Don't forget your MITTENs!

Sweet companies, yeah Michigan has some of the coolest cats you could find! We have Michigan Awesome, Bell's Brewing, Cherry Republic, M22 and Great Lakes Proud. But there is a new group to the scene: The Awesome Mitten, a great company that is focusing on their 365 Days of Awesome campaign where they feature one super dooper cool thing about the land shaped like a hand each day! We are not talking about a little blurb, we are looking at solid copy on something new and awesome each day, how sweet it is!

Through correspondence with Alex Beaton, Business Development & Marketing Director for The Awesome Mitten, over the past week I have gotten the goods on what makes The Awesome Mitten so sweet:

1.       Where did the idea for the Awesome Mitten come from?

Well, this is the long-short version of it. I moved back to Michigan in September 2010 after living in Nashville, TN. When I decided to move back, my Tennessee friends didn’t understand why, which I understood, because most of them had never been north of Kentucky. What I didn’t understand, was why my Michigan friends were asking me why I was moving back. Since I had left, I had heard about all these cool things happening in Michigan; incubators were popping up all over the place, as were co-working spaces. There seemed to be tech movement of some kind going on in Detroit, TEDx events were happening all over the state, Grand Rapids now had Art Prize and seemed to position itself as this progressive hub -all of this stuff plus so many others I thought was incredible! So in a frustrated fury, I wrote a letter to the editor voicing my confusion: why weren’t Michiganders proud of all these things going on? How did we expect the rest of the nation to speak positively of us, if we couldn’t even muster up anything good to say? It’s kinda like the self help bullshit that I scoff at: “You have to first believe in yourself before you can expect anyone else to believe in you” - but its true. So one sleepless night in late September I bought the domain AwesomeMitten.com, started up a Facebook & a Twitter and went from there.

2.       What kind of products are you currently offering?

Just t-shirt and pins. We really aren’t aiming to make retail our primary business, but  instead focus on the content. Retail is merely a way to fund our adventures!

3.       Do you support any local projects or groups? 

We support anybody who supports MI!

Lilac Festival (Photo by Mel Libby)

4.       Favorite piece of Michigan lore?

The story about the Sleeping Bear Dunes! About the mama bear and her cubs! This just made me realize I don’t know that many Michigan tales. Hmmmm, I feel a new section of the website being born...

5.       Best Beach:

Empire. North of Traverse City. Hands down my favorite! Though I am also partial to an awesome beach along Highway 2 in the UP!

6.       Best Meal:

How can I choose?! I can’t, I just can’t. It literally changes every month! And depending on the city. I travel so much! Right now: In Traverse City, I’m a huge fan of the bruschetta at Stella. In Lansing, the pesto chicken club at Tavern of the Square. In Grand Rapids, the grilled cheese The Electric Cheetah. In Detroit, the mac n’ cheese at Cliff Bells.

7.       Best MI Beer:

I’m such a girl, I don’t drink beer....but my favorite Michigan wine (so far!) is Chateau Grand Traverse Late Harvest Riesling.

Founders Fest in GR (Photo by Chad Cramblet)

8.       Favorite Great Lake:

I’m very biased on this one. Lake Michigan. I grew up in Traverse City!

9.       Favorite outdoor activity in Michigan:

Are campfires an outdoor activity? Because I’m a big fan. I’m outside all summer long (as much as my schedule allows), usually on a lake!

Balloonfest in Howell (Photo by Brittany Green)

10.    Favorite Michigan based product:

This one is so hard!! My current obsessions are Great Lakes Potato Chip Company’s Sea Salt & Vinegar chips and Michigan Ice Cube Trays. The ice cube trays are so ridiculously cool! (no pun intended)

11.    Best advice you have been given about your company:

Have journalistic integrity. Anyone can pay to be listed on a site, but what we’re offering is free promotion of thing we genuinely enjoy doing! That same person told me, don’t try to do it all right off the bat - don’t be afraid to launch sections/features/products after your initial launch. That I really appreciated because I am such a type A personality, that until that point, in my mind I had to have this SUPER product at launch. And it was going to be perfect. But as a user of a great many websites and web apps, I enjoy the upgrades! They make me feel like the company is listening to my feedback, and cares about creating a better, more useful product for me. 

