Grand Rapids startup Thermal redefines clothing shopping

A Grand Rapids startup aims to redefine customers’ online clothing shopping by creating personalized showrooms informed by experienced stylists and artificial intelligence. 

Thermal is a personal styling and shopping platform that guides customers from shopping to sale. The platform acts as a marketplace, sourcing attire from partnering boutiques, and curates customers’ closets based on information about events they are attending, the weather and their fashion interests. 

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Thermal was launched by founder and CEO Arturo Garcia’s passion for personal shopping. 

Garcia became a frequent shopper at All City Kicks, a former Grand Rapids shoe store, when he moved from Saginaw to attend Grand Valley State University. The store’s owners, Edwin Victory and the late Jason Stewart, created a customized shopping environment that inspired a future for Garcia. 

The store took Garcia on as an intern in 2010, shortly after Stewart’s death. In this role, Garcia learned inventory management, purchasing, brand management and curating outfits for clients. 

Garcia took these skills into his professional career, and about three years ago established the brand Thermal, a name he felt reflected the business’ goal of having the “hottest” trends. 

Initially, Thermal was a boutique directory guiding people on where to shop. Now, Thermal’s business model has evolved and takes an active approach to cultivating customers’ shopping experiences and dress for various events. 

“(Thermal) turned into a personal styling service where we curate virtual showrooms, mainly for artists, athletes and entrepreneurs,” Garcia told Crain’s Grand Rapids Business. 

Thermal’s technology and methods alleviate the decision fatigue from online shopping, Garcia said. Thermal has six employees including Garcia, a chief technology officer and four stylists who help customers find what they are looking for. 

Thermal is in the pre-revenue stage and is executing a pilot program with “a few prominent entrepreneurs in the Midwest” to dress them for events, Garcia said. 

Once fully functioning, Thermal will be a subscription service in which clients enlist the company to coordinate outfit looks for a single event or longer term. 

The single-event package is $99.99. With this package, stylists will coordinate up to eight complete looks for clients. A monthly package is $149.99 and includes unlimited looks in addition to alterations. 

The packages only include styling and not the purchase of clothes. Customers pay for the clothes separately, and Thermal gets a cut of the revenue, Garcia said. 

Thermal’s services fuse the expertise of human stylists with advanced technologies to help streamline style choices. When Thermal onboards clients, the company creates a profile for the customer that is attached to a style algorithm “that helps us digitally source and virtually curate these showrooms,” he said.

“We created an algorithm that’s based off of color palette, color theory, fit and material, the event dress code and the weather of the location that somebody’s at,” Garcia said. “That helps us source clothing a lot easier.”

As the business grows, Thermal plans to incorporate machine learning, augmented reality and virtual reality into its technology. 

Thermal has established partnerships with more than 14 boutiques and inventory sources. Four Michigan apparel companies are currently working with Thermal: Grand Rapids-based Hëmd, Forest Hills-based A.K. Rikk’s, Royal Oak-based Burn Rubber, and Detroit-based Two 18. 

“I’m excited to help move inventory and distribute a lot of this clothing because… a lot of good clothing goes unworn,” Garcia said. 

Thermal is joining a global AI-powered personal stylist services market that’s projected for growth. The industry was valued at nearly $95 million globally in 2023 with a compound annual growth rate of more than 36% until 2031, according to market research firm Insight Ace Analytic. 

While Thermal is still in its early stages, Garcia sees a bright future for the company. In 2025, the company is aiming to reach $250,000 to $500,000 in revenue. 

Taking Thermal to the next step

So far, Thermal has received funding from a Grand Rapids startup competition and is pursuing funding from Michigan State University’s Conquer Accelerator program. 

In September, Thermal was chosen to receive $20,000 after it was one of the 10 pitches at Start Garden’s Demo Day. The competition was held in downtown Grand Rapids as part of tech week with 100 entrepreneurs presenting their ideas to judges. 

Additionally, Garcia is completing the Conquer Accelerator program’s 10-week course, a program that aims to help businesses “rapidly scale and conquer in a competitive marketplace” by providing resources and information. Upon completion, Thermal would receive $20,000 from Grand Rapids-based Red Cedar Investment Management, Garcia said. 

“With those two winnings, it’s going to help accelerate the business,” Garcia said. “So we already have a prototype. We’re now going to kind of launch a beta and demo it for customers and iterate and scale from there.” 

Looking forward, Garcia plans to relaunch Thermal’s website ShopThermal.Tech by the end of this year. Next year, Garcia hopes to establish Thermal’s presence in the fashion industry by holding activations and demonstrations at galleries, trade shows and fashion weeks to help “funnel customers” to the business.

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