Hannah Bumgarner
Oct. 26, 2017
Andrew Petersen, like many Blacksburg residents, is adventurous and free spirited. He enjoys hiking, surfing, rock climbing and anything that takes him outdoors. It’s these experiences that ultimately developed his apparel brand, Spindrift Local Wear.
“I have a disease of starting new businesses,” said Petersen.
This “disease” is how he makes a living. He first started his own construction company when he and his family made the move from Baltimore, Maryland to Blacksburg in 2010. Originally from upstate New York, Petersen longed for the mountain air and discovered Baltimore wasn’t the place he and his wife wanted to raise their three children.
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While construction provides the money Petersen needs to support his family, he is constantly searching for an outlet for his true passions. His apparel brand that he developed earlier this year called Spindrift local wear highlights places in the area that are only truly appreciated by those who are from the area.
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“That’s the idea, is to create a design of something that actually means something to somebody,” said Petersen.
Blacksburg, Va., Oct. 23, 2017, The Entrepreneur,
Petersen is a self proclaimed "hat guy," which was another influence for developing his brand, Spindrift. He is holding one of his favorite hats. (Photo: Hannah Bumgarner)
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Petersen is the primary brain behind the operation, but also collaborates with fifth-year-senior at Virginia Tech, Nathan Sipantzi to design the artwork to go on the hats and apparel. They hike together and take pictures of local spots then design from there.
Petersen also reaches out to artists in the area to incorporate their artwork. For example, Pam Sable‘s drawing of McAfee Knob is featured on several of hist t-shirts and sweatshirts.
In the short amount of time since Petersen created his brand, he has already seen tremendous success. While the brand of Spindrift is inspired by the Blacksburg area, Petersen doesn’t think the market is limited whatsoever.
“I have intentions of moving into different states and finding local spots in different states and doing new designs of those as well as new designs of this area,” said Petersen.
Petersen is turning over his marketing to Blue Mobius Marketing, a company based in Blacksburg. His products are also hitting the shelves of Back Country Ski and Sport in the next few weeks.
Blacksburg, Va., Oct. 23, 2017, Artist Spotlight,
Petersen shows off local artist, Pam Sable's art of McAfee Knob. Sable is a unique artist who draws everything in one continuous line. (Photo: Hannah Bumgarner
Creating apparel that "means something"
Local Blacksburg entrepreneur combines his admiration of the outdoors with his passion for design to create an apparel company.