“That was kind of a testament to the whole project,” said OakiWear Assistant Manager Kenneth Allan. “We just blew right through [the recession] and stayed on top.”
Simper’s inspiration for running OakiWear goes beyond her entrepreneurial spirit or the experience she had with her own kids. She wants her company to be part of a larger movement toward encouraging all children to play outdoors.
“Developmentally, [being outside] is essential for kids,” the owner said. “People have let it go for long enough and we’re starting to see some real major impacts from that… [kids] need that time when their minds are just free to do what they want and manipulate their environment.”
While families around the world with the same beliefs have become OakiWear customers, some of the company’s most notable clients are actually schools – many serving 150 to 300 students.
“In Michigan, the Chippewa Nature Center is one of the biggest in the country that fosters this love for the outdoors,” Simper explained. “We can always tell when it’s back-to-school night in August or September because the orders just roll in.”
Even though OakiWear’s products are perfect for the local market, Simper said many Pacific Northwest families have no idea the company operates in their backyard. Allan said this was a surprise for him when he was hired five months ago.
“We get orders from all over the place – Canada, Alaska, all over the country – more so than we do locally,” he said.
Despite this, Simper plans to keep her company in the area and attempt to grow their local exposure. Proximity to the major port city of Seattle encouraged her to stay in the Northwest. Moreover, this is the right climate for perfecting her product.
“There are creeks everywhere,” she exclaimed. “There aren’t very many places with that kind of outdoors all around you.”
After experiencing more than 150 percent growth over the past two years, OakiWear recently moved into an office on 134th Street. With an increasing number of customers coming into the location to shop, Simper and Allan hope to someday have a retail store. A redesigned website, new products and increased social media outreach are all part of the plan to keep OakiWear growing and inspiring children’s growth, too.
“They’re only little for a short time,” Simper said. “If we can encourage even a couple of families to get outdoors with their kids, then it’s worth it.”
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