For people who like to travel efficiently and have their belongings conveniently at hand, Peninsula Trading Travel Gear is paradise.
The new shop at 972 Cherry SE, in the former Blue Avenue location, carries something for every type of travel: business, adventure, independent or family.
"I'm not an outdoor store, I'm not a luggage shop, I fall in the middle of both of those where I'm a specialty store catering to a travel customer," says Betsy Borden, owner. "My product is all about making you more comfortable when traveling, about durability, comfort and convenience."
Borden, 52, spent several years as a manufacturer's rep, selling luggage and travel gear to retail stores. Now she's taken the lines she used to rep and brought them together under one roof:
Merrell Apparel,
Exofficio,
Tilley Hats,
Eagle Creek Travel Gear and luggage.
The clothing is lightweight with security pockets for wallets and passports, sun protection fabric. Exofficio features insect protection for adventure travel so wearers don't have to apply DEET to their skin.
"Everything in my store is everything but the trip," Borden says. "It's all about being smarter when we travel. There's a huge dialogue going on here about where they're going, where they want to go – they love to talk about the great escape."
Borden uses vintage travel items as store displays and décor: suitcases, globes, license plates, a kayak for the adventure travel. Her counter is crafted from an old gate and a narrow bathroom door. She drew on her experience creating visual displays for Gantos and Rogers Department Store to create an atmosphere that's fun and inviting.
The grand opening is October 24, 10 to 5.
Source: Betsy Borden, Peninsula Trading Travel Gear
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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