Today we’d like to introduce you to Carly Bellis & Courtney Campbell.
Hi Carly & Courtney, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We were with our husbands and couldn’t get on a tennis court one afternoon so we borrowed some pickleball paddles from the pro-shop and played our first game. We were such newbies that we actually had to google the rules on our walk over to the courts. When we got there though, there was such a great vibe with lots of different groups and ages, music playing in the background, and everyone genuinely having a blast. We loved it so much that we switched our Thursday night from tennis to pickleball, followed by wine, beer and apps.
When it came time to purchase our own gear, we found that most of it just wasn’t that appealing or it was marketed towards the 65+ crowd that had dominated this sport for years (kudos to them for finding such a fun sport first and keeping it under wraps for so long).
As the fastest growing sport in the US, with an increasingly younger demographic, pickleball was clearly missing a brand that was as fun as the game itself. So we set out to make just that. A brand for those who love the game AND love a great time. Swinton is for people just like us who love getting out there on the pickleball court, playing with their friends or a pickup game with strangers, and then celebrating after with a beer or glass of wine. We make gear such as paddles, bags, and balls, as well as fun apparel and goodies for what we like to call “après pickleball.” We sell everything on our website on Amazon and you can see us at various events.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Of course, when you set out to launch, you want to do so as quickly as possible, but it took us some time to find the right partners and make sure we were landing on the best quality products. We’d love to continue to put out new products for our customers even faster.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We come from different business backgrounds and very complementary skill sets, so we truly make a great team.
Courtney is the owner and creative director of Campbell Creative, a Delray Beach based branding agency. Courtney partners with companies of all sizes to bring their brands to life.
Carly, a former lawyer, owns another e-commerce brand called Not My Mama’s that manufactures and sells all-natural personal care products for teens and tweens. She brings significant expertise from the business and e-commerce sides.
Together we have over 40 years of entrepreneurial experience and work extremely well together, which means we have a great time while working to grow Swinton.
Pricing:
- Pickleball Paddle: $69
- Pickleball Sling Bag: $65
- Pickleball Starter Bundle: $135
Contact Info:
- Email: sayhi@swintonpickleball.com
- Website: http://www.swintonpickleball.com
- Instagram: @swintonpickleball
- Facebook: @swintonpickleball
Image Credits
(David DeSouza/Courtesy)
