Made in the U.S.A: A Pair of Creative Entrepreneurs

Christian Burch and John Frechette are the JH archetype of creative entrepreneurship. Both changed the course of their careers by launching retail venture at once inspired and integral to the community. MADE and Mountain Dandy attest to their pairing of vision and dedication.

John moved from the East Coast to Jackson in 2007 to be the sales manager for a real estate development south of Town. Always artistic, he took a fused glass class at the Art Association – a lark that he loved (little did he know glass art would become his mainstay). After transitioning away from the luxury development in 2009, John embraced the opportunity to try something new. “I had to reinvent my life in order to stay here,” he said. Inspired by his art class experience, he launched Strapped Glass, a line of fused glass belt buckles and jewelry. He honed his retail pitch over the course of a summer selling his wares at art fairs; by September, when a hallway space opened up in the Broadway Shops in September 2009, he could quickly pull together a one-month pop-up shop. A banner success, the pop-up inspired John to search for a permanent roost.

That spring, while road tripping with Christian, John got a call saying his ideal space in Gaslight Alley could be his if he said yes on the spot. So he did. Since the call found the pair in Las Vegas, they rented a U-Haul and converted their drive home into a buying trip for store fixtures. Christian, a published author, high school literature teacher and valley bastion of style, shaped the new store’s aesthetic. On the drive, John called artists he’d met at as peers at fairs and gift shows, and asked for any product they had on hand. “’What can you send me in three weeks?’” John remembers pitching. He signed the lease on April 1^st, got the space May 1^st and opened six days later. “It was a whirlwind,” Christian said.

MADE’s tornado start was grounded by John’s conviction in the concept of showcasing handmade, repurposed and found objects. “MADE came out of ideas we cared about and things we loved,” he said. Immersed in the Maker Movement, John recognized an open niche for artist-made gifts tailored to Wyoming, appealing to both locals and tourists.

MADE’s early days were a training ground, a learning experience supported by other small business owners in Jackson. “We were piecing it together,” he says. “I borrowed a cash drawer from Lily & Co.” Lee Gardner of Lee’s Tees served as a “part-cheerleader, part-mentor.” Much of Lee’s early advice has become standard operating procedures at MADE and Mountain Dandy, like abiding by stated retail hours and staying open in the off-season. “It’s important for locals to be able to buy a birthday card every day of the year,” John said.

Invaluable advice also came from John’s dad:

“You can’t sell it if you don’t have it,” – as in always be well-stocked and spend money to make money.

John’s willingness to jump at opportunities is a hallmark not only of his start but also his success. “All of our stores have been shotgun starts,” he said. Two winters ago, Hotel Terra approached him with the prospect of filling the Teton Village void of a vibrant gift shop. A small margin of risk, John agreed to create a MADE outpost in the eco-resort. “It acts like a big billboard for the town shops,” John said.

When Shayne decided to shutter her skin care shop across the alleyway in Fall 2013, John and Christian saw their chance to launch a more refined men’s store. Locking down the lease within five days of Shayne’s announcement, they staged a Stocking Bar in December and then renovated the space in the spring to make way for Mountain Dandy. Small retail spaces are hard to come by downtown, John said. “We didn’t have the leeway to deliberate.”

The concept for Mountain Dandy grew out of the John and Christian’s domestic aesthetic: when people step inside their home, they often coo, “This is cool!” Related to MADE but not identical, Mountain Dandy continues the American-made theme with a focus on goods for gentlemen. Items deemed too luxe for MADE now define Mountain Dandy. Eclectic vintage pieces are central to the concept.

To minimize risk, John and Christian do not borrow money to begin their ventures, instead sourcing within their means. John describes early MADE as “bootstrap,” a cost-consciousness that synced with the capacity of his American artists; he’d buy tiny amounts, which is often all the artists had available. “American makers understand what we are trying to do,” he said.

Beyond the wares they sell, John and Christian have become concierges. “People often say, ‘We love your shop, what else will we love?’” Christian said. By greeting everyone who walks in the door, they create a friendly ambiance conducive to conversation. When John and Christian reflect on their four years in business, they see the enduring imprint of the JH brand.

“When people fall in love with Jackson Hole, they want to take a piece of it home with them,” says John.

MADE and Mountain Dandy stock souvenirs that remind visitors of their unforgettable experiences in the valley, and their booming web business speaks to the breadth and depth of Jackson Hole’s reputation: orders come from all over the world.

Each business builds upon the accumulated knowledge base. Mountain Dandy’s strong sales of vintage furniture was made possible by the expertise they gained shipping all sorts of things at MADE. “If people fall in love with something, they figure out a way to get it home,” John said. “We didn’t know how to ship leather armchairs to LA, but now we do.”

Having grown so quickly, John is keen to focus the near future on bolstering their internal infrastructure. That said, they are always scheming new concepts, whether replicating MADE and Mountain Dandy in other mountain communities or small cities, or nurturing new projects as design consultants (they helped outfit Persephone Boulangerie and Café). To have achieved so much in less than five years speaks to the valley’s embrace of budding entrepreneurs. “This town is incredibly supportive of small, local businesses,” John said.