ROCKFORD, Mich. — In a society so consumed by technology, it can be hard to find some peace. But disconnecting from your screen to connect with your surroundings is easy when you step onto the campgrounds at Detach Primitive.
“It's just constant," said Jarred Sper, and founding partner at Detach Primitive. "You've got your TV. You've got your computers. You've got your phones, got your iPads. I mean, it is just taking everything away from being present, being in the moment, like we are right now. I mean...they're becoming less and less common, in my opinion.”
It's all in the name — Detach Primitive takes you off the grid and into a one-of-a-kind experience.
Stephen Sper, Jarred's brother and another founding partner, said, “The whole idea that we have at Detach is people come and they're able to get away from what they do every day. Namely, that's detach from screens and detach from everything where you're connected and hyper-connected.”
Along with their other founding partner Kyle Sischo, Stephen and Jarred had their first guests stay at Detach Primitive last winter. This is their first year in operation. They told FOX 17 about 500 guests stayed over the summer.
The brothers are excited to be working together on this entrepreneurial adventure, but like all sibling partnerships, it comes with some pros and cons.
Jarred said, "The pros are that we know how each other thinks. So, we know how to approach each other. We also know how to engage. We also know how maybe to get our way on some things. That might be a con."
Stephen added, "We know how to push each other's buttons. We grew up together. Within 10 seconds, we can get that reaction out of each other because we know how to do that. Sometimes that happens, but most of the time, we're able to work through that and say, 'Hey, here's what's going on. Here's what I'm feeling.' Also, 'Hey, I'm in my lane of what I'm responsible for in this business. So here's what we're going to do.'”
That sibling support sparked their innovative flame. The Sper's love camping and wanted others to share that sentiment.
When the pandemic hit, their idea took off.
“We understood that people were spending a lot of time inside," Jarred said. "We've always enjoyed spending time outside. This is something we want to curate and build someplace (so) when the pandemic was over, we knew people would want to get out and experience nature, or they should experience nature for that healing process.”
That healing process starts the second you walk onto the 50-acre property in Rockford.
The Detach team went through months of planning, mapping out the blueprints by putting themselves in the shoes of their future guests.
“We spent a lot of time going through each area of his property and saying, 'If we put this structure here, do you see another structure? Will you engage with anybody else?' Really try to give people the opportunity to not only detach, but have their own space," Jarred said.
While that whole idea might take some getting used to, they say everyone has bought in.
Stephen said, “My favorite part of this whole season has been sharing this experience with folks and getting feedback from them — watching their eyes change as they walk through the forest, or seeing kind of the glow on their face as they leave at the end of their stay.”
Detach has 10 campsites, including a 20-foot tipi, a large yurt and a cozy A-frame. However, none are more creative and complex than the fantasy film-inspired Hobbit Home.
One of the best parts about Detach? Some of their structures are open year-round!