A custom apparel shop for your contemporary dance studio gives your students a place to buy branded gear year-round, builds program identity across every class, and creates a passive revenue stream that earns while you teach. Bear Grips Pro Shops are built specifically for fitness and performing arts studios that want this without buying inventory, managing fulfillment, or hiring someone to run an e-commerce operation. Here is how to set one up.
Dance studio apparel generates revenue that most studio directors leave on the table because they associate it with upfront cost and logistics complexity. Print-on-demand eliminates both barriers.
Three concrete reasons to set up a studio shop:
Passive revenue: Once the shop is live, it earns without your ongoing involvement. Students who enroll mid-season, new students from classes you have not personally promoted, and family members who want to support a dancer all generate sales that you did not have to work for directly. For studios operating on thin margins, this additional revenue stream matters.
Program identity: Branded studio gear creates a visual community that the studio alone cannot replicate. When your students are wearing your studio name and colors at school, at competitions, and in social photos, the studio's brand spreads organically. Every branded piece is a passive advertisement.
Student retention: Students who buy into studio culture (literally and figuratively) stay longer. Ownership of studio gear creates a sense of belonging that is correlated with retention. Students who do not feel connected to the studio community are easier to lose to schedule changes, competing programs, and seasonal drop-off.
Start with three items that cover the full demand range at your studio:
A performance tee ($25-38 retail): The entry-level item. Every new student considers buying a studio shirt. A moisture-wicking performance tee with the studio logo is functional for class and casual enough to wear everywhere. This is typically the highest-volume item.
A studio hoodie ($48-65 retail): The highest revenue item. Dancers of all ages wear hoodies constantly. A comfort soft hoodie or champion performance hoodie in studio colors with the logo on the chest is the piece that generates the most word-of-mouth visibility for your program. Many studios report this as their single highest-grossing item within the first month of launch.
A racerback tank or crewneck sweatshirt ($28-45 retail): A middle-tier item that appeals to different demographics. Dancers who already own a studio tee and a hoodie are likely to buy the tank or crewneck as an additional rotation piece.
The free Bear Grips Pro Shop plan covers exactly these three items with no monthly cost. Add more items as demand becomes clear or upgrade to VIP for unlimited products and lower base prices.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Before you start:
The 5-step setup:
Total time from signup to first shareable link: 30-45 minutes. The shop is then live and takes orders 24/7 without any action from you.
Promotion requires one-time effort at key moments rather than ongoing marketing work:
Enrollment time: Include the shop link in every enrollment confirmation email. New students seeing the shop before their first class connects the visual brand to their excitement about joining.
Showcase and recital season: Before performances, families are in a buying mood. Promote the studio branded warm-up gear as the "what to wear at the venue" solution. This is when hoodie sales peak.
Competition season: For competitive programs, coordinate with team families to order matching competition team gear before the first competition of the season. Set a deadline, share the link, and send one reminder.
Studio social media: Post a photo of a dancer in studio gear at least once per month. Tag the shop link in the bio. Consistent visual presence of branded gear in your social content normalizes buying from the studio shop.
For full revenue math on what a studio with your enrollment size can expect to earn, see the dance studio apparel revenue guide.
The free plan works for most studios getting started. Three products, no monthly cost, full order and payment processing. You earn the margin between the retail price you set and the base print cost.
The VIP Self-Service plan at $59/month makes sense when:
The Done-For-You VIP at $109/month is for studios that want a white-glove service: a dedicated advisor applies your design to 15 trending products, creates all mockups, builds the full shop layout, and delivers a ready-to-share shop every month. For studio directors who are focused on teaching and do not want to manage any of the apparel merchandising themselves, this is the option.
Free plan, no inventory. Your studio's branded apparel shop is live in under an hour with Bear Grips Pro Shops.
Start FreeThe free plan costs nothing. Three live products, full order processing, and no monthly fee. The studio earns the margin on every sale. Paid plans start at $59/month for unlimited products and lower base prices.
No. Bear Grips Pro Shops is print-on-demand. There is no upfront inventory purchase. Every order prints individually when a student places it and ships directly to their address.
The difference between the retail price and the base print cost accrues in your shop account and pays out on the Bear Grips payout schedule.
Most orders print and ship within 3-5 business days from US facilities and arrive within one week total. Free shipping is included on every order.
Bear Grips Pro Shops