Back in 2021, Jo毛lle Comeau was set to run off and join the circus.
More specifically, the Squamish resident鈥攁n acrobat, slackliner and highliner鈥攈ad gotten a contract to perform with a circus and was set to leave the Sea to Sky Corridor for a time.
鈥淚 was sad to leave my friends,鈥� Comeau said. 鈥淚 wanted to give them a gift before I left鈥攖he slackline and highline community鈥攁ll my friends.鈥�
She came up with a simple idea: she drew an image of a stick figure on a highline and put them on 100 pairs of socks.
鈥淲hen I was thinking about a gift. I was thinking everyone has too many shirts and hoodies. Something everyone is needing is socks,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 gave 50 of them to friends before I left.鈥�
But shortly after leaving, she got injured and had to return home. 鈥淚 think I was having more fun in Squamish anyway,鈥� she added with a laugh.
With 50 pairs of socks leftover from her goodbye giveaway, she decided to sell them. 鈥淪ix months later they were all gone,鈥� she said. 鈥淎 second edition sold out in two weeks. [I realized] Oh, there鈥檚 something there.鈥�
Since, then Comeau has branded the project The Rowdy Town and added several new pairs to her offerings.
They鈥檙e hemp, cotton, and merino wool and all feature stick figures doing Squamish sports from skydiving to biking, hiking and disc golf.
By the third run, Comeau managed to get the items into local stores, including at the Sea to Sky Gondola, Random & Co., Funky Monkey Boutique and Evolution Whistler鈥攊n addition to her website.
鈥淭he stores keep asking for more, so I know they do sell,鈥� she said.
She鈥檚 since added bucket hats, a goggle cover and patch, but socks remain her focus.
鈥淪omething kind of fun about the socks is there鈥檚 always a secret message hidden under the cuff,鈥� Comeau said. 鈥淚n the ski sock the secret message is, 鈥楴ice calves.鈥� It鈥檚 always a fun message in the cuff. That鈥檚 one touch.鈥�
More recently, she鈥檚 used her Rowdy Town website to launch a twice-a-year free magazine. It鈥檚 partly to build the brand and partly to share different stories.
鈥淚 wrote an article called 'The Power of Laughter,'鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I was looking for a subject I thought, 鈥楲aughing is the foundation of the Rowdy Town brand.鈥� I talk about why things are funny, what happens to our brains when we laugh, how can we cultivate happiness.鈥�
It turns out it 鈥渨as a lot of work,鈥� she said. 鈥淸I plan to] do it twice a year鈥攖he same time I release new sock editions.鈥�
In the meantime, the socks 鈥渁re a great stocking stuffer,鈥� she said.
鈥淭he goal is to make great socks. I don鈥檛 want to make socks that will get holes in them. I want to make good quality socks. Socks that people actually want to wear.鈥�
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