Treksalot
Portland, Oregon
Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do:
Mike: Treksalot
Hi! I'm Mike and I own and operate Treksalot from my charming little space in Portland, Oregon. I sell whimsical art prints, posters, postcards, stickers and other home goods inspired by my travels around the world.
Let us know more about your business name - how did you come up with it?
I walked away from a business partnership in late 2012 in order to go on my first substantial backpacking trip and started a blog called Treksalot. The plan was to document all of my hikes and treks over the next 10 months, and although the blog soon fizzled, the name stuck with me over the years. Let's just say I put a lot of miles on my hiking boots.
What is your signature style / item? How did it become so?
My go-to style is a combination of whimsical-fantastical with bright and vibrant colors. My bread and butter item is definitely my art prints as I've always gravitated toward unique wall art. I literally have a pile of prints that have never seen a wall (since all of mine are already full) and I hope to someday have a larger space to showcase everything :).
What makes your business unique to the industry?
All of my designs are uniquely personal to my travel adventures. As of now, I only do designs for countries I've had the pleasure of visiting and complete a character and landscape design for each. As someone that grew up with Where's Waldo books, I love hidden Easter eggs and thus I hide the two main characters (Alistair Treksalot and his maine coon cat Purna) in most of the designs, as well as my little mountain logo. I like to think I bring a fun and refreshing perspective to the art world.
What's been your biggest roadblock when it comes to business and how have you been able to overcome?
The art marketplace is extremely saturated and thus it's really all about making and executing a game plan to differentiate yourself from the competition. I've always been more of a grassroots kind of guy, so my initial focus has been getting my art front and center at numerous craft shows and festivals all over the US.
How has your business had to adapt amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic? What are you doing to navigate the situation?
I'll be honest, the pandemic has been a bit of a worst case scenario for relatively new artists like myself that were extremely reliant on the craft fair and festival circuit. I went full-time into Treksalot in July of 2019 and enjoyed a great half year of success at shows. I was extremely fortunate to get accepted into all of the shows I applied to for 2020, but we all know how that turned out. I've done everything in my power to pivot toward really bolstering my online presence and break into the wholesale scene, and in the long run I think it'll pay dividends. 2021 will definitely be a bit of a hybrid model, but I'm confident people will be ready to support artists in records numbers when the floodgates are finally reopened :).
What is your favorite part of what you do?
I love that I'm able to combine my love of travel, hiking, climbing, animals and designing. I also really love turning an idea / daydream into a tangible product that puts a smile on someone's face.
What is your *must do* local activity?
Staying on theme, I moved to Oregon (and the NW in general) because of the outdoor opportunities. Getting up early and spending a morning on any of the trails in Forest or Washington Park in downtown Portland is a bit of a religious experience for me :). If you're open to traveling 30-60 minutes, you can check off dozens of waterfalls and summits too. There are no shortages of dreamscapes!
Where to find Treksalot:
Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Treksalot
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Treksalot
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/treksalot13/