BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:

COSTA MESA — The search for the perfect T-shirt and jeans could be over with the addition of Blankstyle to the Camp shopping center.

Racks of soft cotton shirts and shelves of high-end jeans line the Costa Mesa store, an offshoot of the Web-based company started by Newport-Mesa residents Brad Johnson, Luke Kupersmith and Jared Fisher.

“We started to sell to individuals who don’t just want to be a walking billboard,” said Kupersmith, 25. “We found that the majority of our online business ended up being wholesale accounts.”

They wanted to get a storefront to serve the average customer, and on Saturday the store had its grand opening celebration, and people were lined up to make purchases, even as the party was winding down early Sunday morning.

“The beauty of what we do is that everything in here comes in anywhere from three to 10 colors,” Fisher, 28, said.

After realizing the world of private fashion labels was intensely competitive, the three young entrepreneurs who had started with a fashion line idea decided their time and effort would be better spent ending the quest to find simple, comfortable and fashionable shirts with no logos.

“We wanted the best of American Apparel, the best of all the companies,” Newport Beach resident Kupersmith said. And, “What couples with the best T-shirt? A great pair of jeans, of course.”

The trio has pumped around $100,000 into the retail store, saving money along the way by working long hours and being involved in every aspect of the store’s opening.

“I pulled I don’t know how many 18-hour days,” Kupersmith said.

The hard work is paying off, and the three hope to recoup their costs by the end of the year.

“It’s amazing the people’s reaction when they walk in the store,” Johnson, 28, said. “They just eat it up…. That’s the only way a small store can survive.”

Survival is the only option for the guys, and they’re confident they’ll be successful enough to open more stores once they’re in the black.

“Our intent is to open a lot of stores,” Kupersmith said. “I don’t want to be a boutique. This concept is universal and timeless — everybody wears what we sell, from the young kids to soccer moms.”

The three men wanted to be noticed, and opening in the Camp was a calculated move. The Camp itself is a bit of a throwback to simplicity, with vegan food, yoga classes and retailers for outdoor enthusiasts.

“We didn’t want to be in an average mall and just be another clothing store,” Johnson said. “The competition is limited, and this is a facility with a fairly educated customer base.”

The Blankstyle website is still active and has become a wholesale haven for small, private labels and big groups, such as fraternities and sororities that sometimes buy 500 shirts per order. The three young men are serial entrepreneurs with a shipping industry consultancy firm also running full speed.

The guys have had some lessons in what it takes to get a business up and running and have figured out that it takes a tremendous amount of work, money and patience.

“It won’t work if you don’t work hard and know that what you plan on doing takes twice as long and twice as much money,” Kupersmith said.

Once their Bristol Street patio is completed, they plan to have Blankstyle barbecues for the community as a thank you to loyal patrons and to entice new customers into the store. They’re also working with wholesalers, coming up with products that will be sold exclusively at Blankstyle.

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