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After I noticed the mountaineering backpack that had been my journey companion for greater than 30 years wanted some restore — if it may very well be repaired, that’s — my coronary heart sank.
That basic blue and crimson Lowe Alpine pack was stuffed to overflowing with reminiscences of moonlit high-altitude bivouacs, magical backcountry hut ski journeys, and greater than two months on Mount Everest within the Nineteen Eighties. It wasn’t merely a chunk of utilitarian gear, it carried deep sentimental worth.
A chunk of plastic had damaged, so the shoulder strap harness couldn’t be anchored correctly to the pack. Given its age, discovering a substitute half appeared extremely unlikely. Determined for an answer, I attempted two mountaineering outlets. The primary one appeared extra considering promoting me a brand new pack. The second, Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, didn’t have an answer however instructed I attempt a store in Outdated City Lafayette referred to as Naked Boulder Design & Restore.
“If anybody can repair it,” the person at Neptune mentioned, “they will.”
I went straight to Naked Boulder, at 409 S. Public Street, the place proprietor Eli Shirzadian assured me he knew simply methods to repair it. He calmly defined how he would take away the damaged plastic piece and sew the shoulder straps on to the pack with reinforcing materials. I used to be overwhelmed with a way of reduction. He mounted it for $100 — in all probability lower than a 3rd of what it will have value to switch it — and since then I’ve introduced him two ski parkas that wanted restore.
Not solely does he do nice work, he’s additionally a fantastic story. Shirzadian immigrated from Armenia within the Nineteen Nineties along with his mom, a brother and a sister following the demise of his father attributable to a coronary heart assault at age 40. Shirzadian was 18. They settled in Boulder, the place he had an uncle.
“It was scary,” Shirzadian of transferring 6,500 miles as an adolescent and having to study a brand new language. “But it surely’s thrilling on the identical time. It’s been a blessing. I name this residence. I really like the folks right here. They’re very supportive.”
He went to Entrance Vary Group Faculty to discover ways to design and develop merchandise that required experience in stitching, however following his dream wasn’t straightforward. He’d rise up at 3 a.m., borrow his uncle’s automotive and ship the Boulder Each day Digicam newspaper earlier than going to morning lessons. Then he’d work full-time at King Soopers from 1 p.m. till midnight, get a pair hours of sleep and do it once more.
He discovered graphic and prototype design, then went to work for an area firm that makes tender tops for Jeeps and automobiles, changing into an professional at stitching. Later he began his personal enterprise designing and creating merchandise — backpacks, tents, sleeping baggage, purses — for main firms and startups.
“You’ll not study a lot in class about such a commerce,” Shirzadian mentioned. “Initially, you must prefer it, which I do. I really like creating merchandise for different firms. I understand how to design and I understand how to stitch. That makes my job a lot simpler than the one that solely does design or stitching. If you know the way issues are speculated to go collectively as a designer, and you know the way to stitch, it simply makes your job a lot a lot simpler designing a product.”
That’s nonetheless a giant a part of what Naked Boulder does.
“They’ve the thought of the product, they arrive to us, we create the patterns, we give them the complete bundle to allow them to begin manufacturing,” Shirzadian mentioned. “We create a mockup, which is a less complicated model of the particular prototype. As soon as they take a look at that, primarily based on their suggestions, we create the precise prototype. As soon as they’ve the prototype, they will go to any manufacturing firm (for mass manufacturing), wherever on the globe.”
About 10 years in the past he expanded into repairs: fixing zippers, backpacks, tenting and technical gear, ski gear and leather-based items together with purses, purses and footwear. He employs two seamstresses, one full-time, one part-time. His enterprise has thrived, however not with out some scary occasions in the course of the COVID lockdown.
“We needed to shut the store for some time, and I believed I used to be going to lose the enterprise as a result of we had no revenue for months,” Shirzadian mentioned as a seamstress labored on stitching a tent close by. “I acquired inventive, I began making masks, that was the one motive we might survive. Everybody stopped coming, we had no prospects. At first we had been making masks simply to provide out without spending a dime to folks as a result of there have been shortages of masks.
“Folks began speaking, and all of the sudden we had 20-30 folks lined up on the road, asking for masks. The enterprise picked up and I needed to rent a few folks,” Shirzadian mentioned. “Solely on this nation, folks can succeed like this. No different place on the planet you are able to do this, go as an immigrant and achieve success.”
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