T-Tommy’s Screen-Printing and Embroidery opened in Brookhaven in1978, and on Friday, the chamber of commerce recognized it as”Small Business of the Month” for October.

            ChamberPresident Alvin Hoover presented a plaque to owners Tommy andCynthia Smith. A group of city and county officials, chambermembers, other local business owners and friends gathered to showtheir support and offer congratulations.

            The Smiths saidthe tribute came as a surprise.

            “It’s quite anhonor to be recognized in the community like this,” Tommy Smithsaid. “It’s been a surprise to us, too.”

            Thescreen-printing shop handles everything from printing on T-shirts,jackets and plastic cups, plaques for awards and car dashes,clothing embroideries and even prints for drink huggies.

            Cynthia Smithexplained she and her husband have been in Brookhaven their wholelives, both even born in the same hospital.

            She said theymarried in 1968 when Tommy was in the armed forces in the middle ofa move between Korea and Germany.

            After Tommy’sservice was done, she said the next thing was to find work backhome.

            “We decided weneeded to work,” she said. “He was always wanting to find hisniche, and this suited him perfectly. He’s a good salesperson.”

            Tommy startedscreen-printing out of their home in 1978, using a heat-lampclamped to a dining room chair and the shower for washing outimages.

            The businessgrew quickly, largely by word of mouth, Tommy said.

            “This was thebest way to help us grow,” he said, pointing to a small sticker onthe back of a plaque that gave the business’s name, address andphone number. “People would see plaques we had done in places, seethe sticker on the back and call us for their own needs.”

            By the mid1980s, Tommy needed more room for his work, so he found spaceacross the street from their current location on Highway 51 – wherethey have been the last 12 years.

            Since then,growth has been the standard for the business as Cynthia joined upwith Tommy in the shop in 1990. She was previously employedelsewhere.

            “The businessreally blossomed,” Cynthia said. “And it’s still going good. We’veshipped to places as far away as Massachusetts before.”

            Their oldestson, Josh, joined the family team six years ago. He and his wife,Tammy, brought with them a new aspect to the business:embroidering.

            “They wanted todo that so we got a machine that stays running most of the time,”Tommy said. “It (embroidering) has really taken off.”

            Tommy explainedthe machine, which uses a computer to upload scanned images toperform automatic stitching to the smallest detail, has pushed thebusiness to the next level.

            “The amount ofbusiness is starting to justify spending the money to expand whatwe’re doing,” he said.

            Although notsure yet on the method of expansion, whether by more embroiderymachines or a new building with more space altogether, October’sSmall Business of the Month continues to grow from the seed thatwas planted more than 30 years ago.