Tylen Johnson, UW News Lab

Jesse Scott, a junior at Ballard High School has come with a plan to sell letterman jackets for less.

“I always wanted to get a letterman but they were so expensive. My grandpa thought it would be a great idea,” said Scott.

He began thinking of the idea in an entrepreneur class offered at Ballard. Initially, Scott began working on a business plan for a sporting goods store, said Scott’s teacher Jill Zawatski.

Scott came up with the idea after his family was unable to purchase one last year. He began researching letterman jackets and fine-tuning his operation.

Letterman jackets typically cost close to $400 and go up in price depending on what is added. Scott believes that he will be able to sell them for about $160, regardless of how it is customized.

He is able to offer affordable jackets thanks to Peter Sherlock. Sherlock is the owner of Custom Embroidery and Promotions, a Ballard business that typically focuses on corporate identity and embroidery works. Scott orders the jackets from a Montana state wholesaler and ships them to Sherlock for stitching.

“Jesse contacted me and told me his plan. I told him if there is any way I can help out the Ballard community, I will,” said Sherlock, adding that he charges one flat fee of $5 for anything they want on the jacket.

Since Scott buys the jackets online and Sherlock charges a flat fee for customizing, the pair have cut the cost of a letterman jacket in half.

Scott currently has three orders in the works, one of which is his own.

To contact Jesse about a jacket, he can be reached by phone at 206-310-5850 or you can send an email to him at jscott10@hotmail.com.