12.    What music do you guys jam to when you are packing boxes?

I wish I could rattle off some awesome Michigan artists, but I’m currently working on discovering them (with the help of our Music Director, Jon Miller)! So right now its the Black Keys.

(Photo by Jon Miller)

13.    Largest order filled to date:

This depresses me. I feel like it should be some outrageous number! We’ve only been selling for three weeks! 10 - a person bought them for all of their visiting family.

14.    Where is the farthest that you have shipped an order?

            Denver, CO

15.    If you were a pizza topping what would you be?

Feta, cuz feta makes it betta!

16.    Advice you would give others in starting your own business:

I think you can’t be afraid to talk about your business, no matter what it is or where it is in the development process! I have made so many truly valuable connections and met some awesome people, all because I reached out to talk to them. I might not have even known exactly why I needed to talk to them when I first reached out, but it yielded some great results! Also, find someone to do it with you. Ask for suggestions! Two of our most important things were suggestions - the t-shirt logo, and the “365 Days of Awesome” campaign. The campaign was such an incredible suggestion because it really helped us articulate a clear, concise goal for year one. Also, starting a company by yourself sucks - I’ve done it (not the Mitten), and its hard. Its so important to have someone who shares your vision and is there to collaborate with!

17.    Have you considered making Awesome Mitten Patches?

YES! We have so many ideas of the type of products we’d like to do! Retail is a icky business though, and requires cash to maintain inventory. Therefore we’re taking baby steps and testing the demand.

18.    Future plans for Awesome Mitten?

Too many to count! We’ve got an events calendar launching early next week, and a “Little Mittens” (stuff to do with kids) section coming in July. We’ll be hosting a launch party in September. Events are going to be a pretty regular thing for us starting in late 2011/early 2012. Obviously we would like to expand our merchandise offerings. We are also hoping for an optimized mobile site. I could go on and on with our plans, but we’ll leave it at that for now.

19.    Do you guys have a website, Facebook or Twitter account where people can check you out?

            www.awesomemitten.com, 


            www.facebook.com/awesomemitten,  


            www.twitter.com/awesomemitten

I would like to thank Alex for taking the time for this pseudo interview. We cannot wait to see what the next campaign is. (while thoroughly enjoying this one of course)

Please check out their daily blog: www.awesomemitten.com, it is chock full of great stories from all across this great state. You will be hooked in no time.

-J

2 Mile Challenge Update:

Just me here, wanted to stop by and update you all on my mileage for the Clif Bar 2 Mile challenge!

I have currently evaded using my car for 59.45 miles!

I think that all that fresh air is starting to lift my spirits!

Good luck with all of your endeavors

-J

Southeast Mitten is getting some good rain!

Thought I would share a little video of the water falling from the sky, it is pretty sweet, finally some good rain.

Enjoy.

-J

2 Mile Challenge Update:

As of this morning I am at 18.5 commuting miles saved by biking!

Hope your day rocks!

-J

Topeak Model DXP Trunkbag Review

Face it; biking to work, school or running errands straight up rocks! But you know what does not, arriving at your destination with a soggy spot on your back from a poorly ventilated backpack.

Wearing a loaded backpack also tends to cause a lot of unneeded stress on my lower back. This is where I started the search for an alternative to carrying my stuff on my back. The one that most suited my needs was a type of pannier system. After a solid month of internet searches, and posting questions on forum walls I chose a model by Topeak: the DXP Trunkbag.

This heavy duty constructed bag has two side zippers that open to unveil panniers on each side, a true bonus for when you are out and find yourself picking up more than you planned, or when you just need to bring a lot of stuff to wherever you are going.

The capacity is 22.6 liters. This size has proven to be more than enough for me, even on days when I am hauling my laptop, power cord, coffee, school book, pad of paper and a snack. In fact, with such a load I can still make my way to the library and pick up a few of my reserved items as well. The size is great.

