BOISE, Idaho - Local entrepreneur Annalisa DeMarta and her husband Ken started their family while living on the East Coast, but quickly realized Ken's home state of Idaho offered more of what they wanted for their active family. DeMarta remembers, "It became apparent that we needed a place where we could go camping, we could go fishing, we could go hiking, and New York just wasn't conducive to the activities that we loved."
So, they moved their growing family back to the Gem State, along with their growing business, which helped brands in the outdoor industry market and sell their products on Amazon. From that e-commerce experience, Demarta learned that when it comes to outdoor gear for kids, there aren't a lot of great options out there. "Being in the outdoor industry, we'd find things that were functional and durable, but they just weren't cute," DeMarta says.
So, she and Ken started upLone Cone, designing durable, adorable and thoughtful outdoor gear aimed at children ages 3 to 6. Lone Cone's flagship product are their rain-boots, though these aren't your typical puddle-jumpers. The all-weather footwear is smartly designed with a child in mind, with features like handles, better tread and a flexible sole. Even better, each and every pair is covered in a bright, trendy, funky, eye-catching design, dreamed up by the Lone Cone team and then drawn up by a pair of artists right here in the City of Trees.
From boots, Lone Cone branched out to backpacks and lunch boxes, all scaled to size for preschoolers and kindergarteners, and thoughtfully designed with pint-sized students in mind. DeMarta says the smaller packs were important because, "I was looking at my little one, went off to kindergarten last year, and going backpack shopping with her, I was like she's drowning in this backpack."
And it looks like DeMarta and her husband weren't the only parents looking for fun, functional outdoor items. The company quickly took off on Amazon, and now does millions of dollars per year in online sales, success that demarta credits to boise's amazing economic climate, and the area's great love for the great outdoors. "Everyone here is just so humble and we're really lucky to have received all the support we've seen [here]...Boise is full of wonderful talented people."
Up next for Lone Cone is a line of rain jackets and new-and-improved snow boots. For now, their products are only available on Amazon, just search "Lone Cone" in the website's search bar. You can also learn more about their story and their products by visiting their website.
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