Today we’d like to introduce you to Christin Anderson.
Hi Christin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi there! My name is Christin Anderson, and I’m the shop owner of Altitude Accessories. We create custom aviation apparel and accessories for the whole family! I am a Veteran and spent a total of 5 years serving in the United States Coast Guard and 3 as a Reserve. I am also a proud military spouse to an F-18 Super Hornet pilot in the Navy. Having been on both sides of a military lifestyle I was able to see a dire want and need for military aviators, civilian aviators, and their families to obtain “swag” showcasing their aviation journey. Apparel and accessories customized to individual groups, such as squadrons, were extremely hard to come by. Especially on demand and in their airframe of choice. I knew I wanted to close this gap, but I didn’t have a direct method of attack right away. Until…
The Birth of Altitude Accessories:
It started with a hair bow in a Japanese NICU… From early 2017 to 2020, my husband and I were stationed in Japan. To sum up our time there our first baby was born, and my husband was deployed 90% of the time. I worked tirelessly at obtaining my Master’s Degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. Hours before we were supposed to board a plane to move back to the United States, I went into preterm labor with my second child two months early. She was born in a Japanese hospital in Hiroshima and stayed in the NICU for 30 days. Time stood still. My last days in Japan were spent sitting next to my daughter’s incubator. I knew I needed to do something to distract my mind. So, I started cutting fabric by hand and made hair bows for all of the Japanese babies in the NICU. Including my little Remi. By the time it was our turn to take our baby home for good, my bows were on every single NICU incubator. I remember how it made me feel, and I couldn’t wait to make more! One hair bow lead to another, which lead to Altitude Accessories’ first product…the classic leather aviation hair bow. After posting to social media about these cute little aviation hair bows, I was stunned to find my inbox flooding with people who wanted one. My kitchen quickly turned into an entire hair bow-making operation, and I couldn’t get them out the door fast enough! It was the motivation I needed and the beginning of business entrepreneurship.
Since COVID was new and I had a preemie baby to take care of finding a job with my new degree under my belt felt extremely distant and near impossible. However, mixing my drive with my passion for aviation representation within our communities, I dove in and created Altitude Accessories from home. One product led to another, and in under a year, it took off (no pun intended) to become something I never thought possible. We have grown tremendously over the past two years through word of mouth and our amazing supportive customers. I truly love what I do, and it’s given me a sense of professional accomplishment while being able to stay home with my three young children.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are always obstacles to anything worthwhile in life. I have spent a large amount of time creating my business which has been both rewarding and daunting. I say daunting because I have 3 very young children, and I tend to solo parent most of the time. My husband’s job takes him away for very long periods of time, and managing life with a highly logistical business is…hard. However, I will have to say that the business itself came easier than most things in my life. There was such a high demand for something like this, and once word got out, I found myself growing faster than I could keep up with his creating a major struggle with “a good problem to have.” Learning how to grow within a short period of time is something we are still working through. (Insert Shark Tank shout-out here.) However, even with these struggles down a smooth road, I wouldn’t have it any other way! I love meeting and interacting with my customers and seeing such great satisfaction when they receive their products!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We create Custom Aviation Products for the Whole Family! They are easily customizable within the product descriptions, and there is no minimum order! Our number one seller is the men’s button-down shirt, and we are most proud of our aviation shoe line! Brand-wise, we are most proud of Altitude Accessories’ reputation for quality products and great customer service!
What do you think about luck?
Luck: I am married to a fighter pilot, and I’ve also served in the Coast Guard, so speaking to my military audience is easy and organic.
Bad luck: I didn’t know there were so many airplane variants, so there was a very fast-paced learning curve.
Good luck: I’m a fast learner and may know more airplane types/variants than my fighter pilot husband. 😉
Contact Info:
- Website: www.altitudeaccessories.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopaltitudeaccessories/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AltitudeAccessories
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@altitudeaccessories?lang=en
Image Credits
Tony LaSalle
Jen Jordan Photography
Sarah Heinz Photography
