Carfree Entrepreneur Profile

As I have probably said before - and no doubt people from outside Missoula are tired of hearing about - Missoula is a one of a kind place. And like Portland, us arrogant Missoulians like to shout this from the top of the nearest mountain... as long as it has a big letter on it. Thats why there is a Facebook page advocating that Missoula should be the capital of the WORLD.

I digress, the intention of this post is to showcase yet another Missoula carfree Entrepreneur from the Farmer's Market.

Meet Chris Johnson - founder of Zoo City Apparel

Chris started Zoo city Apparel in 2007 as a custom printing and design shop for clothing. He has since expanded his business into reail and wholesale markets that include local hipster fav Betty's Divine.

Chris was also a founding member of the Zootown Arts Community Center (ZACC) that has been an important anchor in the revival and redevelopment of Missoula's Northside district. ZACC, as member Holliday Jeremiassen puts it, "...prides itself on bringing art to the entire community, offering scholorships and other forms of assistance to families in need. Its a great way for emerging artists to learn how to market and sell their items in a local retail outlet."

Chris does just about everything he possibly can on his bike, with the help of a very cool trailer. But I'll let Chris tell it from here.

Why did you chose to be carfree in running your business?

If you do most of your moving about within Missoula, it's a no-brainer. This town is flat, easy to commute around in and has copious bike trails, paths, lanes and secret backways to ride. So there's a common sense aspect to it of course and then there's the moral/ethical reasoning that we all know so well and need not be repeated here. There's also a demonstration or evangelical sort of side to it of "Hey look at all this big, heavy-ass shit I just hauled on this trailer- you can do this too!". But, aside from all that, I just like to ride.

What have been the major obstacles and challenges of operating a business carfree?

It's hard to think of much.... Probably the lack of a vehicle for quick business trips outside of town. That usually requires either a car rental, or a commandeering of a friends truck. I've been working in fits and starts toward a small car share with friends. Typically, I'll help cover some costs of someones vehicle in exchange for getting use of it a few times a year when other options won't work. See that last question for a little more on this.

How did you decide to start your business?

I was a street vendor as a third side-job when I first came to town (another story involving bicycles), distributing a lot of stuff from Microcosm publishing and things like that. Street vending felt right to me so I decided to start printing my own clothing and from that first step the rest of this sprung up. My drive to operate a business stems from my desire to stay in Missoula- I love this place but it's a hard line getting paid enough to survive.

Are you carfree in all aspects of your life?

No. Is anybody? I'm not a hardliner when it comes to this (or much else in life) and I think that sort of attitude can turn people away from it. You have to recognize that a lot of internal combustion takes place to keep your daily American life in motion no matter how much you ride a bike. All the components of my clothes are sourced as close to Missoula as possible for this reason.

While I haven't owned a vehicle for years I do still use them. Cars and especially trucks have an "appropriate use" and I am certainly one to take full advantage of that where I can. I do enjoy getting out of the valley once in a while and a rig can make that happen when time is too short for a little bike tour. That's the main thing I use them for- recreation. And, this might seem paradoxical, but I actually enjoy driving and like cars quite a bit. Were money no object, I'd have a nice greasel rig parked in the yard for getting the really big chores done and for muddin around in. I just don't see where you need a vehicle for the vast majority of your daily tasks.

Carfree Farmers Market Profile - Deborah Marshall

This is a series that I have been meaning to start for some time now. Participating in the Saturday Markets here in Missoula as a vendor is a totally different experience than just walking through on a morning stroll. There are lots of great, creative, and fun people all trying to use their creativity to make a little extra cash and be part of what makes the Missoula community so unique. Some are extremely successful and participate in the markets only as another avenue for their goods while others work full time jobs and squeeze the market in as a creative outlet.

I'm not the only one at the market that does everything by bicycle. There are actually a number of individuals that transport their goods using a bicycle trailer. This is one of those many individuals, and the first in a series of posts featuring Missoula's very own brand of bicycle entrepreneurs.

Meet Deborah Marshall

Deborah has been a vendor selling handmade jewelry at the People's Market of Missoula for two years. She works as a professional massage therapist and jewelry has always been a hobby that she has recently turned into a more serious venture.

Here is the interview that I conducted with Deborah both at the market and through email.

You said your car had broken down and thats why you had gone carfree, could you provide details about what happened and when?

My car was a 1987 Isuzu Trooper, and in mid April, the timing belt broke about 6 blocks from my house. The engine is shot, and would have to be rebuilt, and would be very expensive. Last summer even with a working car I rode my bike 90% of the time. As long as the weather is decent I will choose the bike most of the time.

Which do you prefer, bike or bus?

In the summer I prefer the bike, or putting the bike on the bus, which is what I do if I have to go out towards Costco area. In the winter I ride the bus more often, because of the ice on the roads.

How long have you been a vendor at the market?

This is my second year to be a vendor at the market. I rode the bike with the cart all last year for the market.

Is it difficult carrying your equipment without a car, both for the market and on the bus for your massage therapy work?

Actually it is not hard using the bike cart and carrying my stuff for both market and seated massages. I also don't have any trouble carrying my massage chair on the bus. But I also play the harp and that I can not carry in the cart or on the bus.

Do you feel differently about cars now that you live a life without using one?

Here in Missoula I would much rather ride the bike unless the weather is really bad. I also don't like riding in 100 degree heat. I know that I would not like riding a bike in a major urban area because of the traffic. I feel that a car is sort of an unfortunate necessity in many instances in our culture, and because of my harp I need a car. If we had really good public transportation that would make a huge difference in my decisions about using a car.

