Shop Chic!!

Growing up in a small farming town, I was surrounded by many men in work clothes.  Somewhere between farming clothes to machinist attire.  When I was young and rebellious, I wanted nothing to do with this look but now I have grown to appreciate not only the style but the hard working men who wear this everyday.  I remember seeing them going to work in the morning and returning home all dirty.  Many of them would hit the showers only to return in a fresh set of work clothes.  It had become their style.  

I think the most alluring thing about the style is that it came out of pure function and just so happens to look good.  These were men of great craft and integrity.  They lived in the moment and provided for their families

These are the guys that introduced us to denim! Gold Miners!

Lately, I have been loving the top button on shirts with no tie.  Not to look like a preppy or a conservative, more like a machinist who is protecting himself from flying shavings.

Got to have some old Red Wings

Safety Glasses, Andy Fletcher Style!

Earnest Sewn is my jean of choice.  Not only do they fit me well, they represent what "Cafe Epoque" is all about, hand made by passionate people.  

Shop rags are so hip!

Order of the Knights of St. Crispin & an ode to shoe polish....

Order of the Knights of St Crispin was an American Labor Union of shoeworkers in the Northeast. Founded in 1867 it claimed 50,000 members by 1870, by far the largest union in the country. But it was poorly organized and soon declined. They fought encroachments of machinery and unskilled labor on autonomy of skilled shoeworkers. One provision in the Crispin constitution explicitly sought to limit the entry of "green hands" into the trade. But that failed because the new machines could be operated by semi-skilled workers and produce more shoes than hand sewing.

Shoemaking is a traditional handicraft profession, which has now been largely superseded by industrial manufacture of footwear.   Ever wonder why we are so attracted to "vintage" items.  We feel like we have a piece of the authenticity of the past.  What is authenticity?  Truthfulness to ones origins, a sincere, devotion to ones craft.  The individual artisanship of an item is a paramount criterion, such items often have cultural and/or religious significance. Items made by mass production are not handicrafts.

For the past 10 years I have been attracted to these big clunkers, made me remember some special men from the past.  One thing I noticed was how bullet proof they were and how many new shoes in my collection have come and gone while these just remained.  Trends came and went but these were always there waiting for me to come to my senses.  I'm remembering shoe polish from my little league days.  Shane's mom would polish his shoes, pearly white before every game.  I could see him down the side lines now after I pitched him the ball and he raced for the touchdown.  Shoe polish is a nice reset button. I guess I've always been "green", recycling my shoes and keeping them on the road and keeping the shoemaker opened for business.

Just A Wee Bit...

Over the weekend, we took a trip to Northern Ireland for our dear friends Oliver and Susanne's wedding.  Wow, we had a great time with our friends from NY, London along with many other places.  I'll be following up shortly with details of the trip.  Many special moments with fires in TeePee's, A Game of Cricket, & Cottages.

New Music on the Playlist...

I discovered this guy from the old school way of browsing a record shop and the passionate guy working the counter suggested I give it a try.  I'm going to miss the face to face conversations about music when the record shop goes extinct.

This dude made a master piece holed up one winter on his own.  A true new sound!

Fleetfoxes

The guys have a new folk sound that is easy to have on and doesn't annoy you like some new hipster wanna be music.  After living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and being a signed artist, I'm always hyper sensitive to the press some bands get and don't really buy it at first.  Afterall, there are a number of hipster bands getting away with some cheap sounding stuff.  I love it all though.

 

Spoon

I was a little skeptical at first, I guess because they're from Texas but damn their new record is good!  The bass player does it for me, so economical and only plays where necessary in his own little groove.  Great sounding drums too!

Broken Social Scene

Probably my favorite band over the past few years.  A lot of talent flows in and out of this group, Feist being the most familiar.  This is one of those bands that you peek in the record store for something new every month and you often want to buy something you already have just to make it brand new again. "Looks just like the sun" is one of my favorites.  "Feels Good Lost" is a great driving record.

Phoenix

I've always been a big fan of Sofia Copola and I discovered these guys because she is married to the singer.  And what a charm he is.  We went to see them at Tipitina's in New Orleans and they blew me away.  They sounded as good or better than anyone I've ever heard.  I think it's the best record of 2009. It was nice to see the kids go crazy for this band from Paris, right here in our back yard.

Delicious Beginnings

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.” Seneca quotes ( Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD)

It seems at every major turning point in life, there comes some moments of darkness before the light.  To remain a child is the ultimate goal, childlike in our imagination towards our interests without inhibition.  It seems like every time I give into a new part of myself, comfort comes and I feel like I have arrived.  I think it's natural to want to feel comfort and to feel like we've found ourselves but true enlightenment comes with constantly planting new seeds along with the nurturing it requires.  The other day, I had a conversation with a 7th grader who was troubled with the pressures of being around kids with their opinions.  We both shed a few tears as I told her the hardest thing in life is being yourself, your true self.  Not the one you think people want you to be, but the one that is true to the soul.  That ever evolving one, that resist comfort and contributes to this world something unique.  

 

Know Thyself.....

"It is well known that people don't always 'speak their minds', and it is suspected that people don't always 'know their minds'."

Future New Orleans Motel & Cafe

A few years ago me and Donovan had a dream that we'd make a record, mind you neither of us were musicians but that didn't stop us from learning all we needed to get it done.  Yesterday me, Don and Amanda were dreaming of a spot in New Orleans that encompassed all the things we loved.  Industrial design, coffee and music but more importantly, Dreams.  I thought it would be a good idea to come up with a small boutique motel, a place that was like no other in New Orleans.  A place to dream!