Meet Dane Wiederspahn of Before the Zoo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dane Wiederspahn.

Dane, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The idea for Before the Zoo began at the start of the population boom in Colorado and more specifically, Denver. I was talking with a buddy of mine from Lakewood, and we were noticing throughout downtown that we were randomly meeting people who were here to visit Denver- not the mountains- in the summer. This was not something we were used to.

Ten years ago, very few people would visit Colorado just to check it out, and certainly not in the summer. Colorado tourists always came for the mountains to go ski and snowboard. Turns out they were here to check out the dispensaries and smoke legal marijuana. As publicity for legal marijuana and social media grew, so did the number of people visiting Colorado. Many of those tourists saw how amazing the lifestyle is here and decided to make Colorado their new home.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’m a 4th generation Coloradan and like most people born here, I have a deep love for our culture and state. The shift has been clear over the past ten years. We’ve seen stressful changes such as the rapid increase in traffic, cost of living, and crime rates. This has also caused separation in our communities. About five years ago, my Mom was forced out of Colorado as she could not keep up with the rise in cost of living. She’s now living across the country in Florida while the remainder of our family, including her grandchildren, are still here. This story is all too familiar these days. Across the state, many have been torn from their family and friends.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Before, The Zoo is a Denver local apparel brand that wants to pay respect to the people and places that shaped the culture of Denver as we know it today. Our designs incorporate everything from retro Denver Zephyrs baseball throwbacks to the Denver skyline full of cranes we see daily.

The mission of Before the Zoo is to create awareness of the cultural differences the population boom has created and preserve the values that made Colorado such a desirable state in the first place. We want to give back to our communities, from local neighborhoods to state parks. To keep Colorado Colorado and not let it turn into another fast-paced city where our people have no empathy for others before the Zoo is a movement to encourage a cultural shift not in our state, but in the state of those moving here.

What were you like growing up?
From the start, I was a Colorado kid. My dad put me on skis when I was three, and we had a small boat we went waterskiing on in the summer. My dad lived in Pine and my mom lived in Littleton, and before I became Interested in girls, I was riding a BMX bike after school. I’ve always had a deep interest in everything Colorado, and when things started to change, I knew I had to do something about it.

Pricing:

• Denver Zephyrs Baseball Tee $35
• Skyline Tee $30
• Colorado Flag Tee $30
• Blinky Tee $30

Contact Info:

• Website: www.beforethezoo.com
• Email: info@beforethezoo.com
• Instagram: @Beforethezoo
• Facebook: Www.facebook.com/beforethezoo

Image Credit:
Stephanie Eheart
Katie Mariani

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