UO Blog

From Store on Tour

Store on Tour: The End

To say that we are already nostalgic for Store on Tour would be an understatement. Here, a look back at all four stops along the way. 

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Store On Tour: Round Up

Our Store On Tour has come to an end and we are incredibly sad that it's over.  It was an amazing experience and we want to thank everyone who made the tour possible: Dockers, Dry Soda, Tortoise & Blonde, the employees, and of course, all of you! It's so hard to say goodbye, it feels like we're graduating from high school all over again.  Hmm...I wonder where we will end up going for college? 


Check out anything you might have missed here on the blog or @UOTour.

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Store on Tour: Last Day

Can you believe that today is the last day of our Store on Tour?  We aren't ready to say goodbye!  We will be open today in Knoxville from 12pm-8pm at the Republic Parking Lot (314 W. Church Ave), so come visit us one last time and help us hold back the tears.

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Store on Tour: Knoxville Streetstyle

Boys! Sometimes a Store on Tour just needs one. (And sometimes it needs five.)

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Store on Tour: Knoxville Streetstyle

It looks like some of our Store on Tour customers are getting into the Halloween spirit a few days early thanks to the Knoxville Zombie Walk 2011.  We don't discriminate—all zombies (and really cute kids) are welcome here!

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Store on Tour Tortoise & Blonde

Tortoise & Blonde's Evan Weisfeld opens up about life on the road with the Store on Tour and his family business...

Is this your first eyeglass tour?
It may be our first official tour but Tortoise & Blonde have been hitting the music circuit hard all summer. SXSW was my favorite because we are a very music oriented brand.



I noticed a lot of bands have been wearing T&B, do you have a favorite?
Ra Ra Riot! We love so many bands, Pearl & the Beard and Savoir Adore and others can all be seen wearing our glasses.

Any crazy tour stories?
We try to stay away from most of the craze but the weather's been pretty insane in some spots and we've encountered some crazy good food, like mustard BBQ and macaroni & cheese pulled pork tacos.



Is your whole family wearing T&B?
My family have been in this business for over 70 years but Tortoise & Blonde began in 2010. Our goal is bringing the family business into the 21st century. Which is something we're definitely doing by being very music oriented.

What have you been listening to on the road?
Mike Snow, Girl Talk, Flux, Pretty Lights. I love Fleetwood Mac and classic rock. Anything to keep the momentum up.



How has the reception been for you guys on the Store on Tour and what's been your best seller so far?
It's been incredibly good. Eyeglasses aren't an impulse buy, but they're a necessity for some and all of our glasses are just $97. We have a million styles to choose from. The best seller for sure is the tortoise shell. We're doing a tortoise in the new collection that will benefit breast cancer and be a pink tortoise.



What's next for Tortoise & Blonde?
Our new line is coming out in December. We've played it very safe so far but this new collection will have a lot more color. We'll be doing a lot of school pop-up shops during November and then hopefully, taking a little break.

Follow Evan and @TortoiseBlonde on tour now!
X - Jen

From Store on Tour








Store on Tour Terror of Tallahassee

Totally wish we were in town this Friday & Saturday with the Store on Tour so we could go to the massive Terror of Tallahassee haunted house we saw!! Something tells me it would be pretty frightening. X - Jen

From Store on Tour

Store on Tour: Tallahassee's Good News Show

Meg, Tyler, and Kaitlin from our Store on Tour are becoming quite the local celebrities.  Watch them above on Tallahassee's Good News Show.  Let's just hope the fame doesn't go to their heads, we still have one more stop to go!

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Store on Tour Streetstyle

The cloudy skies and cold weather didn't scare away any of these good lookin' Tallahassee Store on Tour shoppers, they just bought more layers! X - Jen

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Store on Tour Sweet Pea's

After heaps of shoppers at the Store on Tour recommended that Sweet Pea's veggie cafe was where we should eat, we definitely had to stop on by. The Falawesome (falafel + fixin's wrap) was maybe the best thing I've eaten all year and I can't imagine how appetizing everything else is. Head over there ASAP! X - Jen

From Store on Tour

Store on Tour

We bet a day in the life of the Store on Tour is probably a lot more exciting then any other shipping container's day.

We'll be open tomorrow for our last day in Tallahassee, then we will be hitting the road for our final stop in Knoxville, TN at The Republic Parking Lot (314 W. Church Ave.) on October 22-25.  For more updates make sure to check in @UOTour.

