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We are a politically incorrect, socially irreverent and (as yet) financially irrelevant business. We are a start-up. We are a bunch of Yahoos.
Hold it! That name is already taken. So, we decided to call ourselves “Wild Oaks”. Partly, because we have sown our tiny acorns. And are waiting for the mighty tree to spring forth. But mostly because Wild Oaks Outdoor Furniture has a resounding acronym. WOOF! And that is the sound our mascot makes. WOOF! Meet the Woof-Hound. A close cousin of the Irish Wolfhound.
You think we just chose what struck our fancy and slapped together all of this- the name, the mascot, the whole image of our business. Au contraire. There was a team of designers and consultants and graphic artists, all of whom got together and cooked this broth from which emerged our carefully crafted and finely formulated corporate identity and branding strategy . After they had done their job, we had a great package. But no present inside. Because one thing about these creative folks; they cost a pretty penny. And after we were done paying them all, we had no money left over for actually making anything. Somebody say, “Vaporware”?!
A brand without a product. A persona without a body. How weird is that? Well, we decided to snatch a body as quickly as we could locate one- to acquire an existing business, we mean. Our intrepid mascot led the way. Abandoning his native Emerald Isle, he crossed the pond and wandered deep into the Green Mountains of Vermont, sniffing for bodies as he went along. And found one. A business, we mean. A business that, in fact, manufactured outdoor furniture. The real McCoy. (That Irish connection again!) Adirondack Chairs, Garden Benches, Swings, Gliders; the whole works. And we went Wild over it. It was largely cedar, though. But that was Oak-ey.
And with a WOOF here
and a WOOF there
Wild Oaks Outdoor Furniture came into being.
And we just didn’t make that up. Oak-ey, maybe we did. And how Wild is that?!
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