No more naked tables.

That’s the slogan at Table Topperz LLC, a Spokane startup company that turns ordinary tables and cornhole boards into works of art using adhesive vinyl wraps.

Jack Githens, the 22-year-old co-founder of the company and a senior studying entrepreneurship and finance at Gonzaga University, came up with the idea a couple of years ago after watching some of his friends fail at painting a standard folding table.

“There has to be a better way that we can do this,” Githens says.

He says he first introduced Table Topperz to the general public earlier this year at a Brainstorm & Brew ideation event hosted by Spokane-based startup accelerator Ignite Northwest.

“It was so well received, and I got a ton of feedback from Wazzu students, from local businesses,” Githens says. “That’s where I met my two partners for this.”

Githens has partnered with Spokane-based digital marketing company Tribe Media Lab and with Connor Simpson and Michael Williams, both of Limelyte Technology Group Inc., a Spokane-based software development company. Simpson and Williams have an ownership stake in the company as individuals, and Tribe Media, as a corporate entity, owns an interest in Table Topperz.

“From there, we have been working on it and building it out,” Githens says.

Table Topperz officially launched about a month ago.

The online retailer offers vinyl wraps for standard 2-by-4-foot cornhole boards; standard 4-by-8 plywood tables, which are often used for beer die, a table-based drinking game that Githens says is popular among college students; and standard 6-foot and 8-foot folding tables, which are often used for beer pong, another popular table-based drinking game.

Table Topperz also is testing out wraps for conventional ping pong tables, Githens says.

So far, Table Topperz has sold a handful of wraps, and Githens says the number of accounts being created on the website is “going up drastically.” When people create accounts, it allows Table Topperz to reach out to potential customers and offer assistance or promote discounts, he says.

“We’re hoping by the end of this year that we have over 500 units sold,” Githens says.

The wraps are customizable through the Table Topperz website, with over 1 million stock images that can be used in customers’ designs. Customers also can upload their own photos to use in their designs.

Customers can use different shapes, colors, sizes and types of text, images, and background tools through the Table Topperz website’s designer tool.

“My partners at Limelyte were a big part of getting the website developed and creating a micro-application,” Githens says. “Our biggest competitive advantage is that we have the design tool.”

For those who don’t want to start a design from scratch, Githens and his partners have created various templates for each size of wrap, including a football field, a basketball court, an American flag, a flower design, and more. The templates are also customizable, Githens says.

“I think the templates will be a popular starting place,” he says.

The beer die- and beer pong-size wrap templates also include circular outlines that show exactly where the plastic cups should be placed for those drinking games. However, Githens says the outlines can be easily removed for customers who aren’t intending to use the wraps for those games.

“If someone wants to do one for a birthday, or a special event, and they don’t want the cups on there, it’s super easy in our editor just to go and click on the cups and remove them,” Githens says. “It’s up to the person designing it because each one is completely customizable.”

Each wrap is waterproof and weather resistant, Githens says, although there is an option to add extra lamination to protect tables that will primarily be used outside.

“Our estimates for the duration of them lasting is one to two years right now—that’s what we have from our manufacturers,” Githens says.

There is also a high-resolution option for the wraps, which Githens says is a good choice for customers who upload their own photos.

“Just to have it look pristine, exactly how you want,” he says. “It removes any of that grain.”

The application of the adhesive vinyl wraps is easy for customers, Githens says.

“You can put it on any surface, and it won’t leave a residue, which is a really big thing for us,” he says. “Our process makes sure that you don’t get bubbles as you go.”

Prices for the wraps range from $55 to $90, depending on the type of wrap, with additional $25 charges for extra lamination or high-resolution options.

Once a customer completes their design and purchases their wrap, the team at Table Topperz reviews the design—mainly to make sure the resolution is high enough—and the order is sent to a third-party printing company. Chula Vista, California-based Direct Banner Printing manufactures and ships out the Table Topperz wraps.

Because Table Topperz is web-based and uses a third-party company to manufacture and ship its print-on-demand products, there is no need for a physical location, which greatly reduces startup and overhead costs, Githens says.

“We didn’t have to put in a ton of capital at the beginning, because we weren’t purchasing a ton of inventory,” Githens says. “The startup costs for us were pretty small.”

Githens and his partners were able to get their company started with about $10,000 of their own funds, he says.

“We see this thing as a scalable business that’s low cost,” he says.

Right now, Table Topperz is working on reaching its target audience and better understanding customers’ wants and needs, Githens says. Much of its marketing efforts are through various social media platforms.

“We really want to build out our Greek-life affiliate program,” Githens says. “They are our target market, and we see them as kind of a bridge to the student bodies at their schools.”

A Greek-life partnership potentially would include landing pages or discount codes for members of college fraternities and sororities nationwide, Githens says. This would allow Table Topperz to track sales to those Greek-life houses, and then give them kickbacks, which would contribute to their philanthropy and fundraising efforts, he says.

While much of the company’s marketing efforts target younger generations, like college students in fraternities and sororities, Githens says Table Topperz wraps work well for any event or occasion, including weddings, corporate gatherings, birthday parties, and tailgating.

Going forward, Githens says Table Topperz will look at getting licensing deals with different brands, schools, and other organizations, which would allow for expanded design capabilities.

“We just launched, so we haven’t gotten to that stage yet, but that’s our next thing we’re going to start doing,” he says.

Githens and his partners at Tribe Media and Limelyte are the company’s only employees.