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Cute and Creepy at MoFA

We couldn't have been more stoked that while in Tallahassee for the Store on Tour, we came across the 'Cute & Creepy' exhibition at the MoFA! We love the pieces from Elizabeth McGrath and are now total fans of Kate Clark after spotting her sick gazelles! Open through November and free to the public, go see these cool curiosities in person at once! X - Jen

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Store on Tour: All Saints Cafe

If you like a strong cup of coffee and old video arcades, you are going to be frequenting All Saints Cafe every morning in Tallahassee! Inside you'll get wired on the best espresso and play a little Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles then have a seat with some delicious veggie grub and take an hour to stare at all the killer art adorning their walls! X - Jen

From Store on Tour

Store on Tour Tallahassee

Tallahassee! We are sad to say the Store on Tour has been rained out today but come check us out tomorrow with extended hours of 12-9pm with plenty of new stock! Follow @UOtour for up to date information! X - Jen

From Store on Tour

Kaitlin Sellereit

Meet Kaitlin Sellereit, sales & marketing operations coordinator for Dry Soda. She has been with on the road with the Dry Soda sprinter and the Store on Tour since September 29th and so far, she is in love with the touring lifestyle!

Have you ever been on tour before?
No! I got the call about doing a college tour and was really looking forward to it!

What has been your favorite experience so far?
Besides getting so many new people excited about Dry Soda, I've definitely been enjoying the food! I went to my first Waffle House and I was ecstatic for that because we don't have them in Seattle! I love all the southern food, especially the BBQ ribs and hush puppies.



How's it been driving alone throughout the tour?
It's not bad being stuck in a van full of Dry Soda! I'm addicted! I've had plenty of help along the way and Meg has ridden with me so it's been a lot of fun.

What have you been listening to in the van?
My boss gave me a few CDs when I forgot my own and so I've mainly been rocking out to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Bruce Springsteen! It feels pretty cool driving through these rural towns with the windows down and blasting classic rock.

What's your favorite flavor right now?
Definitely our new flavor, Wild Lime. It's so refreshing and so much better for you than any of the similar tasting soda's around. All the flavors pair really perfectly with alcohol and when we were in Columbus we hooked up with Jenny Ice Cream and made these amazing Dry Soda floats!!



Have you been trying to exercise after being in the van for so long?
It's definitely a work out lifting all the boxes of soda everyday!

Follow Kaitlin and @DrySoda on tour now!
X - Jen

From Store on Tour






Store on Tour: Street Style

The sales team at the Store on Tour in Tallahassee are definitely killing it style-wise! Firstly there's Shannon Heath with her amazing tousled Brigitte Bardot hair. Then I spot Christina Sanchez looking totally shredding rolling up on her skateboard (she is loving these Tally hills) and finally, Eric Roberts, who is wearing thee sickest Jim Morrison shirt ever. I loved their looks and cannot wait to see what they wear on Day 2! X - Jen

From Store on Tour












Store on Tour: Voodoo Dog

We heard Voodoo Dog was the coolest place to get some crazy eats in Tallahassee and boy, were the stories true! Floor to ceiling is decorated with a million rock'n'roll photographs/posters/records and more and who knew that avocado on a hot dog would be so amazing! X - Jen

From Store on Tour












Store on Tour: Street Style

It sure is hot out there in Tallahassee but all the locals brought out their best looks to shop the Store On Tour! Loving all the colorful hair and super chic girls. Nearly everyone has tried on the tan floppy hat, so, I'll be surprised if there are any left tomorrow! X - Jen

From Store on Tour

Tyler Battin

On the Store on Tour, traveling manager Tyler Battin is the chilled-out yen to cohort Meg's yang. Nothing—not even thunderstorms and sideways rain—seems to ruffle his cool. And he looks really good in shorts!


Introduce yourself. 
I'm Tyler Gregory Battin. I am the assistant store manager at the Cherry Creek store in Denver, and I’m originally from Michigan.

What made you want to be a part of the Store on Tour?
It is just such a great opportunity to be a part of something that is really new and innovative for the company. It’s really so different than anything we’ve done before, and I am definitely glad that I’m here.


What's been the most fun experience you've had thus far on the tour?
The dinner we had the first night we got into Athens, at 5 & 10, was pretty amazing. It was great company, and the atmosphere at the restaurant was really nice and pretty low-key and the food was incredible. I’ve had so much good food so far, a lot of really great locally grown vegetables. I think broccoli is in season down here!

So, your favorite thing you've eaten was not that oyster shooter we heard you hated?
It wasn’t so much the oyster as the bloody mary concoction cocktail that it was in that wasn’t really to my liking. 

So you’re not doing oyster shooters again any time soon? 
No, that was probably my one and only. 

So how do you spend your free time in Colorado?
I love to go and see as much live music as I can, and I definitely try to take advantage of being around the mountains. Vail is my favorite, there’s so much good hiking.


 
You've been on the road for two weeks now, and have two more to go. What have you learned about road-trip essentials?
You have to have great headphones, a new and exciting music library, and definitely great company is essential for sure. Meg and I both feel so lucky and so fortunate to be put in what could have potentially been a trip that felt really long. But we get along so well! I think we both just get each other.

Follow Tyler and Meg on Twitter @UOTour.

From Store on Tour





Dry Soda Photobooth

Dry Soda has been an awesome partner for Store on Tour, and it's been fun watching people go crazy taking with the Dry photobooth! Here are just a few snaps from Athens!