Meet Savannah Cotter of Road Trip in Lake Arrowhead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Savannah Cotter.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I moved up to Lake Arrowhead in 2015. By 2016, my Etsy shop (Goodsmith www.goodsmithshop.etsy.com) was getting a lot of traction and so I started looking for workshop spaces in town. I wasn’t having any luck finding a space, and decided to call about a building I had passed every day on my way home. The rent was very reasonable, but had just been remodeled so it didn’t seem like a good place for woodworking.

However, in looking at the property I found that the building had a basement which turned out to be the perfect size for my workshop. I started thinking about possibly having a retail space in the main upstairs and consulted my friends at Summer Camp in Ojai, CA. They asked me if I would consider being a sister store to Summer Camp, which I enthusiastically responded yes! From there, they helped me get set up with their makers until I could gather more Lake Arrowhead local makers and craftsman. And from there it kept expanding. I now have a variety of housewares, gifts, art and vintage collectibles and clothing.

I also provide custom picture framing for the community, a service they have not had up here in almost 10 years. The community has been extremely supportive and I am so grateful to be living up here and to run this shop!

Has it been a smooth road?
For the most part, it has been a smooth road. I’m very fortunate to be connected to Summer Camp. They have a lot of experience and a huge following. When I first opened, several people from LA came to visit my shop purely because I was connected to Summer Camp. Sunset Magazine and the LA Times both featured Road Trip because they heard about me from Summer Camp. And the Instagram community has been a blessing as well. I’ve had people as far as Europe and Australia visit the shop because they heard about it on Instagram!

I would say the only struggle for me was in the beginning, having no retail experience, having to make sure there was plenty of product always in the shop. But now I feel like I have that down. The last year and a half have been really successful and I look forward to all the years to come!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Road Trip specializes in vintage and handmade wares, as well as custom picture framing. Some people know me for the picture framing aspect, while others seek out Road Trip for its unique handmade goods and vintage finds. I believe it is the curation of goods that sets me apart from other shops like mine. Road Trip is also one of the only shops in the mountain communities with a heavy focus on handmade.

I have lots of artwork, candles, soaps, incense, ceramics, artwork and other gifts and housewares that are made by either local Lake Arrowhead makers or American makers. I carry several different collections of vintage clothes, as well as vintage collectibles. There are a lot of antique stores on the mountain, and in an effort to work with them and not compete with them, I try to carry only ‘road trip’ and ‘camping/outdoors’ themed antiques.

Every now and then, I will gather some mid-century modern furniture purely because I like the style and think it looks great in the store, but for the most part I focus on decor, rather than furniture.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I wasn’t sure how it would go in the beginning, especially since I had barely been in Lake Arrowhead for 6 months, But I am so happy that I opened Road Trip here. It really is quite wonderful. The locals have expressed their appreciation for it, and being a tourist town, I get a lot of visitors year-round. I think Lake Arrowhead has a lot of potential for new businesses.

I have met quite a lot of people who have moved up here from LA to buy a house or start a family or take a break from the city. There is space for more businesses, the only challenge is making it through some of the winter months when we don’t see a lot of visitors. Lake Arrowhead doesn’t have as many winter visitors as Big Bear, so January-April can be a little bleak depending on what type of business you have. We had a good February, but January, March and April were a little slow.

Contact Info:

• Address: 187 CA-173, Cedar Glen, CA 92321
• Website: www.shoproadtripca.com
• Phone: 909-336-0028
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shoproadtrip/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roadtripshop/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/road-trip-cedar-glen

Image Credit:
Savannah Cotter

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