Bear Grips Pro ShopsHow to Organize Church Retreat Apparel
- Skip the bulk size form. Set up a branded online store instead.
- Each attendee orders their own size and the apparel ships to their home.
- The youth pastor or retreat coordinator never coordinates a single shirt.
- Setup takes about an hour from upload to live store.
- Step 1: Sign Up for the Branded Storefront
- Step 2: Upload the Retreat Design
- Step 3: Pick the Apparel and Set Retail Prices
- Step 4: Share the Storefront Link Four Weeks Out
- Step 5: Keep the Storefront Open After the Retreat
- What Pro Shops Handles vs What the Church Handles
- Frequently Asked Questions
The traditional church retreat apparel workflow (volunteer collects sizes, places a bulk order, distributes shirts on site) takes 15 to 30 volunteer hours per retreat and leaves leftover sizes nobody wants. The Pro Shops workflow replaces it with a branded online storefront. Each attendee orders their own size, the apparel ships to their home, and the coordinator never touches a shirt. Below is the full setup process.
Step 1: Sign Up for the Branded Storefront
Create a free account at shops.beargrips.com. The free tier supports three live products with no monthly fee. For retreats that need a wider apparel set (tee, hoodie, hat, long sleeve, joggers, womens cuts), the Self-Service VIP plan at $59 per month gets the lowest base prices and supports up to 200 live products.
Account setup takes about ten minutes. Upload the church logo, add the retreat name as the storefront name, and pick a storefront color palette that matches the retreat flyer.
Step 2: Upload the Retreat Design
Upload the retreat design as a print-ready PNG with a transparent background. The platform applies the design to every product variant. Front and back mockups generate automatically on each garment color so the design reads true to print.
If the design is not ready, the Done-For-You VIP plan at $109 per month assigns a Pro Shop advisor who applies the design across fifteen apparel pieces, picks the top six color variants per item, and builds the full storefront.
Step 3: Pick the Apparel and Set Retail Prices
Most retreats start with three pieces (tee, hoodie, hat) for the lean setup, or six pieces (tee, hoodie, hat, long sleeve, crewneck, womens cropped hoodie) for a fuller set. Retail prices are set by the church. The base price plus the margin equals the price the attendee pays at checkout.
| Piece | VIP Base | Typical Retail | Margin per Item |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton tee | $19.88 | $28 to $32 | $8 to $12 |
| Hoodie | $36.88 | $48 to $58 | $11 to $21 |
| Adjustable hat | $25.88 | $32 to $36 | $6 to $10 |
| Long sleeve | $29.88 | $38 to $44 | $8 to $14 |
| Crewneck | $41.88 | $52 to $62 | $10 to $20 |
The margin goes back to the ministry. A 100-attendee retreat with $10 average margin per piece and 1.3 pieces per attendee generates $1,300 of margin for the ministry.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Step 4: Share the Storefront Link Four Weeks Out
Four weeks before the retreat, share the storefront link in three places:
- The retreat registration confirmation email
- The parent email for youth and college retreats
- The retreat WhatsApp or text group
Each attendee clicks the link, picks the piece and size they want, pays at checkout, and the apparel ships to their home address. The pre-order window stays open until two weeks before the retreat to give the apparel time to ship.
Step 5: Keep the Storefront Open After the Retreat
The storefront stays open after the retreat. Attendees who want a second piece in a different color, a parent who wants a hoodie too, or a small group leader who wants matching crewnecks for the team can all order at any time. Each new order generates fresh margin for the ministry.
For ministries that run a retreat every year, the same storefront pattern repeats with the new year design layered on top of the church brand. Year over year, the storefront becomes a small steady revenue stream that funds the ministry.
What Pro Shops Handles vs What the Church Handles
Pro Shops handles: printing each individual order, packing, free shipping to each attendee home, customer service for sizing and returns, and storefront hosting at a clean URL.
The church handles: uploading the retreat design, picking the products and prices, and sharing the storefront link. The Done-For-You VIP plan covers even those tasks for $109 per month.
Set Up the Retreat Storefront in About an Hour
Free signup, no minimum order, attendees pay directly. The ministry never collects a size or chases a payment.
Start FreeFrequently Asked Questions
Do I need to collect sizes from every retreat attendee?
No. Each attendee orders their own size directly through the Pro Shops storefront. The coordinator never touches a size form. The apparel ships to each attendee home before the retreat.
What is the minimum order for church retreat apparel?
One piece. A single attendee can order a single tee with the retreat design and it ships the same way a 100-piece order would. No setup fee, no minimum, no inventory.
How long does it take to set up the storefront?
About an hour for the self-service plan. Account setup, logo upload, design upload, product selection, and price setup. The storefront is live and shareable at the end of the setup session.
What if an attendee wants a hoodie instead of a tee?
The storefront stocks every apparel piece the church chose to list. Attendees order whichever piece and color they want. The retreat design applies across every piece consistently.
