After a string of jobs that he liked but didn’t love, Zacheriah Jakowski took a chance and started his own business creating custom order garments. What started as a small operation with a small fan base has turned into a burgeoning company.

86 Level St. Design, which is operated by Jakowski and his fiancee Chynna Nicholas, is run out of the couple’s apartment in Padanaram. The two create custom-ordered T-shirts and wall decals using a printer that cuts their original designs into vinyl sheets with laser like precision.

Outside of shirts, the two found great success with their line of kid’s clothes, particularly onesies. One of their most popular products is a onesies that proudly states: “My dad is the Batman.”

The company formed in 2011 when Jakowski bought his first heat press and cutter – two pieces of equipment essential to transferring vinyl onto clothing.

“My first cutter was horrible. It could do shapes – that’s about it,” said Jakowski.

He started out making signs for friends and other startups, but then he met his girlfriend, which set the business on a different path.

“She is so smart and creative. She took 86 and put it in the direction where it is now,” he said, adding that she was the one who had the idea to start producing kid’s clothes.

While Nicholas handles much of the behind-the-scenes aspects of the business, such as responding to emails and developing design ideas, Jakowski is the one who physically transfers the images.

Their products often reference pop culture icons, such as Harry Potter and comic book characters. When “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” hit theaters back in December, Jakowski’s friends attended opening weekend in T-shirts emblazoned with space robots and bounty hunters.

As the business grew, the two invested in better equipment, including a 24 inch vinyl cutter, which links to computer software the two use to create designs. After the printer cuts the image or words into the vinyl sheets, Jakowski carefully peels back any excess material using a dental tool.

The image is then transferred onto an article of clothing via a large press. The clothing spends about 15 seconds pinched between two pieces of metal heated to 315 degrees. The vinyl adheres to the shirt and, after cooling down, is ready to be shipped.

The business took a major leap forward in 2014 when they started their own shop on Etsy, a peer-to-peer website where users sell handmade items. The site is something like an online craft fair.

Jakowski said the big difference between maintaining a shop online and preparing for a craft fair in the real world is that customers are given more options. He said the two crafts fair he attended in the early days of the business weren’t that successful because customers looked at their stock and wished they had different sizes or colors. With online orders, Jakwoski can tailor his wares to the customer’s specifications.

Selling online has benefited 86 Level St. Design greatly, as the two have shipped orders as far away as Australia.

Moving forward, the two aim to expand their clothing line, design decals for vehicles and, someday, invest in an ink printer. For now, the non-corporate, hometown appeal of their business has worked well for them. In each shipment, a card is inserted, letting the buyer know that they bought a product produced in Padanaram.

“We don’t want to get off Etsy, but we want to expand. I want to be have our own website, be on Amazon, on Ebay, but all that takes time,” he said.

You can check out 86 Level St. Design at www.etsy.com/shop/86levelstdesign.