HIGHLIGHTS 

New Website!

When you read this, Xplorer Maps will have just gone live with a “soft launch” of our new website. It’s been a bit since we last refreshed the look and feel of our platform, and we’ve been promising you this for a little while, so now…it’s finally done! And we're very excited about the results.

You will immediately notice an entirely new theme with a more intuitive and user-friendly shopping experience; improved loading speeds for both desktop and mobile; enhanced graphics; and lots more lifestyle imagery. 

Experience our new Travelers Blog and follow along with our Media and Communications Manager, Emily Rose, as she highlights the culture and communities of a different featured destination each month. Topics include music, art, breweries, eateries, film, and more. We hope you like our adventures, and please follow along and share on social media!

New Map Releases 

Xplorer Maps artist and co-founder Chris Robitaille, continues to work tirelessly behind the scenes rendering custom hand-drawn maps of special places to visit and/or celebrate as “home.” Since the last time we “spoke,” Xplorer Maps now has lithographic prints available for sale of The Outer Banks of North Carolina: our latest addition to the collection. 

Additionally, our full line-up of 17 different map products is now available online for our recently released maps of Chesapeake Bay (MD/VA), Cape May (NJ), and Pennsylvania.

NEW PRODUCTS 

Travel Drinkware: In late January, we released our new line of 16 oz. double-wall stainless steel drinkware. The response from customers has been amazing. With over 45 different map designs, you can take your favorite place with you! Try out these new hot and cold travel drinkware. Bonus perk: they fit in a wide variety of cup holders!

Kitchen Towels: Introducing our new line of colorful kitchen towels! These towels arrived in our warehouse in early March and are 100% cotton flour sack, measuring 18x24 inches, and designed for maximum absorbency…….and conversation!

The towels are not only functional but also visually stunning. You can find your favorite place with over 45 different maps in vibrant detail, making them a unique and eye-catching addition to your kitchen decor. Available now, visit  https://xplorermaps.com/collections/kitchen-towels to see the full line-up!

Partner Updates

Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, through a custom collaborative map partnership with Xplorer Maps, now offers new exclusive product designs only available at www.bigskyrail.org! All proceeds go toward increasing the multi-state, non-partisan effort to restore the southern passenger rail route to hundreds of communities from Chicago to Seattle and many places in between.

Free Framed Prints Contest Winners Announced!

Congratulations to the following people who entered our contest and won a Free Framed print. Stay tuned for the next opportunity to win a Special Custom Gift Package of our Minnesota and Finger Lakes maps coming out next.

• Chesapeake Bay - Teresa E. (Bel Air, MD)
• Pennsylvania - Jim Smith (Helena, MT)
• Outer Banks - Ray A. (Albemarle, North Carolina)
• Utah - Lauren P. (Logan, UT)

…and HOPES

New Retail Brick & Mortar Store!

We are SOOOOO excited to enter an entirely new phase of this family business as we enter our 2nd decade. This opportunity literally “fell into our laps” and was never seriously contemplated at any time over the past ten years; until quite recently!

Xplorer Maps is expanding into new space adjoining our warehouse and embarking upon a very cool new adventure. With more than 1,200 square feet of totally updated and remodeled retail space, we will now be able to showcase our growing line of 60+ hand-drawn map collections featuring destinations around the world. 

Seeing that we are experiencing an increasing number of folks stopping in to “shop the warehouse,” this seems to be a natural evolution of the brand. Our new storefront presence (on Third Street in midtown Missoula) will allow everyone to experience the full extent of what we offer and provide a welcoming space for hosting First Friday and other evening and weekend events for the community.

Our target opening date is June 1st..so we’ll see how that goes!! 

The NEW Xplorer's Club

We’re excited to announce our new, re-imagined Xplorer’s Club coming in mid-April! You may be familiar with our Xplorer’s Club already, but just in case you missed it - we’ll let you know what’s up! Xplorer’s Club is our very own loyalty program, where you earn points for buying products, following us on social media, or just having a birthday! These points add up to give you discounts on future purchases.

