Wild animal repellant would have been too cliché.
For outdoors retailer Feral Mountain Co.’s first product, owner Jimmy Funkhouser dreamt up something a little tamer, although still ready for rugged adventure.
The Basecamp Journal, which reached its Indiegogo crowdfunding goal of $10,000 this month, is the first product made by the shop, which opened in March 2016 on Tennyson Street.
“Those funds are 100 percent used to produce the journal,” Funkhouser said. “We wanted to actually make something that we felt engendered a response to what our purpose is, and that is to create adventure.”
Feral will make 1,000 journals in its first product run, 300 bound with leather made by Denverite Josh Hughes. The first 20 pages of the journal contain packing lists for outdoor excursions and aspirational checklists.
“We wanted to give people some prompts to explore some new ideas, whether it’s the highest points in all 50 states or visiting all the national parks,” Funkhouser said.
The rest of the journal includes blank pages designed for users to sketch out maps, draw landscapes or pictures, or write about trips.
Funkhouser said the project has been six months in the making. The leather journals will retail at Feral for $50, and the paper journals cost $25. The only material not made in Colorado is the binding, which Feral outsourced to Arizona.
“You don’t see small independent retailers creating their own products,” Funkhouser said.
Supporters of the Indiegogo campaign will receive journals in early December, and the rest will hit Feral’s shelves in following weeks.
Funkhouser, 35, started Feral last year after a 10-year corporate career with Toys ‘R’ Us.
“I wanted more consistency between my personal life and professional life,” he said. “I wanted a way to create adventure for people.”
Feral employs five people and sells gear from brands including Patagonia, Salomon and Black Diamond.
Wild animal repellant would have been too cliché.
For outdoors retailer Feral Mountain Co.’s first product, owner Jimmy Funkhouser dreamt up something a little tamer, although still ready for rugged adventure.
The Basecamp Journal, which reached its Indiegogo crowdfunding goal of $10,000 this month, is the first product made by the shop, which opened in March 2016 on Tennyson Street.
“Those funds are 100 percent used to produce the journal,” Funkhouser said. “We wanted to actually make something that we felt engendered a response to what our purpose is, and that is to create adventure.”
Feral will make 1,000 journals in its first product run, 300 bound with leather made by Denverite Josh Hughes. The first 20 pages of the journal contain packing lists for outdoor excursions and aspirational checklists.
“We wanted to give people some prompts to explore some new ideas, whether it’s the highest points in all 50 states or visiting all the national parks,” Funkhouser said.
The rest of the journal includes blank pages designed for users to sketch out maps, draw landscapes or pictures, or write about trips.
Funkhouser said the project has been six months in the making. The leather journals will retail at Feral for $50, and the paper journals cost $25. The only material not made in Colorado is the binding, which Feral outsourced to Arizona.
“You don’t see small independent retailers creating their own products,” Funkhouser said.
Supporters of the Indiegogo campaign will receive journals in early December, and the rest will hit Feral’s shelves in following weeks.
Funkhouser, 35, started Feral last year after a 10-year corporate career with Toys ‘R’ Us.
“I wanted more consistency between my personal life and professional life,” he said. “I wanted a way to create adventure for people.”
Feral employs five people and sells gear from brands including Patagonia, Salomon and Black Diamond.
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