Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobby Klein and Josh Patterson.
Bobby and Josh, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Founded in 2012 by cut n’ sew clothing designer Josh Patterson, Off The Grid creates apparel with the off-roader in mind. Many brands out there can stake claim to a logo and slap it on some blanks and call it a day. Josh, on the other hand, is a total pro. His work history includes Quicksilver, Rip Curl, DaKine, Fox and most recently, he was the head men’s designer at prAna, where he designed several REI best sellers.
Off The Grid is a true “built from the ground up” small business. Based in Escondido, CA, they currently only have three full-time employees that fuel the OTG engine to produce highly functional everyday apparel at a price point that is very reasonable.
For many years, OTG was a side-gig for Josh while working as a designer, it was his creative outlet. Josh grew up going to the deserts and mountains of Southern California camping and off-roading. As he got older and more established as a clothing designer, he realized there wasn’t a true lifestyle brand in this space. When saw that many of the outdoor apparel brands were actually supporting groups that were attempting to close down trails, he realized it needed OTG needed to happen.
He always wanted to build a pair of pants for the off-roader and recognized if he could combine outdoor, workwear and tactical with subtle design features that allowed for everyday wear, he would have a winner. Hence the Trailblazer Pants were born and very quickly became a favorite to this audience. With every design, Josh is always thinking of the off-roading junkie in mind.
Now with many more styles in the lineup, including shorts, a canvas jacket, denim, outdoor pant and flannels, they are becoming a go-to outfitter and true lifestyle brand. They have some very exciting offerings coming soon so make sure to follow them on Instagram @offthegridsurplus to stay up to date. Also, a portion of all sales goes to non-profits that work hard to protect our trails, like CORVA and Tread Lightly.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has been anything but smooth, in our first order major order, we had wire fraud in which someone stole $10k of money that was supposed to go to our factory.
We are always fighting for cash flow; in apparel you have to put up big portions of money upfront in order to produce enough inventory for the coming season. Sometimes these lead times take six to nine months before we get product in stock. This is why we offer preorders up to two months in advance to purchase our incoming product.
Also, because we are self-funded, we sell out of products before new product comes in, which is frustrating for our customers, but why it is important for them to get on our preorders.
Production is always interesting as there is always small issues that you deal with, a measurement being off or a defect from the factory, and because we have such high standards, we take our production process very seriously.
We are small, so the management team wears a lot of hats, juggling the in’s and out’s of business can take its toll, but we are very passionate about what we do and believe in our mission so it is a labor of love as we believe every lifestyle deserves apparel made specifically for them.
Off The Grid Surplus – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We specialize in lifestyle and adventure apparel, built for motor-driven adventurers. Some of the main communities we serve are Off-roading, Overlanding, Moto-riders, 4WD Racing and really any motor-driven activity that gets you away from your day to day and into the wilderness. To us, getting “off the grid” is a state of mind that we all need to stay sane in today’s world. We are proud of, in a time when businesses are closing down and leases are being broken, we are signing our first lease for a storefront in Escondido on Grand Ave.
We are one of the only outdoor cut n’ sew apparel brands that support keeping off-road trails open to the public, we do this by supporting non-profits that help protect this lifestyle.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
For us, success is a happy life long customer. We are extremely customer-centric. We have met so many awesome people in this community and we want to do everything we can to create purposeful clothing for them.
We feel that this level of customer service has been lost with big box retail and their needs to be a shift to enhance customer care in business. We do everything we can to support our customers, and offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all of our products. We always say, “if you’re not satisfied, neither are we.”
Contact Info:
- Address: 157 E Grand Ave STE 100
Escondido, CA 92025 - Website: offthegridsurplus.com
- Phone: 442-257-2847
- Email: bk@offthegridsurplus.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/offthegridsurplus/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/offthegridsurplus
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqdspBpkr4Asj6zh82TGNlw
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