Meet Dani & Azia Peterslie | Small Business Owners & Sisters

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dani & Azia Peterslie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dani & Azia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
We really wanted to create a unique space that represented our local region in the best way possible. Our shop specializes in gifts and apparel that are reminiscent of the La Crosse region. We thought the area lacked this type of niche business at the time and that was one of the initial reasons to start our own business. Thinking of the places we like to shop at when traveling and introducing that into our area with our own flavor!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Our goal was to set Drift apart from others by thoughtfully curating a space that we would want to be in every single day. Atmosphere is very important to us when exploring other businesses, from the way you feel when you walk into a space, to the music playing and everything in between. I think it’s super important to offer an ever-changing vibe for customers to feel like they are seeing something new every time they come into the shop. We live in a very beautiful area, geographically , and also wanted to have that element represented at the forefront of our store. We offer a lot of different items that represent things from the region from camping cookbooks and tools to biking accessories as the area is used for summer recreation, to apparel that we design and screenprint in-house that are exclusive to our store. I think our brand is our city – La Crosse – and we are really proud to be a part of our community and have been embraced by the community in a way that is really humbling.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would have a ball-I’m going summer in La Crosse for time of year! We would play:
-grab a pontoon ride on the beautiful Mississippi River or rent stand up paddleboards and move ourselves
-go hiking on the various trails from the HPT area to Goose Island to Norskedalan, all local favorite spots
-ride our bikes down to Moon Tunes to catch a free Thursday night concert at Riverside Park
-bar hop for a night and check out the downtown nightlife
-drive up to Grandad Bluff for a sunset look out spot and grab a bloody mary at The Alpine Inn bar at the top of the bluff
-shop around historic downtown La Crosse
-morning walk at Myrick Park marsh trails
-yoga session at Palm + Pine to get our zen on

We would eat:
-breakfast at Fayze’s for the classics or The Charmant Hotel for something more chef-inspired
-lunch at The Root Note for a bowl of veggie chili and a matcha latte or Pettibone Boat Club for the best patio view of the river
-appetizers at the Starlite lounge with a couple of cosmos in hand
-dress up dinner night at Lovechild
-casual dinner night at Buzzard Billy’s
-foodtruck fun at Apothik for a quesadilla
-dessert at The Pearl Ice Cream Parlor (also family-owned and operated by us)
-dessert at Meringue for a salted chocolate chip cookie

We would drink:
-good brews at 608 brewing and Turtle Stack
-good cocktails at La Crosse Distilling
-good sangria at Bodega
-good bike ride spot to Pearl Street Brewery and even catch Pints & Poses for some yoga and beer
-coffee at Bean Juice Roasters or Grounded

We would daytrip:
-Viroqua for a stroll through their downtown and lunch at Driftless Cafe
-Bike the Great River State Trail to Trempealeau and check out Perot State Park for camping or hiking Brady’s Bluff and then dinner and drinks at The Trempealeau Hotel (live music available here too!)
-Lanesboro, MN for more biking opportunities and a scenic drive through the countryside while making a pit stop at Free Range Exchange in Hokah, MN for some delicious homemade treats

I could go on and on

Alright, so let’s jump right in! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there a person, group, organization, book, etc. that you want to dedicate your shoutout to? Who else deserves a little credit and recognition in your story?  
We grew up in an entrepreneurial household and can attribute an ample amount of our drive and passion for small business to our parents. Both of us started working in our parents shops’ at very young ages and were consistently introduced to the various elements of running a business, both in the artistic and creative means and with the logistical side of things. Watching the evolution, the ups and downs, and failures and successes of business was something we saw firsthand. Our parents helped guide us into the world of entrepreneurship and we share a lot of the same vision when it comes to what a business can be.

Website: www.driftmercantileco.com

Instagram: @driftmercatile

Facebook: Drift Mercantile

Other: www.pearlicecream.com (family owned and operated ice cream parlor) www.pearlstreetwest.com (other shops and venue we operate)

Image Credits
Hilary Bronk