Patchouli: From Head Shops to High Demand
If you recognize the word “patchouli” it may conjure up visions of Grateful Dead concerts, hacky sack-playing hippies, drum circles, or perhaps a line from Al Stewart’s song, “The Year of the Cat.” This essential oil, derived from a perennial herb native to Southeast Asia, was embraced by 1960s counter-culture—whether for its reputed aphrodisiac qualities...
Getting Groomed: The Hazards of Becoming a Man
Whether you’re expressing your individuality or simply practicing good hygiene, there’s one thing most men can agree on—personal grooming never goes out of style. When it was my turn to begin shaving, it took years of enduring nicks and crooked sideburns to develop a signature regimen. Although I earned a badge of honor in razor...
Hudson, NY: A River Town’s Renaissance
Walking the streets of Hudson, it might seem strange that this river town 100 miles away from the open ocean is graced with the images of so many whales. You’ll see them on hotel and street signs, shop windows, banners, even on the city seal. But Hudson owes its name—and really it’s very existence—to the...
Born a Ramblin’ Man
Some people collect spoons. Others collect license plates or snow globes to remind them of their travels. I have always favored items that get me to a destination versus what I can procure once I get there. My growing luggage collection includes my mother’s “World Traveler” that has seen me from Toronto to New Orleans...
E“scent”ial Oils and the Craft of Handmade Soaps
Whenever a serendipitous whiff of cedar wood floats in my direction, I’m instantly taken down memory lane to a place I’ve loved ever since childhood—my family cabin in the Santa Cruz Mountains. From our favorite colognes and perfumes to trusted grooming products and soaps we use every day—aromas can play a powerful role in one’s...
Keeping the Fleece
“You can’t fake quality any more than you can fake a good meal.” –William S. Burroughs, The Western Lands It’s not every day that a large company producing a widely-used good will choose quality over cost. But that’s exactly what Faribault Woolen Mill does, and it’s thanks to them that the American wool industry maintains...
And the Bandana Played On
I have that kind of Scottish-Irish hair that doesn’t grow long, but rather wild, wavy and very big. I first started growing out my hair in college after 18 years of buzz cuts. My lush and loose locks were a new ‘me’ to present to a world away from home, but these curls were full...
All in a Day’s Work(wear)
“Clothes make the man” –Mark Twain, American writer If Mark Twain was correct, then the high school version of me—donned in a mandatory cheap polyester apron, polo shirt and shapeless pants—knew my place. And it wasn’t at the top of the fashion food chain. I was working for a major bagel store (back when bagels...
Salt of the Earth
I love Coney Island. Living in New York City, I’ve always escaped to the ocean, the only place in the city that feels truly wild and untamed. But Coney Island holds a special place in my heart: still rugged beneath its gentrifying shell, it’s best in the off-season, when it’s just me and the old...
An Heirloom Whale of a Tale
“She said she wanted to see beautiful things. I took her to where I planted my seeds.” —Darnell Lamont Walker When I was a girl growing up in California, whales fascinated me. It was the 1970s, the heyday of Greenpeace and knowing whales existed is inseparably entwined in my mind with the knowledge that these majestic...
Domestic Manufacturing Makes a Comeback
In a testament to good old-fashioned ingenuity, record numbers of American are engaging in entrepreneurship these days. A lot of folks tired of waiting around for an economic upturn have decided to create their own jobs. It’s called “necessity entrepreneurship,” and according to a study by the University of Missouri published last year, the percentage...
Timeless Tinware
Tinware, one of the most classically American metals, is the material of choice for many products from one of our favorite brands, Jacob Bromwell. Tin was first made popular by its ease, both of cleaning and of maintenance. Its origin as a household item was in Colonial America around Connecticut, though it also happily resides...
