I wanted to show some love to the store that first gave me a chance and helped in the subsequent development of my business. This is, of course, the one-and-only Wadoo.

Wadoo dwells in downtown Fort Collins (if you live there, it’s in old town across the street from those funky fountains that children are always playing in) and is home to a diverse array of talented and whimsy artists from across the United States (and a few odd places like Canada or Isreal).

If you stroll into Wadoo, one of the ladies who work there will be able to tell you almost anything you would want to know about each and every artist. You go in and you say, “Tell me more about these cup cozies,” and they’ll say, “Oh, those are made from old felted sweaters! The company is called Plaidypus. She’s local. She just graduated from Colorado College. Her favorite flowers are daffodils and her least favorite thing about driving is…” You get the point.

They are probably the most helpful people you will ever meet.

And a lot of them are also artists in the store! Chris Reynolds makes some rockin’ baby bibs, Jennie Milner makes some funky poured resin jewelry, and sometimes you can see the owner, Amy Satterfield, making coasters from old children’s books behind the counter.

Wadoo is particularly important to me because this is where Plaidypus started. This is the shop that took a chance on a pair of fuzzy fingerless mittens and allowed Plaidypus to grow and succeed. Plaidypus even gets its own section of the store now! Wadoo is where Plaidypus gets most of its business and how most people hear about us, so it’s important in that aspect, too.

Here’s my late-to-the-game disclaimer: I work there, too (and my mother may or may not own the store so it is kinda sorta a family business). So I might be a little biased as I describe the place as the most magical store on earth. But it’s also just the most magical store on earth, so definitely check it out if you’ve got a few minutes. It’s got a nifty website, a Facebook page, as well as the actual physical storefront if you’re in Fort Collins for the day.