The story of Tandem For Two
I love the state I live in. I was born and raised in metro-Detroit, went to school and have family roots in the UP, and live and raise my children in a small town on the shores of Lake Michigan. Of all the places I have explored and traveled, I am always proud to be from the Midwest and happy to come home to Michigan. I love all four seasons that we have. I love how we are surrounded by water and that lakes, rivers, and streams are always minutes away, no matter where we are. And who doesn't love pulling out your mitten and showing where you live or where you've been?
One spring, my sister and I filled a pickup truck to the brim as we traveled a 100-mile yard sale through the Midwest. Along the way, I found a classic Montgomery Ward tandem bike in a farmer's barn. His kids had grown and his grandkids didn't ride it. I had to have it and somehow managed to add it to the pile on the truck. We cleaned up that orange tandem bike and it became the main mode of transportation for my young daughter and I throughout our small beach town.
When I designed my first bucket list, my kids and husband helped to come up with a list of activities, memories, and things that are just our family. As my small business grew and I needed to come up with a name and logo, my son told me the only thing I could call it is Tandem For Two, complete with an orange tandem bike. He was right. That tandem bike, which travelled from a Midwest farm to a small beach town, sums up all that we love about where we live. It's bike basket has carried veggies from our farmer's market, towels for the beach, picnic dinners to the park, and even our dachshund gets a ride.
Now the artwork from Tandem For Two includes all the fun things we love about our hometowns and our state. They include our favorite things to do, local foods we love, and places not to miss. It's what makes where we live special and celebrates all of those things, whether we've lived here our whole lives or just visited for a short while.