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outdoor memories - the Sports Exchange

Posted by Mallory Ottariano · May 09, 2023

Each year we come up with a general theme that directs our creative work for each launch. It gives us some navigation points for what kind of imagery we want, how we'll style our clothes for the shoots and most importantly what kinds of stories we want to tell.

This spring, we decided to focus on local businesses in our home city of Missoula Montana, as a way to shine light on the incredible people and stories in our community.

Our very first launch of Spring 2023 had a product selection with a very retro feel - a vintage outdoor silhouette, and some remixed fits. Internally, we chatted about the significance of early outdoor memories in how they've shaped the ways we spend time outside today. Childhood experiences of family camping trips, maybe a summer camp spent learning how to cook on a campfire and dress for the elements.

As the team started talking about this, we noted that gear and clothing were such an important piece of these memories for us. We had certain packs that we remembered, a pair of hiking boots from when we were 9 that we loved the purple shoelaces on, and that swooshy L.L. Bean anorak that packed up into itself.

While you will all go out and create memories in your new pieces the clothing also has a story of a life before it arrives to you. Clothing and gear with stories and memories.

And what better place to find clothing and gear with miles and miles of stories to their lives? The Sports Exchange - Missoula's funky outdoor gear consignment shop with layers of treasures, cute shop dogs, a rockin sound system and vibrantly energetic owners.

So on a bright Friday morning, we gathered some samples and our cameras and headed to the shop to shoot photos of owner Mini Ford (her and her husband Zach own the joint together) and learn what it's like to run The Sports Exchange. Spoiler alert - Mini has a personality that is anything but (mini) and we had an epic time.

Mini and Zach have owned the Sports Exchange since 2016, Zach used to work their under the previous ownership, and they have TRANSFORMED the space into a menagerie of interconnected treasure troves filled with everything from vintage wool button ups, to backcountry ski equipment, to sleeping bags, to ski onesies and even a colorful collection of wigs. The shop has been in Missoula since 1985 and they're passionate about keeping the dream alive.

Upon walking in, visitors are greeted by the friendly shop dogs who wobble around happily.

And great tunes. The sound system bumps and the playlists deliver - no sleepy news radio, they're serving up dance party. Which is what we got! Mini is a passionate hip hop dancer and entertained us with her talent as we moved throughout the space.

They recently acquired the cozy basement of the building and have set up an exciting maze of ski and snowboard equipment, fishing gear bikes and the "clearance cave" that doubles as a sweet spot to test out skateboards.

Mini says about running the business, "you never get bored. We see a lot of people, hear their adventure stories, see their cool photos - it's fun, it's really exciting!"

"We're a community shop. When you come here you find out it's not just a treasure house. When you spend money here, it goes back to the person who brought in the gear. It's a local thing"

One of Mini's biggest loves is teaching snowboarding in the winters (she RIPS), but she says "anything you see in the store, I do - even if just a little bit".

See Mini in action, in her treasure house over on instagram.

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We gave it a college try....

Posted by Mallory Ottariano · April 01, 2023

If you read yesterday's blog post then this will be extra shocking, but the time has come to be brutally honest with you and we haven't been.

For the last month we've been putting in ENORMOUS effort to build our own factory. In the wake of years and years of excruciating production nightmares that have cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars, the only way through seemed to be doing it ourselves. So, for the last 3 years, we've been taking steps to make that possible. Our CSA, that you all funded, provided cash flow for us to be able to get into a larger space, hire, and buy equipment.

And a month ago we started machines rolling at The Youniverse - our Missoula based in-house factory. We produced nearly 1000 pieces in the last several weeks but it hasn't been as peachy as we've led you to believe. Simply put, we have no idea what we're doing. And that has cost us immensely. We're behind on production, struggling to find talent, out of money and out of time.

Effective immediately, the Youniverse is closing shop. Youer will remain, but there's only one way we can survive as a brand and it's something we've been resisting for so so long.

We've been martyrs for USA-Made for YEARS, but we simply cannot do it any more. The profit margins on Made In USA are non-existent, and will put us out of business soon. So, today we submitted our first purchase orders to a factory in China. We hear your shock, and we're shocked too. We're devastated that it had to come to this, but to keep providing you with a high quality product, it has to be done.

So, this is the sad tale of yet another Made In USA failure in our long long list of them. While moving production to China is not the result we had hoped for, it will enable us to have consistent on-time production and lessen our overhead to increase profitability. Because, at the end of the day, Youer is run by capitalists and profit is all we care about. And all this time you thought we cared about people and the planet?! C'mon, that was just marketing.

If you made it this far, are feeling panic and confusion about why your favorite brand is taking a major pivot that doesn't align with your personal values, and haven't checked your calendar yet shame on you!

While this is probably a very mean April Fool's joke to play on you, REST ASSURED we're not changing ANYTHING about ANYTHING we're doing. While it's certainly true that we have no idea what we're doing, we're doing a pretty bang-up job of it and are totally loving the new adventure of producing in-house. It's given us a new refresh that feels exciting and challenging and not-boring in all the right ways.

Being martyrs for USA-Made is something we love deeply and our team is anything but un-talented. We're in awe of what we're all able to do on a daily basis, and while production might be a nightmare, our greatest nightmare is moving production overseas. That's not something we ever plan on doing.

While there may come a day when Youer ceases to excite people and our cash flow dries up, right now you are giving us so much love and support that these production dreams are financially possible and for that we cannot thank you enough. Thanks for supporting this wacky group of people who are just figuring shit out on a daily basis and trying to have fun along the way while providing you with things that have great stories and make getting dressed fun. We're gonna keep on doing this.

We hope this is the nastiest joke someone plays on you today.

Cheers!

Team Youer

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Keeping Up With Ma

Posted by Mallory Ottariano · July 30, 2021

The sun set behind us and the sky above the sea lit up in a rosy glow. I looked first at my sister, three years younger than me with salty sea drenched curls bouncing over her shoulders and a small contented grin easing across her face. Then I looked at my mother, salt and pepper short tight curls framing her face...

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