Timpanogos Hiking Co. holds grand opening for first brick-and-mortar store in Provo
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- Joseph Vogel cuts the ribbon in front of the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023. Also in attendance was Mayor Michelle Kaufusi, Miss Provo, her first and second attendants, Vogel’s parents, two brothers and Provo City workers.
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- Merchandise on display at the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- A backpack with a commemorative patch is pictured inside Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo during its opening day Thursday, May 25, 2023. Hikers who reached the summit of Mount Timpanogos used to receive a patch for completing the task, but in 1971, this tradition stopped, as it was associated with a mass hike of up to 5,000 people that was ruining the mountain. Today, owner Joseph Vogel is bringing back the tradition of awarding those who make it to the top with a free patch, signifying their accomplishment.
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- Miss Provo Glory Thomas, left, and her first and second attendants chat as Kay Bradford wraps up a sale at the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- Merchandise on display at the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- The values of the Timpanogos Hiking Co. on display in the business’s store in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- The sign outside the Timpanogos Hiking Co. on University Avenue in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- Merchandise on display at the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- A menu of the merchandise on display at the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- Merchandise on display at the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- Miss Provo Glory Thomas, center, and her first and second attendants, Lilia Tavares and Makayla Moody, pause for a photo outside of the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- A photo of the back of Mount Timpanogos by Johnny Adolphson hangs on display inside the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- Merchandise on display at the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
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- The front door of the Timpanogos Hiking Co. in Provo on Thursday, May 25, 2023.
Timpanogos Hiking Co., a retail brand that specializes in hoodies and T-shirts featuring custom designs centered around Utah and nature, held the grand opening of its first physical store on Thursday, complete with a ribbon-cutting and visits from Mayor Michelle Kaufusi along with Miss Provo and her first and second attendants.
“Timpanogos Hiking Co. is the perfect example of Provo’s entrepreneurial spirit,” Kaufusi said. “It’s what drew a professor from the East Coast to choose Provo for his first storefront from a successful online start-up. That is one of our many Provo advantages.”
Joseph Vogel, an accomplished former American literature and film professor in Massachusetts, began returning to his Utah roots in 2020. He would take trips to care for his parents, who were experiencing major health issues.
At the time, Vogel said, he was also fighting an intense internal battle with depression. Hiking was one of the few things that got him through this tumultuous time. He enjoyed getting outside, being active and taking in the scenery instead of his social media feed.
Vogel shared that being in the mountains of his childhood gave him the clarity he needed. While he was still living in Massachusetts, he started Timpanogos Hiking Co. on the side as a way to reconnect with his home state.
“(One night,) I saw the name and logo in my mind, and the tagline: Escape the noise,” Vogel said. “For me, it’s about something bigger. … Obviously, you want your business to be successful. But you also want to ‘do good,’ as Cotopaxi puts it, and I thought one thing we could do in addition to making cool designs is bring awareness to mental health and how great hiking can be for people struggling with mental health.”
He started his online store through Shopify about eight months ago. By the six-month mark, the business was earning over six figures.
“We seem to have hit a cultural niche that not only resonates very strongly with people here in Utah, but all over the place. About 70% of our customers are outside of Utah. So we’re just excited that people are as excited as we are about this topic,” said Kay Bradford, a junior at Utah Valley University and communications manager for the company.
But to Vogel, his success as a professor, author, documentary worker and now a businessman, isn’t everything — family, mental health and nature have become some of the most important things in his life.
“When we’d visit, we’d go out hiking, me and my kids or just by myself. Every time I came back to Utah, I realized when I was away just how beautiful it is here. And so it was just kind of connecting those dots, you know?” Vogel said. “I was born in Provo, but I’ve lived in California, in New York, Massachusetts. And so to come back to my hometown and have a store on University Avenue, it’s just really satisfying.”
Timpanogos Hiking Co. is located at 252 N. University Ave.
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