New downtown store celebrates beauty of wild places that surround us

Michael Vandahl will showcase his love of wild places with the fashions he provides at West Lyfe, a new sustainable clothes retail store he not too long ago opened at 729 Lincoln Ave. in downtown Steamboat Springs.

“I want the store to be a location that celebrates the western United States,” Vandahl stated. “It’s seriously primarily based on our wild spots remaining wild destinations and donating some of the income back again to corporations that aid secure wild places.”

The shop carries short and extended-sleeved shirts with artwork created by Vandahl that is impressed by the wild areas and magnificence that surrounds us. Collections involve Rocky Mountain Bear, The West Is Greatest Wild and Absolutely free, The West Soulflower, Preserve My Soul Wild, Rocky Mountain Trout and I Coronary heart the West made with messages that are important to Vandahl, a 2008 Steamboat Springs High College graduate.

Vandahl was a standout on the basketball court throughout his substantial school decades and went on to engage in college or university basketball at College of Denver wherever he walked on as a freshman. He put in two a lot more a long time at the College of Nebraska-Kearney and concluded up at Western Condition Colorado University where by he gained levels in company and environmental reports. In 2015, Vandahl was named head mentor of the basketball team at Steamboat Springs Higher Faculty.

Vandahl explained immediately after graduating from college it was tricky to obtain a equilibrium in between his two areas of examine, but sees West Lyfe as a confluence of all of his passions such as enterprise, the natural environment and art.

He also wishes to make absolutely sure his downtown shop is a put that draws persons in. Vandahl strategies to exhibit the artwork of area photographer Noah Wetzel, and function with artists that have ties to Steamboat Springs including Rashelle Stetman — who will create t-shirts for the keep.

Vandahl grew up in Steamboat Springs where he explained he obtained the notion for the shop about 5 many years in the past when he begun coming up with T-shirts, and building the artwork that is identified on them. He admits that it is been a mastering practical experience, but he also feels that his creations capture the Western lifestyle, and sites that we all really like and want to secure for foreseeable future generations.

He produced a web-site and began marketing objects on-line toward the end of April and opened his downtown shop a couple of weeks back on June 4.

He is hoping that the retail outlet in Steamboat will be a starting up position, and wishes to develop into other locations in the Southwest and perhaps even open up a keep on the West Coastline someday. He desires the shop to reflect and endorse a life style.

“One of the sayings that I’ve bought to arrive up with is live initially, operate afterwards,” Vandahl stated. “You know, we all have to function and with any luck , we are doing work for a thing we’re passionate about — but you also want to get out and are living your lifetime.”

Vandahl is doing the job with companies, together with Alternative which is striving for sustainability and Ambler which makes hats from sustainably sourced elements — these kinds of as organic cotton and recycled plastics — that are challenging and crafted with care.

“I needed to make a corporation that demonstrates the western United States, and I required to try to be as sustainable as doable,” Vandahl mentioned. “The aim is to come across like-minded businesses to do the job with.”

The corporations that make the merchandise found in West Lyfe get pride in delivering domestically-developed merchandise created from organic and natural cotton, and recycled polyester. A assertion on the West Lyfe internet site says that the company is informed of how our life-style selections negatively effects our purely natural planet, and that West Lyfe is tackling this problem head on by operating a greener business and defending the most fragile places.

“I definitely preferred to get into a position where we rejoice artwork, and the western United States,” Vandahl explained. “Hopefully it is going to be a awesome position.”

To get to John F. Russell, call 970-871-4209, electronic mail [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.