Real-T Bangor native closes deal on T-shirt line inspired by real estate slogans

For sale or rent: Sweet, sunny T-shirts in chic, up-and-coming neighborhood. Tastefully decorated in stylish colors. Small dogs OK. Smoking (as in, you’ll look smokin’) allowed. Heat and electricity included, hot water a possibility. $40 firm. Call 555-1234 and ask for Suz.

As she sits in the loft of her airy Portland apartment, wearing distressed jeans by 7 for All Mankind, a pair of Burberry plaid pumps, a pearl choker and a T-shirt of her own design, it’s clear that Susan “Suz” Price, 24, knows her way around fashion.

The petite, blond Bangor native speaks passionately about her love for all things stylish, gesturing to a Lilly Pulitzer shift and a pair of wild printed corduroys hanging in the studio where she creates the Chez Suz line of T-shirts emblazoned with fun, flirty real estate slogans.

“I’ve always loved style and I’ve always liked to uphold style in my wardrobe,” Price said. “I always knew I’d do something with it, but … this is an idea where I think, ‘I can nail it.'”

After graduating from Bowdoin College in 2002, Price headed to Washington, D.C., to work for the Morgan-Stanley investment firm. But the daily grind of corporate America wore on her, so she returned to Maine last summer to be closer to her parents, Mary and Gabby Price of Bangor, and her friends.

Two weeks after she returned, she found out her aunt and uncle, who own the Bangor-based ERA Dawson-Bradford realty firm, planned to open a Portland office. Price studied to become a Realtor, set up shop in southern Maine, and the T-shirt idea soon followed.

“I thought, ‘How much fun would it be to wear a for-sale sign on my T-shirt?'” she said. “I wanted something simple that had a lot of expression.”

So she set out researching her options. She knew what she wanted – fitted T’s that were stylish, sexy and sweatshop-free. She also knew she wanted to donate a portion of her profits to Habitat for Humanity, an organization that her grandfather Robinson Spears supported.

“I wanted to be socially responsible,” Price said. “I definitely had the opportunity to try a cheaper route, but that really didn’t interest me. … There’s nothing like feeling good about what you’re wearing.”

She found a manufacturer that suited her needs, American Apparel, designed her own labels and hired W.S. Emerson in Brewer to do the screenprinting.

The result is a set of slightly distressed, long-sleeved shirts that hug the figure. They read “For Sale,” “Under Contract” (perfect for bachelorette parties) “Sold” and “For Rent,” but Price says she has “thousands of ideas.” She has a prototype for tiny dog shirts that read “For Rent,” and she already envisions strappy tank tops that say “Well-Landscaped,” “Under Construction” “Roommate Wanted,” and “Appraise Me.”

“There are no limits to real-estate slogans,” she said. “They’re just so much fun. I want to stick to fun, flirty slogans.”

Her company’s tagline is “perfect for any fabulous femme who has ever found her self on – or off – the market.” They’re a hit among Suz’s friends – the girls in relationships adore the “Sold” shirts, while her single friends prefer something a little more suggestive.

And when they wear them, there’s always a reaction – usually winks and smiles from admiring guys. When one woman walked into a Portland brewpub wearing a “For Sale” shirt, a man sitting at the bar hollered out, “Sold!”

“It’s a T-shirt world out there, and I wanted to join in, but I wanted to do something different,” Price said.

And young women appreciate the difference. Monica Cameron, who sells Chez Suz T-shirts at Malibu Tans in Bangor, said the tops have been well-received by her customers, mostly women ages 18 to 25. She expects they’ll be a hit with spring-breakers from nearby colleges.

“They think they’re cute – they like them. They’re fun,” Cameron said. “They’re ideal for our demographic.”

Price is banking on it. In the next few months, she’ll roll out a line of tanks and Ts for the summer, embellished with bows, buttons and rips in the fabric. But real estate is her top priority, and she recently closed on her first sale.

“It’s fun,” Price said, smiling. “It’s fabulous.”

Chez Suz T-shirts are available at Malibu Tans at the Maine Square Mall in Bangor. For information, call 990-4677 or visit www.chezsuz.com. Kristen Andresen can be reached at 990-8287 and kandresen@bangordailynews.net.