My biggest complaints about the bus system is they don't come around often enough, don't go to some of the places I need to go, don't run long enough in the evenings, don't run a full schedule on Saturdays, and don't run at all on Sundays. I would be a big supporter of trains, especially to places like the Bitterroot valley, north to Polson, and really everywhere. And if there were decent bus systems at your destination, I think it would eliminate a lot of car driving. True public transportation should as much as possible meet the peoples needs not force people to meet their agendas, that is the only way we will be able to get people to choose to use public transportation.

Would you recommend being carfree to others?

I do recommend biking as an alternative to cars all the time. In most instances it is much better as far as I am concerned. Of course up here winter is a huge problem. I am not interested in being on our icy roads, even with studded bike tires.

Also the snow plow berms eliminate an "escape" route if you are forced off the road by bad drivers or a sliding car out of control. Many many of the residential streets and less traveled streets which I routinely ride on to get out of the way of traffic are in very bad shape snow and ice wise in the wintertime.

How has being carfree changed other aspects of your life?

Of course there is the exercise aspect of a bike which is great but also I think a bike is more peaceful, I love being able to tool along at a much slower pace and see the flowers and gardens, I love being about to say hello to someone in passing, or even stop to talk, which is not usually possible in a car.

I really like the fact that a bike does not isolate you from the natural world and other people like a car does. Riding a bike does force one to plan ahead more. It is so easy to just "hop in the car and go" and for me choosing to ride the bike takes a little more forethought, especially in managing my time, so that I leave early enough when riding the bike.

Profile on the Change Your Life Ride a Bike Blog

Just a quick link for the those who visit my site. The blog Change Your Life Ride a Bike is a great blog all about getting out there on a bike and the great ways in which it can affect the way in which you live your life. They use a lot of reader generated content to share people's stories about how people are using bikes for positive change.

Check out the profile recently posted on me and how I sell my photography at Missoula's farmers market all while on a bike.

Thanks Adrienne for supporting the growth of such a vibrant community of likeminded people.

When its Hot Panniers are a Must For the Bicycle Commuter

All of a sudden summer is upon us and temperatures have reached into the mid 90's here in Missoula - while in other parts of the country its been well over 100. With temperatures getting up there bicycle commuters face the choice of riding in their work clothes and showing up potentially drenched in sweat and smelling of the open road, a pair of gym shorts, and car exhaust or spending a few extra minutes of planning and packing each day so as to ride in more comfortable clothing.

This is when panniers come in handy. I have a set that strap onto the side of my rear rack that within the last week I have been using to carry some food and my work clothes. This allows me to ride in bicycle shorts and a t-shirt and have a much more enjoyable ride to and from work.

Panniers are extremely useful in other situations as well. Most are the perfect size to allow a grocery bag to fit, making for an easy trip to the local grocery store or the farmers market on a bike and still allowing for a substantial payload.

A reasonably priced set of panniers shouldn't cost more than $50 or so. But, like anything else, the price goes up the more features there are. And, if you are looking for something that is guaranteed to be water-proof in the wettest of environments, its going to cost a lot more than $50.


Here I am using my set of panniers to carry supplies to Missoula's People's Market where I am a vendor selling prints of my photographic work. They come in hand for those little items that are too small to strap down on my flatbed trailer.

A Carfree Day at the Missoula Farmers Market

Saturday saw a wide variety of weather role through Missoula, but that didn't keep people from the ritual of spending a day wondering among produce and hand made jewelry vendors. Missoula's weekend markets have become ever bigger and better attended in the last several years; to the point that it is often hard to walk through the crowd because baby strollers block the way.

Missoula is home to three separate and often very different markets. The original farmers market is held near the old train station at the end of Missoula's main drag, Higgins Ave. It is home to vendors selling a wide variety of produce, flowers, baked goods, and native plants. My mornings at the market, when I'm not trying to sell my photos, begins here and often the first stop is the Black Cat Bakery stand werethey sell an amazing huckleberry scone.

And of course one of people's favorite ways to get to the farmers market is by bicycle. They are parked all over the place.

Here is Said who is a Missoula resident and merchant at the People's Market. His wife was watching their table while he took care of their daughter. He makes hand made baby shoes.

Produce at the Missoula Farmers Market

Flowers at the Missoula Farmers Market

A few blocks down from the farmers market is the Missoula People's Market which is an eclectic mix of hand made crafts. There are plenty of vendors selling hand made jewelry, plenty of photographers, and lots of women's clothing and accessories.

As interesting as the markets are to walk through, it is often just as fun to people watch as the crowds wonder between the three markets. And even though Higgins Ave and Broadway are two of the less accommodating streets in downtown Missoula of bicycles, on Saturdays cyclists make up a good portion of the traffic. The women in the photo below is something one doesn't usually see on Broadway; a woman taking the lane, unafraid of vehicle traffic, calmly waiting for the light to turn so she can take a left.

The third and usually final market I hit up is the Clark Fork Market, so named because of its proximity to the Clark Fork River. This is my favorite of the three markets, having a wide variety of pastries and snacks. This is also the only market where one can purchase organic and locally raised beef and bison, and let me tell you its of the highest quality; the bison makes great sloppy joes!

The Clark Fork Market with the historic Wilma Theater in the background

Of course, after all this walking around, I have to make my way back to my bike, which parked all the way at the other end of downtown. Not really a big deal, since it provides me a great opportunity to practice getting some more photos of people. I've been using Saturdays in downtown Missoula to practice my panning technique.

I was surprised to see this women without a helmet, especially if she is, as the baby seat would suggest, a mother.

Two guys enjoying a bit of sun for the short amount of time it was out that morning.

This was my favorite photo of the day, simply for the gang of cycling gardeners that it captures. Saturdays in downtown really show that a community can come together and enjoy a day of leisure without the need to ever turn a key in an ignition.