Acadia After Dark Shop

Hey there Hikers,

As you know this little project has grown to be something much larger than I had originally anticipated and with that comes some changes as well as some growing pains. Along with these growing pains comes moments of opportunity for growth and learning new thing is a part of that. I have been working hard to improve the quality of the show and branch out into new avenues of multimedia entertainment (more to come on that soon) which will allow for new stories to be told.

This took some financial investment on my part which to be honest was long overdue. The last year of the show I was able to do a lot with very little but now that the she has some legs it is time to stand with them. Launching this website was one part of a larger plan to build a platform and this so far has been a one man show. The investments made into Acadia After Dark are done because I want to tell stories and that alone is reward enough for me. However growth in this age of technology does not come cheap so I had to make the decision to begin looking into methods of recouping some losses to make this project more sustainable in the long term.

I don't feel comfortable with something like a Patreon because that would lead to locking some stories behind a paywall which I sort of want to avoid right now. Ko-fi might be an option just to have something if people want to donate but I still haven't pulled the trigger on that. One thing I did want to do was some marketing and promotional materials like cards or stickers and so while looking into that I found an opportunity to learn.

I recently started dabbling in some graphic design and ended up investing some money and time into the branding of Acadia After Dark with new logos. This was long overdue and it feels good to give the platforms a fresh look. Of course this inevitably lead to me making designs that looked so good on stickers and pins I thought, "why not put this on something else?"

So I put the feelers out to see what would be the best option for making merchandise that would be affordable and of good enough quality that I would put my name on it. I looked into bulk ordering but at this time the overhead is not feasible. Next I started looking into made to order places but most of the first few I tried were too pricey. I first and foremost I want this platform to be accessible AND affordable. I never want to put something behind a paywall and I don't want to have people feel as though they have to pay money in order to enjoy Acadia After Dark.

Then I found out about Fourthwall and I saw a new opportunity presented that could allow for new creative expression and growth while also providing an avenue for people who want to support the show to get something material in return. The products they supply are high quality and their design tools are easy enough that even an old man from the sticks could figure out how to make some pretty sweet gear. Best of all, it's affordable and ships fast.

The shop page should be accessible now if you scroll on over to the "Merch" tab and you can check out some of the first designs I've uploaded. New stuff will be on the way but for now I hope y'all just enjoy the show and if you do feel inclined to throw something in the collection plate let me know about it on social media so I can show my appreciation. As always, keep those lanterns lit and stay safe out there...