Harpo Studios

The couch made it's first trip into Chicago today. It went with the guys from Bk Boat n Sleds to Amanda Hein Photography for a photo shoot. While we waited for Amanda, we made the 4 block walk over to Harpo Studios, home of the Oprah Winfrey Show.


We walked the couch right down the sidewalk and barely got any attention. It wasn't a crowded part of the city, but we did see a lot of people on the walk. Don't get me wrong, we heard the website muttered a couple times and people looked.....but it is a very different response than what you get in the burbs.

Once we got to Harpo, I parked it right under the sign like true tourist. I also noticed how many security cameras are around the Harpo Studios. With that much surveillance and an eight foot couch rolling around the parameter, someone HAD to have seen it on the inside. I got the shot that we headed over for and there wasn't any suprises this time. Maybe someday Oprah will sit on the couch, but until then, the sign will do.

"Freaking Genius Marketing" Interview

I was contacted by Lori Gertz of Freaking Genius Marketing about the couch. FGM is a marketing firm that caught word of the couch and LOVED IT! Lori asked if I was available for an interview and I could not pass THAT up....so I said yes. We haven't met yet so we will have to wait on a couch pic, but the interview is up on their blog. Please take a second to check it out. I am very excited and hopeful about the exposure that this interview will do for the couch! This is the first interview that I have had about the couch too, so that's exciting. Those of you that have followed us from the begininng can probably see the growth.

We have come from a picture of me in front of Bk Boat n Sleds' Lakemoor, Il location, to an interview about marketing. This is gonna be a wild ride! Sit down, pull the computer close and see what happens.... "Life is Better on A Couch"

Thank you to everyone that reads the blog and follows the links!

The Interview with Freakin Genius Marketing

Worlds Largest Corn Maze

The couch made the trip out to Spring Grove, Illinois to visit the Worlds Largest Corn Maze at Richardson Farm. The corn maze is a local hit! Every year since 2001, the Richardson's plot out a maze in 28 acres of corn. And each year the maze is different and more detailed than the year before. It certainly takes more planning and skills than I could ever give. If I created a corn maze, it would be more of a corn hallway than anything...lol.

As always, the couch got taken over by randoms. We barely got past the front gate when a few girls jumped on the couch. They went for a short couch ride down a little hill and then it spun on them. That was the end of that..lol


We met a few of the Richardson's while we were there, including one of the owners; Wendy Richardson. We met her at one of the campfires late that night. I was celebrating my 30th birthday and was not in the clearest state of mind at that moment.... I may have to "remeet" her before the season ends.

Thanks Richardson Farm for allowing us to come out and hang. It is always a good time and we will se ya next year!

I also want to thank the girls for loading the couch. Again, I was not in any state to be in control of the couch.

Camping in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin

The couch made its way up into Wisconsin for a camping trip with the crew. We stayed at Blue Mounds State Park. This was the 2nd camping trip this year that the couch has been to. This time was different though. The couch had a date!


This was a little love seat that was brought by the Lubovich's this past weekend. It was found in their alley (and will probably be returned there).

I taught my daughter a life lesson on the couch this weekend. She learned to never be the first one to fall asleep.

She caught on pretty quick.

It wasn't long after I unloaded the couch that I found there was a nice slope in the campsite. I gave it a go and almost bulldozed our tent over about a half hour after setting it up. I would have been in big trouble if that happened, so I waited till Sunday to take these vids.....

It was a blast up there that weekend. This was the same weekend we went to Thirsty Troll..... If you haven't seen that post, check it out below!

Thirsty Troll Brew Festival

This was by far the best event that the couch has been to. Thanks to Melissa Theisen, DougsCouch.com was allowed into the 7th Annual Thirsty Troll Brewfest in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. The fest consisted of about 30 different brewery's and over 100 different beers.

From the moment the couch entered the gates, it was attracting attention. Installing the casters on the couch was the best desicion ever. We pushed the couch around the tent and through the crowd twice in the 4 hours the fest was open. There were 10 of us that attended the brewfest with the couch and we all made it through the fest standing.....barely.

Right off the bat, we met Jorgen, the Thirsty Troll and gave him a break on the couch. He is a quite dude, but man can he drink!

This may have been the most receptive crowd for the couch too. Given, it is a beer fest so everyone is laid back and having a good time.....an 8 foot couch on air casters kinda fits right in. We had a ton of folks jumping onto the couch for a pic. I was even personally welcomed to Mt. Horeb by one of the chairmen of the chamber of commerce. The coolest thing I think I have seen is people hitting the website from thier phone as they look at the couch. It is always cool to see the reaction to the couch.

Here are a few of the randoms from Brewfest....


We also got to meet the celtic band, "The Pints" while we were there. On our trip around the tent, we got to talking with thier "muscle" and equipment guy, Ox. They are a really energetic band that delivers some awesome traditional celtic music.


I have said it before, the couch is a big hit with the ladies. Here are a group of ladies that may have had too much fun at the fest and were thankful that the couch was there to catch them on the way down....


The worst part of the Thirsty Troll Brew Fest, was loading the couch back on the mini van after 4 hours of 'all the beer you could drink'. Once the couch was all strapped in, it was safe. Thanks to my wife, we had a designated driver to get us back to the campsite so we could party some more!

On behalf of the whole Couch Team, I want to thank the crowd, the Thirsty Troll Brew Fest Committee and all the Breweries for making our trip to Mount Horeb a BLAST!

See ya in 2010.


Here are some of the Brewers that were at the fest
Ale Asylum Brewery, Esser's Best, Flying Dog, Goose Island, Magic Hat, Potosi Brewing Company, Pyramid Breweries, Stone Cellar, Tyranena Brewing Company, Blu Creek Capital Brewery, Great Dane Brewery, The Grumpy Troll, Lake Louie, Leinenkugel, O'so Brewing Company, Purple Feet Wines, Sand Creek

And our friends at New Glarus were chosen as the crowd favorite this year!

Young Professionals of Mchenry

The couch made it out the the Young Professionals, a subgroup of the Mchenry Chamber of Commerce for professionals under 40. This is a great group to be a apart of. As you can see, we have quite the mix...bankers, insurance agents, mechanics and lawyers. It doesn't matter what your profession is, we can all learn something from our peers.

The couch is really getting some attention now too. I was excited to see it on the AGENDA for the meeting at the YP's!

The best part of this shoot was when Joel Zarnstorff, a banker from Midwest Bank, helped load the couch into the truck dressed in a suit! It may have been the most "professional" handling of the couch to date. Nice work Joel.


The YP meets at the Firewood lounge in Mchenry once a month. They are always looking for new members, so if you are looking to network with other professionals in the area, feel free to check them out!