Graphic designers create t-shirts to remember The Old Pink

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — News 4 has heard many stories from neighbors of The Old Pink, which burned down in an early morning fire Monday.

Those stories have now inspired Buffalo-based graphic designers to get creative. 26 Shirts and another local designer created purple and green apparel to remember The Old Pink.

Monday night’s candlelight vigil was evidence as hundreds of neighbors who attended showed just how much people care about the popular dive bar.

Since the building is no longer with us, local designers made it their mission to help and have a tangible way to remember the establishment.

“This was one of these institutions that almost felt infallible,” said graphic designer Evan Duckett. “It had made it through everything from blizzards to COVID, and then just in such a protracted amount of time, it’s just gone.”

To remember the building, people took bricks home as keepsakes on Monday.

For those who couldn’t secure a brick, graphic designer Evan Duckett and 26 Shirts founder Del Reid embarked on separate missions to keep the spirit of The Old Pink alive through the front of a t-shirt.

“It’s an opportunity to help out and at the same time memorialize, in a T-shirt, the memories that people have at The Old Pink,” said Reid.

“A t-shirt you hold on to and have a long time, some people pass them down from generation to generation to their kids,” Duckett added. “Someone will find one of these at a thrift store in 20 years and say, ‘Oh, that’s the place that my dad told me about, the place that my mom told me about.’ Being able to put my stamp on helping cast that in time is cool.”

The standout features of The Old Pink played into the final product designs.

“It had a buffalo that was hanging from above the doorway and anybody who’s walked down Allen Street has seen the flames on the side of that building,” Reid said. “Iconic is the only word that I can think of. Now it symbolizes not only The Old Pink, but a passion for our city as well.”

“The flames on the front is about as iconic as a Buffalo image gets,” Duckett continued. “The steak sandwich is kind of right after, you know, chicken wings and beef on weck. It’s like a quintessential buffalo food.”

Minus the initial expenses to create the shirts, all proceeds will go towards the GoFundMe to help support those who worked and owned The Old Pink.

As of Tuesday evening, the donations have reached over $17,000, not including the funds from these t-shirts.

“I just wanted to do something to memorialize an institution, but also something that can provide a little bit of value in terms of helping out the fundraiser,” Duckett concluded.

26 Shirts said that they are still taking orders and will be through Sunday night.

Duckett said he had to cap his pre-orders after selling over 400 in the last 24 hours. Each of them says those that pre-ordered already can expect it to be at their door in the next three weeks.

Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.