It's finally here! Since saturating the local Summit County market with regularly recurring sales at all locations and even seeing the same results from locations as far away as Durango and Granby, I decided it was time to ramp up production this April and May after an instagrammer told me about the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show event June 9-11, 2022, in Denver at the Convention Center. It was a pretty awesome experience! Not what I'd hoped/halfway expected, but no negative feedback and generally gracious recipients and many last minute souvenir takers. Pretty sure that means they tried it and liked it enough
to take back to their family and friends... (fingers crossed!).
I got after it! The guys helped me prepare close to 3000 sample packets of both versions rubber banded to a business card, of which I personally handed out 2500. The general feedback was QUITE positive. Hopefully, some new orders in new areas of the country are generated from the event, and we'll start to see some greater brand traction Beyond Local.
I even got in trouble for leaving my booth and being a wandering sample passer-outer. I was told that never in 17 years had they seen someone do what I was doing. Which I take as a supreme compliment of the drive and passion that I have for the spruce...and for bridging that gap of disconnectedness between our Modernity and our Ancient Roots.
The proof is in the simple recipe of organic ingredients. And it really feels like the Spruce chose me, not the other way around. I introduced the pine and the spruce and the fir to countless thousands of Breck Nordic Center snow shoers, and it was they who helped me take a particular fondness of the spruce.
Looking back, it was like a romantic comedy where the guy introduces his friend-who-is-a-girl to all his family and friends until one day after all the positive introductions and their being totally enamored with this long time friend of his, he realizes he totally loves her and they'd been a perfect match all along.
All in all, the Outdoor Retailer World Premiere was worth as much as I made of it. Had I passed out 5000 sample packs it'd be better than "only" 3000. A week later, website traffic is up +200%, so I'll take that as a good outcome.
One-ounce body sticks arrived this week, so be on the lookout for those hitting the store SOON!
