Kayaking, Partying & Profits

“The book tanked. Everything went wrong. Bad timing. Bad lists. Bad book size [digest size],” States laments. “We probably only brought in about $1.50 per book. But I was just so damned determined to make this work. I felt like, if I could handle this, I could handle anything.”

Complementary Seasons

With his own real estate capital available to keep the company afloat, States stuck it out, gradually building up the After 5 business. In addition to discovering how well his Surf to Summit customers — who primarily are affiliated with small sporting goods retailers and original equipment kayak manufacturing businesses — responded to the items that would make up the After 5 book, States also pushed forward with the newer catalog because it became a holiday season-dominated business. On the other hand, Surf to Summit’s peak months occur between March and August.