As some of you may have heard, Fayettechill opened a new store location off Dickson at 205 W. Dickson Street. I had the privilege of listening to Eric Kearney, the Basecamp manager of Fayettechill, speak in my Marketing Management class recently. Eric has such an inspirational story, especially for anyone majoring in marketing or those who just love the outdoors and everything Fayettechill stands for.
When asked about the new store, Eric said “(we are) upping product assortment, (adding an) additional 1,200 square feet that I get to manage.” The new store is located in what used to be an Ozark Smokehouse restaurant: “It’s really cool to have this wood theme throughout our company warehouse and now our new store.”
Eric came to the University of Arkansas in 2008. He worked all through out college. The main thing that was a bummer working through college is that he “would put on a nice shirt and tie, get in (his) car, and drive away.” When he was wrapping up class and heading to work, he would always see people outside having fun and enjoying their college experience. Outside of class and work, though, Eric was involved with the club sport, Ultimate Frisbee and got to travel around the country.
One of Eric’s goals was to get his marketing degree and work for Nike. During his senior year, he sought out ways that he could work for Nike. He eventually moved to Dallas and started working for Nike and actually got chosen to work for the company through a football training camp that toured the country: “every weekend was a new city and I was setting up a new football training camp.” Before he graduated, he met a guy named Devin who essentially became a part owner of Fayettechill. Eric got asked to work for Fayettechill when there were only 5 guys in 2013. Eric took over the Basecamp, and manages 5 employees. Since then, Fayettechill Basecamp has always done better than the previous season. Eric has also developed a climbing competition for the company. They also partner heavily with the Outdoor Connection Center at the Hper.
“Anyone can essentially become part of the Fayettechill mindset. Embrace the values we have and you become a Fayettechill person.”
Describe what the Fayettechill brand means to you. It provides a community for anybody that is not just constantly outdoors, but is inspired by it also. It’s not that we are always outdoors, but it’s that we desire to be and we can relate to it and kind of allow it to fulfill that desire.
How do you make sure the Fayettechill brand does not lose sight of what it stands for? Essentially, your consumers need to be embedded in every single process otherwise you lose sight of what you stand for. The big question is (when making a new product), who is this intended for and what are we trying to accomplish. There is a target market, which is something that we know and something I personally like to cater to because that is the group who accepts us and is involved the most. But the business model says to go beyond that and find new consumers. It’s a balance to find new people and new things while maintaining our brand identity
Considering your experience with Nike, do you think that Fayettechill would become more of a technical performance brand? We do want to get into the technical apparel while also maintaining a relaxed culture, along with producing environmentally sustainable items for the outdoor enthusiast.
What is your vision for Fayettechill? I think it would be really cool for the adaptation of Fayettechill to no longer have a geographic specification. No longer to be a specific area in a specific state. Anyone who hangs a hammock in California, I want it to become Fayettechill California.
How did you set yourself apart during interviews, considering how successful you are now? I think the biggest thing would be to try to tackle something you are really passionate about. I came to college with the idea that you are supposed to make a lot of money when you get out. I (quickly) realized there are all of these specific positions that allow for this, but weren’t really desirable. So, I changed my direction and went in to it just wanting to do something I would enjoy and not something that is a routine over and over. Find a passion and grow it. Connect with people that have done it before.
How did Fayettechill even become Fayettechill? Fayettechill was founded by Mo Elliot. Somebody asked him when he was going back to “Fayettechill” his junior year. Being in the entrepreneurship program, he thought, “I can do something with that.” He made a Fayettechill sticker and eventually started selling t-shirts out of his dorm room. Then, he started selling them online and off the rack. The warehouse is now located at the base of Mt. Kessler in the southwest corner of Fayetteville.
They have developed a summer lifestyle festival which is called End of Summer Daze (last year it was called Summer Solstice.) They had hiking, mountain biking, yoga, etc. They even won business of the year this year. They sponsor athletes and even have brand ambassadors. “People just come up to us and want to represent everything Fayettechill.” We have also grown our non-profit to include Buffalo River Foundation, Ozark Offroad Cyclists, Refresh (Fayetteville Art Project), Arkansas Climbers Coalition, the Ozark Highlands Trail Association, and the local Trout Unlimited chapter.
Website: http://shop.fayettechill.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fayettechill
Facebook for Basecamp: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fayettechill-Basecamp/376848929116403
Instagram: http://instagram.com/fayettechill
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Fayettechill