See how easily the shoulder strap can be put so that it does not have to be removed

As mentioned earlier it is a bummer carrying a large load on your back, and you are often limited to how much you can carry based on the weight. Never fear with this item, the only limiting factor to how much it can carry is the rack strength!

Attaching the DXP to a rack is so easy and convenient that anyone could do it without worrying about the ability of your lashing skills:

The attached rail on the bottom of the bag simply slides into the corresponding slot on the Topeak rack, and;

Then clips securely into place, making attachment pretty worry free.

I have been using this combo for three solid weeks of daily commuting and I have yet to notice any wobble at all. Once you clip this in it is there to stay, what a great idea.

The bag comes with a shoulder strap (which I leave attached to the unit for ease of use) as well as a movable internal dividing wall (mine is placed in the left of the image). The divider is great to keep items from moving around inside the bag. 

I bought the additional rain cover, which I have not had to use yet, but when I do I will update this.

The DXP on my Schwinn Trailway Commuter

I have nothing bad to say about this unit as of three weeks in. I am very happy with my purchase. Some reviewers say that they hit their feet on the panniers when they are extended, but I have not had this problem yet, if you have such a problem there is a good chance that a slight adjustment in the position of the the rack will remedy the situation.

Before using this system I used the Osprey Momentum backpack, but my load for school was getting heavier and heavier, I sweat too much and there was no room to pick anything extra after class. This trunk/ pannier set-up is definitely the way to go, now I can take supplier for class, extras to study and still have room for after/ pre class errands.

If you have any questions please ask, I will happily answer them as quick as I can.

Burn carbs not oil!
-J

Hot weather is great and all but...

I am done with it. I would much rather hike with the sound of crisp leaves underfoot and the faint wisp of wood smoke in the air that to constantly clomp through soggy humid trails with the thick smell of vehicle exhaust lingering for what seems like ever.

Michigan's Summer month's have two distinct characteristics: they are intense, but short-lived. While in recent years the warm weather has persisted until late September, the nighttime temps still dip to a tolerable range.

Everyone says that they love Summer, however you cannot deny that you equally love seeing that first turned leaf, or the first time you put on a jacket and actually need it, and how about those chilly rainy Sundays that seem to go for days; you cannot help but curl up, grab a book or movie and just enjoy those days.

I have been thinking of cooler times lately as I feel that they bring out the true scholar in me. Maybe it is just that I am programmed to associate school with the Fall, and thus my internal workings can feel the need to absorb knowledge that is coming around the corner. Lets hope that I can harness this scholarly feeling earlier than usual this year as I am now engaged in a year-round program.

Despite not enjoying this heavy weather, I am making the most of it; I am studying outside, leaving the windows open, smelling the fresh-cut grass, taking walks with Chelsea Marie, and enjoying seeing the exponential growth of my beloved plants. So the summer is not all bad :)

I will continue to look for the extraordinary in the everyday!

In other news the 2 mile challenge continues today; gonna rack up another 9 miles with my trip to school and back. If I am feeling ambitious I will also post a review of my new bike bag later on!

Chills me right out!

Stay cool friends.

-J

A little something to start the week

I have answered the call, I have accepted the challenge! The http://2milechallenge.com/ that is!

Clif bar (makers of delicious and nutritious snacks) will be awarding $100,000 in grants to non-profits that focus on educating and keeping people safe during smart commutes.

The challenge centers on the data that most of our trips are in the range of two miles or less, and by making these by bike we will not only reduce the amount of toxic material that we release onto the Earth, but we will also become healthier.

This is a great cause, and if you you have been biking for your short trips you should sign up and start logging your miles! If you have not been biking, but you have been thinking about it, this is a great reason to take that next step. Your actions will make a difference in so many ways. Please take the time to sign up.

And if your commute is simply too long or dangerous to make it by bike, then follow me at my profile: http://2milechallenge.com/profile/randomstream 

Give this a shot!

Have a great week.

-J