We would never say that starting a business is easy. But the best thing we ever did as a Town Hall team was to align early on our purpose and start this business from the heart, laser-focused on our strong core values. So, why are we making sustainable kids outdoor apparel? The story is one of fear, risk, passion and love.

The Beginning

In the summer of 2018, two of the co-founders of Town Hall were blissfully deep into strong careers at a small(ish) outdoor brand in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Raising adventurous and passionate kids, giving back to this great community and spending tons of time outdoors, there was never any intention of leaving Steamboat. So, when an announcement came that the brand was moving to the big city, there was surprise, fear and a lot of tears.

A passionate entrepreneur and dear friend in town grabbed ahold of the two co-founders and said 'Well, what are you guys going to start? How are you going to keep jobs in Steamboat and continue building and giving back to this community that you love so much and that loves you?' 

The Venn Diagram

After much soul-searching and many great meetings on chairlifts, in downtown garages and on barstools, the two co-founders realized the entrepreneur was right - they couldn't leave Steamboat and they indeed wanted to help the community and the planet. So the three started honing their plans together.

They looked high and low for opportunities and thought deep and wide about their passions and skillsets. White space in the industry? Gaps in the marketplace? Those were indeed important, but they needed something more. Something that made them leap out of bed everyday and something that really made an impact. 

What came together next is now, fondly known as the Town Hall Venn Diagram. The founders asked themselves three questions:

1) Why are we staying in Steamboat? It's this great community and we want our kids to continue to grow up here.

2) What are we good at and what do we enjoy? Between the three of us, we are good at creating outdoor apparel, we love the outdoor industry and, thanks to the entrepreneur, we know how to start a business.

3) What are we passionate about? The planet. We can't just create stuff to create more stuff. 

Now What?

Those three questions met in the middle and Town Hall was born. After doing some market research, looking at the competitive landscape and running lots of numbers, the idea to create sustainable kids outdoor apparel looked viable and the team was off to the races. 

So, where to start? First and foremost, they established the mission, vision, purpose and values.

At the heart of everything we do at Town Hall,

COMMUNITY and PLANET are our reasons for being. 

The team knew that by determining those values early, every decision could be run through those filters and it would make life much easier...and the planet and our community better. And it has. All the way down to establishing the company as a Public Benefit Corporation whose legally filed public benefit is: "being planet positive by contributing more to the planet and its people than it takes" and "contributing to the wellbeing of the communities of Northwest Colorado". As long as Town Hall exists, that cannot change. 

Let's Get to Work

OK. So, how exactly are we going to do this? Stay tuned to read about what has transpired since the Venn Diagram and how we are bringing this brand to life.