Megan Navarro
WIMBERLEY — Clare Scott has worn multiple hats over the years, from working at a fire suppression company, for a car business and then, as a title clerk. But after stepping into a more creative realm in 2021, she has since been running a custom printing business.
Founded in the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, Valkyrie Made in Wimberley was established on the idea that every design tells a story, where custom prints should be as unique and powerful as the people who wear and share them.
The idea sparked when Scott’s trainer was looking to get T-shirts made for her business, but all of the companies she was researching wanted minimum orders of at least 25 or 30 and she only needed one or two. Scott then said that she could probably figure it out, so, after investigating, she created a shirt that she loved and then, another trainer saw it and asked if she could make more.
“It kind of just snowballed. My husband was like, ‘If you're going to do this, make it legit. Do it for money. Don't just do it [out of] the kindness of your heart,’” she recalled.
During that time, she had to have Medial Patellofemoral Ligament reconstruction surgery, which is essentially where a new ligament is created to hold her kneecap into place. Her doctor warned her that it was going to take a large amount of recovery, more than a typical knee replacement. She had to learn how to walk again, something that she did not take into consideration when she did the surgery.
It was then that she put pen to paper on how to make Valkyrie Made come to life. She came up with the name as she has always been tied to her heritage and roots of Nordic and viking.
“The Valkyries are like women warriors. They are also like angels of the battlefield that come and get the warriors and take them to Valhalla, which in Christian’s association would be the same as heaven,” Scott said. “I really liked the concept of this woman warrior coming and essentially spreading nothing but good things or protecting.”
Valkyrie Made primarily started off with just apparel — T-shirts, hats and sweatshirts — and it’s grown since then to include tumblers, business cards, tents, signs, banners and more. When someone calls interested to place an order, Scott shared that she talks them throug the process to hone in on what the customer is looking for.
“I spend some time getting to know them, getting to know what their style is and then I say, ‘Okay, let me send you over a presentation and if you send me your logo, I can include a mock-up of your logo on the products. It'll tell you about what your products look like. It'll give you an estimate of the price margin.’ I can't completely give an actual price quote until I actually set everything in stone. So, I tell them, ‘This is like a ballpark of what you're looking at.’ They review the presentation. They say, ‘Yes, I like this.’ or ‘No, I don't like this. Let's do this,’” she said. “Then, from there, I do all the nerdy graphic stuff, where I put it into the format that I need it to be in and I make sure that everything is going okay. Depending on if they order a proof or not, I will send them a proof, either a physical proof or I will just send a photo and then, pretty much from there, we get the final product knocked out and then, I either deliver it or my assistant will deliver it, customer pick up or we ship it.”
For Scott, her favorite thing about operating a custom printing shop is connecting with people about their businesses.
“I really enjoy hearing why they started their business, what their logo means to them and then, bringing it to life. It's almost like watching a kid at Christmas open up a present and just have that wondrous look on their face, like ‘This is me. This is the part of me brought to life,’” she said. “It breaks my heart if [they see] the product and are like, ‘Man, I didn't really envision it this way,’ and that's what I think sets me apart from other print shops is that I say, ‘Okay, if this is not what you're envisioning ... What is it going to take to make that happen?’ And I really make that right with the customer," she explained. "I want to stand behind my work. I want to make sure that it is exactly what they are proud to do. So, I just love the day in [and] day out is different and connecting and fostering those relationships with other local business owners.”
Scott and her husband bought 11 acres of property in Wimberley specifically for Valkyrie Made in 2022 because at that point, they were living in Austin, but the city wanted a manufacturing permit in order to facilitate screen printing. At the Wimberley property, it is unrestricted and they are able to have the physical shop where they create the pieces, but are also able to take clients out there by appointment-only to show them swatches and they can get an idea of the development.
Currently, Scott’s main goal is to create a storefront for Valkyrie Made where people can come in and participate in a T-shirt bar — which is in the works — where there will be prints that are ready to go and clients can choose what they want and walk out of the store with something that’s custom made.
Aside from having a storefront, she also wants to grow Valkyrie Made into a viable business with multiple local locations, including Kyle and Buda. However, though currently in Wimberley, the company services everywhere.
To learn more about Valkyrie Made, visit www.valkyriemade.com.