The new Xplorer’s Club will have a fresh, new feel and will be user-friendly to boot! Join the Xplorer’s Club for extra perks like early access to sales, free items with purchases, and more.

New Maps

Stay tuned for the next two exciting map releases being rolled out in Q2. Our new lithographic prints of the “Beehive” state (UTAH!)  and the “The Land of 10,000 Lakes” (MINNESOTA!) will both be available on May 15th, Minnesota’s anniversary of joining the union.

Additionally, by the end of Q2, Chris Robitaille (our wonderful artist and XM co-founder) will have completed the rendering of The Finger Lakes (upstate NY) and Costa Rica, the latter of which is the result of a full year-long collaborative partnership with Ecology Project International. 

New Products

Stone “Collage” Coasters: We have contemplated bringing these back for a few years now and have finally found the perfect MADE-IN-THE-USA manufacturer to create these stunning pieces for Xplorer Maps, which will be available in late May, just in time for Father’s Day! 

The rough stone blanks are imported Turkish marble; each blank is carefully cut, carved, and shaped. The end result is a beautifully printed, full-color stone coaster that, as a set of 4, creates a gorgeous “montage” of any of our 60+ hand-drawn map designs. Sold in a custom box, these unique coaster sets will make a stunning gift for family and friends to showcase at the home, office, or cabin. Totally custom. Made on demand. Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.

Spring Intern, “BECCA BOOM” 

Xplorer Maps is excited to welcome back Becca Robitaille (our co-founder Chris’s daughter and a fabulous budding artist herself). This time she will be bringing along her cousin from Kenya, Katie Haywood, for a 2-month-long internship with Xplorer Maps. Their focus will be traveling throughout the state and developing creative media content celebrating Montana’s public lands. Sounds like some serious fun, eh?!

SPRING EVENTS: 

International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF)  - April 22-27

We are so happy to sponsor the International Wildlife Film Festival again this year. We’ve chosen three special short films set in Costa Rica, Kenya, and Hawaii, each place closely connected to projects and partners we are currently working with. 

• Bridging Fragments is set in the rainforest of Costa Rica following the Sloth Conservation Foundation. For more information about showing dates and times, visit: https://wildlifefilms.org/portfolio/bridging-fragments/
• Heart of Maui follows two scientists on their journey to save a rare and endangered bird species. For more information about showing dates and times, visit https://wildlifefilms.org/portfolio/heart-of-maui/
• Remembering Sudan is actually set in Kenya and tells the story of a white rhino named Sudan and his caregiver, Zacharia. For more information about showing dates and times, visit https://wildlifefilms.org/portfolio/remembering-sudan/

Earth Day Celebration with EPI: 

For Earth Day this year, we’re teaming up with our partners, Ecology Project International, to help spruce up their natural garden. Check out our social media channels to join in on the fun! 

National Park Week (April 22-29):

National Park Week is almost here! Our highly-anticipated BOGO sale is coming up quickly. Keep an eye out on our emails and social media to take part in this massively popular sale - you don’t want to miss it!

State Features: Xplore with us!

Each month, we have been featuring a different state map and focusing on all the wonderful things about that place. Follow along on social media for our upcoming features, which include Montana, Minnesota, and New Hampshire!

April - Montana:

Montana, how we love you! We think Montana is pretty great, and we love to share that with you. This April, we will be celebrating all things Montana, starting with 406 Day! Be sure to check your emails and follow along on social media for fun blogs, cool music playlists, and info about our favorite things to do and see in the Last Best Place.

May - Minnesota

The land of 10,000 lakes and so much more! Check out social media pages to learn more about the North Star State in the month of May!

June - New Hampshire:

For the month of June, we will be highlighting the state of New Hampshire. We will be celebrating their statehood on June 21st. Follow along on social media to learn all about the fun things New Hampshire has to offer!