Today we’d like to introduce you to Filipe Oliveira.
Hi Filipe, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
We merge impeccable mid-century design with world-class sound systems. What does it mean exactly? That we hand-pick mid-modern original, rare music consoles and then custom-fit them with modern audio components to bring these masterpieces to the 21st century. The tradition and beauty of old-school vinyl combined with the convenience of streaming music via Bluetooth or Sonos. Looks meet function.
Each console is unique, dates back 50 to 70 years, and undergoes a restoration process of over 100 hours of manual labor. In an industry where the tendency is to have increasingly smaller devices and to consume frequently to keep up with the latest technologies, we chose to cater to those who want to go in the opposite direction: make educated once-in-a-lifetime purchases, conscientiously opt to reuse materials, pay homage to bygone times. All without compromising on comfort and standard level. The same way you want your 1969 Mustang to have A/C, heating, and GPS navigation.
The PoBo consoles are inspired by our European origins and travels around the world, being refitted in Boulder. They are shipped all across the United States (in custom-made wooden crates), bringing incredible sound and elegance to various spaces and homes.
PoBo stands for From Portugal to Boulder. We are a family from Portugal who moved to Colorado. We instantly fell in love with the striking Rocky Mountains views, the crisp open air, and the snow-covered landscape. Europeans at heart, we are passionate about effortless elegance that translates into carefully-designed and impeccably-executed objects.
That’s why PoBo was born in 2021. We wanted to create things that evoke our passions, a combination of everything we love about life: our origins, long summer days spent on the beach, hikes in the Flatirons, wonderful cuisine, nights around a fire pit, and our home decor.
All of it, tied together by music.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but it has been a fun road! My wife Joana and I founded PoBo in a very organic way. We each have our own roles within the company: I’m in charge of all the renovations and work around the consoles, and Joana does everything connected to the brand and marketing: the photos, copy, website, and social media.
We both strive to learn more and more each day and with each console and problem. Joana and I tackle any issues together and push each other to find solutions.
Our biggest setback was the total destruction of 2 of our consoles during shipment to clients, due to negligence from the shipping company. It was hard. But we identified the problem: we had to look for the best shipping partner available. So, we partnered with a company out of Denver that has extensive experience in shipping art, in custom hand-made wooden crates, designed to fit each console perfectly. Actually, shipping is so important to us that we share the costs with the clients.
We are also proud to say that we recovered both clients that had the consoles destroyed and they are now owners of other PoBo consoles!
We have our weekly meetings to discuss the future of PoBo – usually over a bottle of wine and listening to the latest purchased record – and we can say that there’s something very cool coming up in the next months!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Fortunately, I had the chance to work in different areas throughout my career. The key to success is the love and passion you put into what you do. it wasn’t always like that, but once you find your match, the outcome is nothing but outstanding. With PoBo Music Consoles, I always wanted to do it better, with particular attention to the details. From the very first moment of sourcing the product till the final stage, which is several hours playing music in our sound-proof showroom, there’s a production process mastered over the years we have been in business. That’s why when someone sees and compares our product with similar options in the market, they fall in love with PoBo. And it’s just not the look and sound, it is how the brand communicates with people. It is the detail and history of every single piece translated into moments of joy surrounded by something unique. You can travel years back as if you were in a music time machine. Nostalgia plays a crucial role here. Believe it or not, people need to be connected with the past to enjoy the present. And we offer that with authenticity.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Of course, we believe most people/businesses learned something valuable.
One of the biggest challenges was: how can we show our product to potential clients if they can’t visit our showroom? How can they experience the “analog sound”? We made ourselves very approachable to answer any questions and ease any qualms. We work together with clients via phone, video calls, and if possible, in our showroom to find the best fit. We ended up increasing our out-of-state sales substantially.
We’ve experienced Covid like everyone else with the additional challenge of having the borders with Europe closed, which meant we couldn’t visit our family. We realized how important it is to invest in the comfort of our homes and how music can be such a relaxing form of entertainment (while escaping from news and social media). There’s a multitude of sound systems out there for all pockets, but, if possible, invest in a good quality one.
Pricing:
- $4,500 – $6,000
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pobolifestyle.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pobolifestyle/
