Matt Riley graduated and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from UTM in May 2003. An accomplished artist and graphic designer, Matt opened Riley’s Graphics in Union City on January 19, 2004.

Proficient in all areas of art and graphic design, Riley has been an artist for most of his life. Although he is rather shy, his talent is apparent as soon as you walk into his shop, located at 202 S. First Street in Union City. Already a vital part of the community, downtown Union City has embraced and encouraged his talent.

Riley’s family is also involved in the business. His mother, Robbie Riley, and his sister, Debbie Long, both work part-time to help him meet his deadlines. His mother is past registrar in Union City. She is also the author of two books with another ready to be published.

“Matt used to draw Scooby-Doo as a very young child, and people thought he cut it out of a book.”

This says a lot about Riley’s talent and dedication. Buying out AA Graphics in Dyersburg, Riley, with his family’s help, moved all of the equipment from Dyersburg to his location in Union City.

Now Riley is in full swing.

“Business is picking up; this sure is a lot better than the carpentry work I did before,” said Riley.

Riley does a complete assortment of graphics. Some of his largest orders come from schools, clubs and individuals. He explained that his largest order to date was for 1,000 screen-printed shirts.

Pictures, logos or photos: Riley can print just about anything on a shirt or cap. He also does banners, team sports wear, metal and magnetic signs, and an array of other graphic needs.

Most of the merchandise is catalog-ordered through Memphis or St. Louis and the turnaround time is quick and efficient.

Riley explained that his screen-printing is very time consuming. After the initial artistic design transfer onto the shirt, each color takes on hour to paint, pressure dry, ink, and dry again at 350 degrees to set the color on the finished product.

Although Riley’s Graphics is a new business ,Riley looks forward to many years of success. He is hopeful that with a bit of publicity and word-of-mouth, he will gain more business.