new site update

i find that the closer to finishing a project the more excited i get. the excitement sometimes comes in the way of my productivity. i start to get really nervous about the project and the perspective of people actually looking at it and criticizing it. i've been experiencing this a lot today.

well, after postponning the launch date of our new site i've been working really hard to not miss the new one.

i now have all the content on the site that we will be launching with. i have all the design work done. now were moving into testing mode!

i can't believe how excited and nervous i am to being close to bringing this new site online. but i am also very thankful for a weekend where i might not have to work!

the end

When it comes to technology I'm pretty geek and most would say that I'm "plugged in" but I'm trying to blog via txt for the very first time.
I feel like a little kid at christmas!

Up to No Good

Lots and lots of design work lately. Completely changing the face of the website, not one but two new shirt designs, and new stickers!

With the removal of the sales portion of the website my job has changed a bit. No more database entry, product selection, sales, or managing of inventory and the list can go on. Now I'm just concentrating on primarily design, promoting, and social media.

random desk shot

I'm the type of person that like to have things well defined, structured, and organized. I believe in lists, excel, and productivity; therefore, the change is responsibilities has made me look at my job title and wonder about it's accuracy.

I don't think my boss would like it if I changed my title to CMO (chief marketing officer) and I don't think that CDO (chief design officer) exists, so in light of creating a new job title I have been spending a few minutes every morning on this job title creating website.

I haven't settled on anything yet, but hopefully soon I will have my new glorious job title and then my efficiency will increase by 13% at least!

POS Follow Up

Awhile back I posted that no one would open an outdoor store in Portland and call it the "Portland Outdoor Store" because the acronym would then be POS. I stand corrected. I rode the Portland Century on Sunday and as the group I was riding with was cruising through downtown out of the corner of my eye I saw it and I was amazed! From a distance I couldn't tell if it was still in business because the store front looked like a POS, but it exists or existed none-the-less!

retail site shut-down

well, after a year of trying very hard to sell products online we have had to make the tough decision to close down our online retail site. now, now, now don't be to sad!

instead we are going to direct our efforts and resources 100% on our information site instead.

the development has begun on a new site that will provide the most detailed information on local outdoor activities. also, we will continue to do gear reviews, product video overviews, and adventure write ups.

look for the new site this fall!

p.s. if there is something you would like to see on the site (e.g. a location, information, or aspect to beta) please let us know.

hoping, wishing, praying

someday, in my perfectly dreamed up world, my work would just do itself! if it did i think i could really do a lot of playing and even be more involved in the community. but until then i must keep pushing forward!

have a good weekend because before we all know it it will be monday again!

Amazon

In our continuing attempts to expand our online visibility we are currently working on becoming the newest seller on Amazon.com. We are pretty excited about this step. As every project that seems easy it is taking a lot longer then originally anticipated, but stay tuned and we will let you know as soon as the account is fully operational!

So much work for 500px

This past week and a half I spent redesigning the websites homepage. Most of the revamp has been finished and implemented. However, there are still a handful of loose ends to tie up. The major change was adding a picture of Sarah. She is after all a member of the team.



Secondly, we added direct links to some of our products. The idea here is to make the shopping experience simpler, easier, and more direct. Also, as products rotate through and seasons change we will be updating the links to continue making everyone's experience the best possible.



Thirdly, we removed the twitter feed from the AOS Culture portion of the homepage and replaced it with the product of the day. Don't worry all our twitter friends the feed is going to be relocated to the left hand navigation bar so you can see it on every page!



The changes leave us with the new and improved look!



We feel the changes are a big improvement, but we are anxious and excited to hear your thoughts!

Ashland vs Portland

It's been another long work week with lots of projects being completed and even more created. With the creation and brainstorming of new sites, marketing, and design projects for the store my brain was having a hard time shutting off last night for me to be able to fall asleep. This lead me to a great epiphany!

The acronym for the Ashland Outdoor Store that we so lovingly use is AOS. The reason why there isn't a Portland Outdoor Store is because the acronym would be POS. Nobody wants their store to be the POS store!

Mammut TX-1

Regular Price: $79.95 Item Of The Day Price: $67.95



The highest performance headlamp for absolute alpine use. The highly precise Total Reflex Optics with one HiFlux LED provides a beam that reaches 105 m light-range, and the lamp comes equipped with two Definition LEDs for 180 hours of Flood-light and Dual-light. Whether you're descending from ice-blown high camps in the early a.m., or enjoying an evening bike ride, the TX-1 is your headlamp of choice.

