After meeting Brett and Christian on our last photo shoot with their parents, I just knew we had our next cover story!  You never know who lives in your neighborhood which is the beauty of Stroll The Moorings. Now we get to share some pretty awesome young entrepreneurs and have bragging rights that they live in The Moorings.  So when they get just as big as Mark Cuban, we can say, "We knew them when..." 

When did you first watch a Star Wars movie?
Growing up, we loved sci-fi and fantasy movies. Surprisingly, we hadn’t seen Star Wars
until about three years ago. A few of our friends watched the movies growing up, and
although they were heavily recommended, we never watched them until later in life.

Was it one of the original trilogies or the newer movies? If a newer one, did you go
backward and watch the original after, or did you watch in order?  Do you have a
preference for the classic or the newer movies?
The first movie that kicked it all off was Episode 4: A New Hope; after watching that, we
were hooked and ended up watching Episodes 5 and 6, then the prequels (Episodes 1,
2 and 3). Then we watched the sequels (Episodes 7, 8 and 9). We have also seen the
animated series, Clone Wars and Rebels, which we both highly recommend.

Tell us about the sabers and what makes them unique (without giving up secrets of
course).
One of the best features of our sabers would be their ability to change colors on the fly.
They also have a number of different fonts, which have a wide range of blades, ignition
and sound effects. A key aspect of our sabers is their durability. They are extremely
durable and can be used for dueling when done safely.

How did you come up with this idea?
The idea took off from a birthday gift. When we were younger, our uncle got us two
replica sabers as a gift, and after they sat on display for several months, we eventually
began dueling with them. We quickly found out that they were not up to the task, and we
needed a stronger alternative. After ordering two sabers from another company, we
waited about a month with no updates. Then when we contacted the company we
ordered from, they told us that orders from three months ago are just beginning to ship, and
we would be lucky if ours shipped out next week. After waiting another two weeks, nothing
had changed, so we thought to ourselves, “We can do this better, and we can do this for
less money.” Being fans of our products, we didn’t want fellow saber enthusiasts to
have to go through the same experiences that we had. Especially with some of the
inflated prices that some of our competitors charge for similar products. Our company’s
mission has always been to provide a reliable and professional outlet for saber
enthusiasts to purchase sabers.

How much research went into perfecting the sabers?
Perfecting our sabers took a lot of trial and error. Finding the right manufacturer and
getting the programming just right so that our sabers are intuitive and easy to use was a
long process. One of the biggest innovations with our products, which we started at the
beginning of this year, was implementing a programable circuit board into the saber.
This allows you to update the firmware on the saber to add new features as they are
released.

Do you attend comic conventions, and have you met any of the cast of the movies?
We have not attended any conventions yet but are hoping to go check out some when
we get the chance.

What are your goals with your new business?
Our current goals are to make our logistics more efficient and to bring on a few
employees. Eventually, we want to diversify our products and expand into different
types of cosplay items. Once we streamline our current process, that will be the next
action we’re focusing on. Maintaining excellent customer service and quick shipping
times is our top priority at all times.

Any fun stories about someone who purchased a saber?
We actually had someone reach out, a couple of months ago, asking about the tracking
information on an order. After looking at the name on the order, we didn’t believe who it
was going to. Mark Cuban and his son Jake ordered a saber, which is amazing. We
were even able to get a picture with him using the saber for our Instagram
(@ImperialWorkshopOfficial).

How can we order one?!
Head to imperialworkshop.com, and check out the sabers on our shop page. We try to
keep everything in stock as best we can, but sometimes items will be out of stock for a
week or so.

What do you like best about living in The Moorings/Naples?
We love how close we are to the beach and how safe the area is. It’s very quiet in
Naples, especially in the Moorings is extremely relaxing. Florida is amazing; the
weather is great, and so are the people.

Business name: Imperial Workshop
Contact info to order: Imperialworkshop.com
Email: Support@ImperialWorkshop.com