In honor of Black History Month, we’re spotlighting one Black-owned outdoor business per day. You can read the complete series here.

Owner: Susan Clayton

Year founded: 2016

What we do

WhitePaws RunMitts mittens are purpose-built to address the needs of runners, walkers, and outdoor sports enthusiasts. Our handwear features a pocket where you can stash a handwarmer packet, but the key design element is that you can flip open the top and push the mittens down over your wrist as you warm up. No need to peel them off and stuff them into a pocket. In the online shop, I offer a wide variety of running mitts, plus gaiters and face masks.

What makes us special in the outdoor industry?

During the course of my coaching with Back on My Feet Baltimore, I saw a real need. I could never find mittens or gloves that kept both my fingers and thumbs warm when training in cold weather, so I sat down at the sewing machine and invented one. I honed my sewing skills which has really paid off: I create and test my own prototypes, so I’m constantly improving my designs. And each pair is hand-cut and sewn in Baltimore. I guess you could call me a hands-on founder!

I look forward to working with specialty outdoor retailers who think WhitePaws would be a good fit in their shops.