in Batavia for area businesses.
On February 7th, from 10AM-4PM at 114 Liberty Street, they are planning a Valentines Pop-Up Party. Leon says the event is for the whole community and will be a social shopping experience. People will be able to shop for unique hand made goods and one-of-a-kind Valentines gifts. The event is a family friendly atmosphere where music, love, creativity and local talent come together.
To be a vendor at the Valentines Pop-Up Party on Saturday, February 7th, contact Leon at 585-489-9065 or Tammy at 585-483-8774. There are 5 vendor spots remaining.
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