Read AOS's Review!

June Shirt Design

This is the original image. The photo was taken a handful of years ago by Verelle Stuck at Immigrant Lake outside Ashland.

First step is creating the Header image for the AOS website.

This is the initial concept for the shirt.

This is what the final design product (thank you Verelle) looks like before sending it off to Jess for printing.

Now were just all waiting for the shirts!

Subject Matter

Here it is the first of June. It's been over a month since my last post. In a lot of way's i'm forcing myself to write this post today. It is not for lack of desire. I really enjoy blogging and writing. Unfortunately, I really just haven't had anything to write about.

The main reason for this is because a while back I was criticized (not really anything new) for my writing. Surprisingly the criticism wasn't directed at my grammar or spelling like it usually is. The critic claimed that my passion for the outdoors, gear, job, and life that I have wasn't apparent and didn't come through in my writing anymore.

Despite what a lot of people think the opinions of others about me does matter and has an impact on me. I don't always agree with the opinions or criticism, but either way I still have to process it and it does affect me. So, this critics statements really hit me pretty deep because I do love the outdoors, gear, my job and my life. It has taken me a while to process through the statement and figure out how I want to use the information given to me.

One of the things that I realized through this is that not every post has to be positive or passionate about the outdoors. Also, posts do not have to be major each time. A post can be something simple and basic but the most important thing is frequency. I think that the criticism has really helped me redefine my ambitions for blogging and helped me streamline the process.

Therefore, the days of months between AOS blogs posts are over as well as the days of non-passionate-post!

Thank You Icebreaker

I love technology and that fact that I live in the era of social media!

Let me jog your memory. A few months back I wrote a blogpost ("Dear Icebreaker") regarding an Icebreaker shirt that I not only lost while mountain biking, but then found a year later. My post was a very nice letter to them explaining how much I loved my shirt and was stoked to find it, but that unfortunately, a year in the wilderness had taken it's toll on it and rendered it unwearable. At the end of my letter I asked if there was any way they could/would replace it for me.

Well, a few weeks back I was perusing the blog archives trying to gain some inspiration for a new post. In doing so I came across that post, and I realized I never heard back from Icebreaker about my shirt. Without really thinking about it I updated the AOS Facebook Fanpage status saying "sitting here this morning bummed that I haven't heard back from Icebreaker :(."

Me enjoying my new Icebreaker while writing this post!

Aparently, Icebreaker is also on Facebook and happens to follow your favorite outdoor store. Within a short while there was a nice comment on the status stating that I had forgotten to put my contact info and return shipping info on the letter. A few hours later I got a call from customer service here at the store, and they got a new shirt sent out to me that day.

I couldn't believe it! I mean, if it wasn't for Facebook I'd be sitting here without my nice new Icebreaker!

Also, I think it speaks to the quality of Icebreakers customer service and how well they stand behind their product! I just wanted to take the opportunity to acknowledge how awesome Icebreaker is as a company and to say thank you for replacing my shirt!

Trimming the Fat

First off, I can't believe I haven't posted a new post since the end of December. No wonder my coworkers think I don't do anything. This what has been on my mind lately!

No one, which unfortunately includes myself, can do it all! As hard as I try I always have more hobbies, passions, and interests then I can actually afford financially or devote enough time to.

I'm the kind of person that when I do something I don't want to just participate in it I want to be good at it if not the best. I also am compelled out of pure unadulturated gear lust to buy all the gear I need for that activity brand new, and even if I may only have the time do the activity once or twice a year. I would just rather own my own equipment then rent or barrow.

As I look around my room, garage, and house I realize that I plain and simply have to much gear for to many different activities. I can't do it all and therefore do not need to own all of the gear that I own. The easy part (even though the misconception is that admitting is the hardest part) is realizing this and admitting it. The hard part is determining how to narrow your focus of activities to a manageable amount. The hardest part is actually parting with you your gear!

Every time I make the decision to cut out a sport or activity I talk myself out of it because I just can't part with the gear. Which shows that the emotional investment in the gear is just as great if not greater then the monetary investment. So what are we to do?

My current plan is to enjoy the lust while it lasts and to let my garage continue to be cluttered with gear until I truly reach a breaking point and either can part with my gear or am forced do to space issues to trim my gear fat!