Camelback Culture
Phoenix, Arizona
Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do:
Jes: Camelback Culture
My name is Jes (please just one 's'); I am the Director, Designer, Social Media Administrator and in-house Photographer, etc for Camelback Culture.
CamelbackCulture.com @CamelbackCulture
@CamelbackCulture.shop (my personal artist account is @jes_plus_az)
My Design career began with Interior Design; running my own Design and Drafting consulting business in Texas for many years.
In early 2011, my husband, Benny, and I moved to Arcadia with our toddler twins. We immediately fell in love with our view of Camelback Mountain and Arizona at large.
After photographing Camelback, hiking it and obsessing over it for years, I created the Super Camelback graphic. It is a true honor to have created a design that connects with so many people.
Let us know more about your business name - how did you come up with it?
CamelbackCulture is a term coined by my husband and co-owner, Benny Shapiro.
Camelback is obvious-- The Mountain is a towering visual force across the Valley.
Culture is the merging of how people live together in a community; their combined beliefs, ideas, histories and ways of existing. We Are The Community-- everyone on and around the Mountain striving to do their best each day-- and we create the Culture Of Us!
What is your signature style / item? How did it become so?
Our signature graphic is Super Camelback-- the design that started it all.
Benny, my husband, had become an avid regular on Camelback in the years since we moved to Phoenix in 2011.
For our anniversary the summer of 2017, I created the very first Super Camelback graphic by hand for him. The idea was a flash of inspiration one day, while I was greeting Ben coming home from his morning run.
I made the first template out of freezer paper, by hand. He began to wear the shirt on his Camelback sky runs. By April of 2018, we were having the first ones printed en masse and making our very first sales.
We now offer many variations of the Super Camelback graphic, as well as Super Piestewa, the Praying Monk Yin Yang, our Sandi the Camel icon and so many more on CamelbackCulture.com
What makes your business unique to the industry?
Photo Courtesy Jessica Shapiro
We offer designs that Celebrate and Elevate the Camelback Mountain Community, regulars and visitors that appreciate it each day. Specializing in fabrics and styles that work for our beautiful desert climate.
You can now customize our Super Camelback and Super Piestewa graphics! We create our custom versions locally, in-house. Add text, like your personal motto or insta handle; or a small icon, like our Sandi the Camel, a mountain goat, our skyrunner silhouette, or even have your own silhouette added on top! Tell us your thoughts and we will work to make it happen.
What's been your biggest roadblock when it comes to business and how have you been able to overcome?
Learning the many sides of running a small business in retail and wearing the plethora of hats we small business owners wear-- especially as a maker, as well. I am still working through it each day— as I’m sure many people are, especially now with the added exterior stresses.
How has your business had to adapt amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic? What are you doing to navigate the situation?
We have brought the production of our custom merch in-house to avoid delays as much as we can on those direct orders. (please email CamelbackCulture@gmail.com for custom inquiries)
Honestly, our Community has been so supportive; continuing to place orders even thru the chaos.
What is your favorite part of what you do?
Seeing people smile when they wear our merch.
Hearing people ask on trail: "hey, where do I get 'THE Camelback shirt'"
And getting to witness all the amAZing folks in the Community connect and support each other.
What is your *must do* local activity?
We're trying to tie this into the local community.Well... hike Camelback, of course. Even just a visit to the trailhead is a portal to a special kind of natural magic. But a hike up with the Community, to see those views, will change your perspective on life. And so many SUPER people along the trail, regulars and visitors, to meet and greet. Our vertical Central Park— its the place to be!
Where to find Camelback Culture:
Website: CamelbackCulture.com
Instagram: @CamelbackCulture and @CamelbackCulture.shop
Facebook: @CamelbackCulture
Phone: 210-875-4295