Gym owners hear "affordable gym apparel" and often think of two bad options: a bulk order of shirts that sit in a bin at the front desk for a year, or a big-box activewear brand that keeps the entire margin for itself. There is a third option built specifically for this: a branded shop where the gym prints one piece at a time, keeps the full retail margin, and never carries inventory. Here is how a studio actually sets that up affordably.
| Old model | Upfront cost | Who keeps the margin | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulk print order | $300-$800 for 24-48 shirts | Studio, but only after selling through the batch | Wrong sizes, unsold stock in a bin |
| Reselling a big-box activewear brand | Wholesale minimums, often $500+ | Split between studio and brand | No control over design, generic look |
| Branded print-on-demand shop | $0-$59/mo | Studio keeps the full margin they set | None, print only what sells |
The free plan supports exactly 3 live products, which lines up with this starter set. Test these three before deciding whether to expand into hoodies, leggings, or shorts.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Members compare gym merch prices against big-box activewear, so a studio needs to land somewhere below premium retail while still making real money per piece.
| Piece | VIP base | Member-friendly retail | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tee | $19.88 | $27.88 | $8.00 |
| Tank | $19.88 | $26.88 | $7.00 |
| Hat | $25.86-$29.86 | $34.88 | $5.00-$9.00 |
These retail points sit below what most members would pay for the same piece at a big-box gym apparel brand, while still leaving margin worth collecting.
Once the tee, tank, and hat sell consistently, Self-Service VIP at $59/mo opens up to 200 live products and the lowest base prices across the board, a $4-$11 savings per item over the free tier. Studios that want the shop fully built and maintained for them, with monthly curated collections and professional product copy, can move to Done-For-You VIP at $105/mo instead.
A generic print-on-demand catalog is built for anything from mugs to phone cases. Bear Grips was built specifically around fitness apparel by a fitness brand, so the catalog leans toward the pieces gyms and studios actually sell: performance tees, tanks, leggings, sports bras, and shorts, alongside standard cotton basics. That focus is part of what keeps the per-piece price down, since the catalog is not paying for categories a gym never uses. See the full tank top pricing breakdown or the bottoms lineup for the rest of the studio wardrobe, and start the shop free at Bear Grips Pro Shops.
No inventory, no minimum order, tees and tanks from $19.88 VIP base. Free plan to start.
Start FreeNothing upfront. The free plan is $0/mo with 3 live products. There is no inventory to buy and no minimum print run.
The blanks used (Bella+Canvas, Next Level, Bear Grips, Sport-Tek) are the same category of fabric used across premium athleisure. The lower price comes from cutting out retail brand markup and bulk minimums, not fabric quality.
A retail price around $27-$28 on a $19.88 base leaves roughly $8 margin while staying affordable next to big-box gym apparel pricing.
No. Every order is printed after it is placed. Nothing is stocked ahead of time.
Bear Grips Pro Shops