Inspired by Missouri State Parks, a local entrepreneur launches Ope Outdoors
Juno Musonda has an affinity for Missouri State Parks and he's not afraid to show it. In 2020, the Zambia-born, St. Louis-raised entrepreneur recog...
Juno Musonda has an affinity for Missouri State Parks and he's not afraid to show it. In 2020, the Zambia-born, St. Louis-raised entrepreneur recognized a void in apparel that celebrates the Midwest and decided to act on it. 'If you go out west or to the East Coast or to any national park, there are plenty of souvenirs to buy with the park name on it,' says Musonda. 'I thought it was odd that there wasn't any merchandise that represented the places I was going to in and around Missouri.' The 29-year-old launched Ope Outdoors with a small-run of eco-friendly T-shirts and later expanded to sweatshirt and hats, each with unique designs such as the iconic lodge at Pere Marquette State Park, large boulders at Elephant Rocks State Park, and the Meramec River to represent Castlewood State Park, and so on.