Pinch Me Moment: SENIQ Hits the REI Floor

A founder’s reflection on the surreal moment of seeing our women’s outdoor brand on the shelves of a dream retailer.

Flights have felt like such a treat lately — a rare pocket of reflection, pause, and rest. Things that don’t come easily in the day-to-day of co-founding a startup.

I’m writing to you now from the Denver skies. We just lifted off and are heading west to Seattle (for the first time ever!). And wow, it’s been A WEEK. Between scrambling to finalize our tariff strategies, locking in details for our Evo launch event, and flying to Denver to see our spring collection set at REI’s Denver flagship store — it’s been a full-on sprint, not a marathon.

So let’s take this moment to breathe. To reflect. On the rollercoaster of emotions.

The Lead-Up

It’s wild how much time, effort, and meticulous attention it takes to get your product live with REI & set in stores (or any national retailer). The lead-up is filled with a thrilling mix of excitement and anxiety.

First comes the hustle: tracking down all the right partners inside a big organization — the visual merchandising team, store associates, marketing leads, field reps. Then you cross your fingers that the store staff falls in love with your product as they unbox it, and that they’ll choose prime placement in the women’s department. You’re lobbying for a mannequin, a mirror, a sign — anything to signal to shoppers that your brand is here and READY.

And you know what? All those tiny decisions add up. Together, they drive the metric every founder holds their breath over: sell-through.

A few things I’ve learned prepping for in-store launch:

✔ Sales associates & visual merchandisers are your best friends

✔ Mannequins & mirrors are your next best friends (make the shopping experience as easy for the customer as possible)

✔ Do everything you can to inspire the staff about your brand virtually before hitting store floor

The Moment

It’s a moment I’ll never forget — and never take for granted.

Walking up to the third floor of that stunning old pre-war REI building, it was full on butterflies. I’ve spent so many hours there as a customer, but this time we were walking in as partners.

Utah became the place that truly fostered our love for the outdoors and the outdoor industry. It brought us closer to the female outdoor consumer through work and allowed us to become her ourselves (thanks to the insane access to world-class nature). We hiked, we trail ran, we river floated, we curled, we went skiing—we embraced almost every minute of this new outdoor lifestyle. And, as you can probably guess, there was one part we didn’t love: getting dressed for these activities.

As soon as we stepped into the women’s room, we immediately spotted our pink jacket on the back wall, right behind the lead table. We squealed. The placement was immaculate — perfectly in the line of sight for anyone walking through the department.

And then, just as we were approaching, we saw her: a customer, stopped in her tracks in front of the SENIQ wall. We held our breath. From behind, we asked softly, “Have you heard of SENIQ?” She turned around, eyes-wide, jaw-dropped — wowed by the bright pink hike short she’d spotted.

She told us she was shocked — that she’d been looking for something like this for years.

It was the most serendipitous, heartwarming welcome to REI we could’ve ever imagined

(REI Denver Women’s Department May 2025)

The Day

We spent the day working the women’s department floor — meeting the incredible staff, sharing the ins and outs of our story, and walking them through the details of our products. It was exhilarating. We felt like we were floating on clouds. Like what is happening?! I started my career in stores — opening the first-ever Free People in Columbus, Ohio — and I’ve spent countless hours building genuine connections with women in the wild habitat of the retail shopping floor. Learning how to listen to what she wants, and more importantly, interpreting what she needs. Figuring out how to educate her on the beauty of great products — and steering her away from the ones that don’t hold up.

But to actually be selling our own brand… in REI… It’s hard to put into words.

The day flew by, and somehow we felt more energized after our shift than before. The response from both staff and customers was incredible. There isn’t much inventory left (eek!), and we’re beyond grateful.

We ended the day on a beautiful note: one of the women working at the store told us she truly feels ‘SENIQ is serving the young outdoor woman — that it’s important, and we need to keep going’.

It’s these small moments of encouragement, from complete strangers who have absolutely zero reason to share their magic with us, that keep us going.

The truth is — this moment wasn’t just ours. It belongs to you, our community. Every single person who’s cheered us on, shared your trail stories, worn SENIQ on adventures — you are why we’re here. Seeing SENIQ on the shelves at REI isn’t just about hitting a business milestone; it’s about showing up for the women who inspire us every day. We’re building this for you — and with you — and we can’t wait to keep pushing, growing, and dreaming alongside you.

Thank you for being the heart behind every step forward.

As we soak in this milestone, we also have our gaze on what’s ahead. Our next big goals? To bring SENIQ to even more women, in more places:

To keep expanding into new retailers
Continue solving female problems through product & material innovation
And most importantly, continue building a brand that puts women at the center of the outdoor world.

This is just the start. With every challenge we face, we’re fueled by the belief that the modern outdoor woman deserves gear that matches her spirit, her strength, and her style. And we can’t wait to take you with us on this next chapter.

With love from the SENIQ Route,

-Tina