JEFFERSONTOWN, Ky. — A new screen printing business is coming to Jeffersontown, and it’s all about inclusivity for people dealing with disabilities. The owners, Alyssa and Chris Neighbors, developed the passion during the first COVID-19 lockdown. 

Screen printing is easier than it looks—especially since Alyssa Neighbors and her husband Chris have done it since 2019.

Alyssa and Chris Neighbors smile for a photo in their printing shop. (Spectrum News 1/Diamond Palmer)

The Neighbors opened up Fiendish Threads Screen Printing in Jeffersontown June 2022, just three years after their passion sparked a fire inside of them. The couple still uses the very first screen printing machine they purchased in April 2019.

“In about an hour, you can probably print 200 shirts,” said Alyssa Neighbors.

The Neighbors started their business from the ground up with a specific purpose: to create a legacy for their children, two of whom live with disabilities. Over 1.2 million people across the Commonwealth live with a range of disabilities according to the Center for Disease Control. Those disabilities can often make daily life tough. 

“We started in a garage with no air-conditioning. We did that during winter and summer, so no heat or no air conditioner,” said Alyssa Neighbors.

Alyssa and her husband Chris discovered their passion during the first COVID-19 lockdown when she was laid off. Shortly after, they bought their first screen printing machine from Amazon and they got so good, they had no other choice but to open a brick and mortar. 

Alyssa Neighbors folds finished t-shirts with her two of her four children, both of whom have disabilities. (Spectrum News 1/Diamond Palmer)

“When me and him are printing, it’s just me and him. We turn the music on really loud and go. We can knock a lot out together,” said Alyssa Neighbors.

From heat press to vinyl screen prints, this couple does it all. Not only is this a passion for the Neighbors, but they say it’s their duty to create a legacy for their children.

“I don’t want either one of them to be living on disability checks from the government when they can be in here having a purpose and controlling their own destiny,” Chris Neighbors said. “It’s not controlled for them by someone who is telling them how much money they can make.”

After the shirts are done, Ryan Neighbors and her brother Bradley Wines come in to help.

“We’re not going to scrunch it, we’re not going to scrunch it! One hand flat right here and one hand flat right here,” said Ryan Neighbors.

Ryan loves to help out. She drags finished shirts in a tub on rolling wheels to start her task of folding. Spectrum News 1 told Ryan’s story last year. The 12-year-old has had over 49 surgeries because she battles spina bifida and her younger brother Bradley is blind. So the Neighbors believe creating a safe and inclusive space is a priority.

Alyssa Neighbors holds up a finished t-shirt that says ‘Love is Love’. (Spectrum News 1/Diamond Palmer)

“We want them to have their independence and not rely on other people or have to rely on other people,” said Chris Neighbors.

The Neighbors say teaching independence at a young age can create a life where their children don’t feel less than able-bodied people.

Fiendish Threads is kicking off their grand opening on July 1 in Jeffersontown at 3751 Ruckriegel Parkway. From 4 to 7 p.m. you can find everything from a ribbon cutting, food trucks, bounce houses and music.

The Neighbors will take Ryan to Nashville for another back surgery in July, and have created a space where people can help out here. To keep up with the Neighbors screen prints, you can follow them on Facebook at Fiendish Threads Screen Printing.