When teens accomplish something note worthy, it should be shouted for all to hear to inspire others.

This site is a tribute to two teens and what they accomplished.

It is only a museum or photo album/scrap book of their accomplishments and nothing more.


Two teens with a vision to empower other teens.

Their vision was stopped, but did not die, and it lives on in the success of others who are inspired to “try” as well as their own new adventures.

We hope this site will encourage other teens to follow their dreams and go after them. Learn from the successes and mistakes of those who have gone before you.

(DISCLAIMER)
This site has no product for sale. The products shown here are only to show you what teens can accomplish. GidgetGear INC. does not exist any longer. This site is ONLY a tribute site, and does not belong to GidgetGear Inc., or the girls. It is a private personal fan site.

The sisters from GidgetGear have no dealings with this site any longer, and this is my personal scrap book which I have placed here.

All the products shown on this site were at one time for sale when GG was a functioning company. They dissolved GG when their name conflicted with another company’s name. Once they were made aware of the conflict, they dissolved the company according to the wishes of the challenging company. The challenging company found out about GidgetGear as GG was applying for a Trade Mark.

Being teens they could not afford the legal battles that would ensue, so they took everything seen here and donated it all to charity.

They are still paying off their creditors to this day.


The GidgetGear Story and Vision

It started with one T-shirt. It was Gidget’s (Desi Metcalf) birthday. 16 years old. Her sister (Sharlene then 17) and father (Kenny) made a t-shirt and called it “Gidgetgear”, because it was Gidget’s personal gear. Desi was nicknamed Gidget by her grandfather when she was 11. The t-shirt had a wood background look across the front of the shirt. It had the one word name “Gidgetgear” above the wood stripe print on it.

Her picture was taken with her wearing the shirt for the family album. The film went in for development, and the person developing the film like the shirt so much she asked if she could buy one.

The two sisters said, Okay! We can make you one. From that one shirt, other people in their school started to ask if they can purchase one. The girls had something adults spend years trying to create., but in looking back it wasn’t just the shirt or the cool logo they had designed, it was the living and breathing personalities of Gidget and Shar that warmed the people they met.

The girls started to draft out a plan to build a company around the t-shirt.

Their mission statement was to be a company that would empower others and release finances to free students from waiting tables, washing cars, and any other laborious work that only paid minimum wage while pursuing school (high school and college).

Looking at various ways to market their product, they chose to follow the proven pattern that Mary Kay of Mary Kay Cosmetics had crafted. “Home Party’s”.

The plan was to employ independent sales reps. The ISR’s would then book private home GidgetGear clothing party’s, inviting friends and neighbors to attend the beach clothing party. They would take clothing orders at these party’s and then fill the orders from GidgetGear’s inventory.

GidgetGear started with one t-shirt and incorporated GidgetGear after 6 months and had 22 independent sales reps and about 70 different products to sell. Desi was personally drawing the artwork for the clothing while Shar was negotiating with clothing cutters. The pricing of the clothing was better than local clothing stores, and manufactured for the girls by many of the same companies who were handling the big name clothing companies. The girls (Desi and Shar) handled all the business with the manufacturing companies. They ordered all the products and paid the bills.

They received Local, National and International press. From that press they received letters from around the globe of people who wanted to be GidgetGear Independent Sales Reps.
The girls company had been named #3 of the top 40 teen businesses in the United States by Teen Entrepreneur magazine.

Just before the vision came to an end (name conflict), they had booked themselves at the U.S. Open for Surfing in Huntington Beach, CA. They made an impact there, and their following continued to escalate. Gidget (Desi) was not only a surfer with her own clothing line, she and her sister were the real deal. They genuinely loved the people they met, and made sure that their sales force had the ability to make at least 50% of their sales. All of their products were manufactured in the U.S.A.

These teens would book 2 party’s a weekend. Their profit was enough to not have to carry a part time job at some fast food joint after only 4 hours work per week.

That was the vision… release teens, teach them how to build a business, and how to manage money.

GidgetGear had even made an impression on thieves.

A company of crooks was so impressed with GidgetGear that they created and forged checks against the GidgetGear account in the amount of $35,000. The bank caught it and never charged the girls.

The girls learned that being in a global world, it is important to “FIRST” seek your Trademark, then go after your product line and dream, but being teens, who has that kind of money to start? Also remembering, the original idea was only a t-shirt for a birthday gift, not a business.

So from one t-shirt they took a chance to do something bigger than themselves with a vision to help others.

Have a look at the “Museum” as we now call it and be inspired to go after your dreams.

Do your best and always include the benefit of others, and you will grow, and the world will be a better place because of you.

Both girls are now adults and are pursuing other business ventures.

Gidget (Desi) is in the entertainment industry (Acting and playing music) and Sharlene is married, owns and operates a coffee house with her husband Nick in Riverside, Ca and she is also an interior designer, and a professional Culinary Cook.

Drop them an e-mail and I’ll forward it to them.

ENTER MUSEUM

Gidget's first band: THE CLIQUE- "I DON'T WANNA KNOW"- featuring Desi Metcalf, Chris Granger, and Chuck Callion.
Desi Homecoming Princess of La Habra High School (Second from top left)
"Gidget gets many scholarships to college, and this is one of them"

Site designed and maintained by: Lobo Graphics