Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonya and Necota Staples.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sonya and Necota. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Three years ago (2017) we found ourselves headed for divorce after meeting in college at NC A&T and being married for 14 years. We were in intense marital counseling and our therapist advised us to try saying yes to each other. The idea of camping was presented and we said yes. Little did we know, when we said yes to camping, we were saying yes to each other, our marriage and a new found love. Although we have always been an adventurous couple, who loved to travel, we would have never described ourselves as “outdoorsy people”. After our first camping trip, we were hooked not just on camping, but back on each other. We decided at that moment that we would continue to put the work in our marriage and make things work.
Many of our family and friends would inquire about camping and how we entertained ourselves in the woods, so we decided to document our adventures and start a YouTube channel, Staples InTents. The unique thing about our channel is we don’t profess to be experts. We are learning and willing to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of our experience. Looking back, you can see our growth as campers, YouTubers and as a couple. We began car camping, or glamping as we like to call it, in state parks and have grown into traveling internationally in our customized Land Cruiser (1997 FZJ80), Frank The Tank. We show people that adventure is limitless and aim to encourage people to think outside of the normal concept of travel. Don’t get us wrong, we love a cushy hotel, but time in nature is just as precious and the majesty of the open country and beauty of the world is utterly amazing once we get outside of city limits.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At one point, we struggled with acceptance and finding our audience. We wanted our framily to not only support us but join us. We wanted our friends and family to understand why we fell in love with camping and adventure. We eventually realized that our audience was not our framily and if we continued to produce genuine content that our audience would find us.
Staples InTents – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are an adventure lifestyle brand based in Atlanta. We encourage the everyday person to explore differently and to always be intense (InTents). Our focus is on glamping (glamorous camping) because being outside does not mean you have to make concessions about your comfort. We sell custom Staples InTents apparel, offer beginner off-roading lessons, and facilitate group camping experiences. What makes us different is that we meet you where you are. We make every effort to understand your level of adventure and customize an experience for you. For some people driving through the woods is adventure and others need to feel as though they are about to fall over a cliff. Some people would never pee in the woods where others think using public facilities is unsanitary. We take the time to understand how you define adventure and customize an experience for you.
If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
Starting over, we would try to not label what we do. We are black campers, glampers, overlanders, off-roaders, and travelers to others, but at the end of the day, we are just curious about the world and each other. When we put boundaries on what we do, we limit ourselves. Starting over, I am clear that we would not label ourselves. We do it all. We are about an adventurous lifestyle. We say yes to each and other and we say yes to the world.
Contact Info:
- Address: 41 Marietta St #2171
Atlanta, GA 30303 - Website: www.staplesintents.com
- Email: info@staplesintents.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/staplesintents
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/staplesintents
Image Credit:
Robert Patterson
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