The customers were nestled all snug in their bed,
while visions of patina'd hardware danced through their heads.
And the interns in lifting belts, the creative directors in vests
awoke in disbelief, "such a long trip from out west!"

When out in the fields there arose such a clatter-
the gates were all open! The Vibram soles patter'd!
Away from their iPhones, they all grabbed their cash,
they logged out of Gmail (but still wish the damn phone supported Flash) 

The flashlights on hems of the fresh chain stitched cuffs
gave luster of old world to newly-made stuff.
When, what to their (highly curated) eyes did appear,
but a porcelain sign with a silhouetted steer.

With a little bit of sanding, some nicks and some grit,
they knew in a minute it was perfect for their schtick.
More rapid than eagles their couriers, they came,
and they paid, and then loaded, and praised their tight game! 

-Me, 3:25am this morning, trying to sleep for a few hours before venturing out. 

The first day of the first Brimfield Antique Show of the year is always a treat. Lots of buyers for big brands, lots of Japanese guys and gals in crazy $600 antique sweaters, sterling silver, and turquoise, and lots of everyday antique and salvage dealers drinking bloody mary's and trading amongst each other early in the morning. It's not only great people watching, but if you get there early enough you see some crazy (crazy, crazy) deals going down. 

I wasn't out amongst the flashlights at 4:30am this morning, but I did get in early to try and beat some of the rain. This year was a bit different than years past- you could tell the dealers knew what would sell this year with the popularity of so many picker and auction shows, so there was tons and tons of advertising stuff everywhere (signs, crates, sacks, trunks, etc) along with a whole slew of cast-iron-industrial-leg'd, salvage-barn-wood-top'd table salesmen (way more than last year). And Edison bulbs- so many fucking Edison bulbs. It was a bit more polished than usual, and the talk amongst older dealers was how cool their new "phone credit card swipey things" were (Square readers). Still, it was really good to get out and see all the awesome stuff and catch up with my favorite dealers as I searched for a few specific things I'm always on the hunt for- this year was the first that I was one of those dudes from a business hunting for inspiration, and I was completely okay with it. 

Only left with a few small things mostly for storage around the shop, as I'll be back later in the week when the weather is better and the second half of the markets open. I'm working on another metal piece, so there was lots of squinting in junk trays and asking around/ following leads for small cast metal advertising pieces. Finds of the day were absolutely the ice house key with the original cast brass split key ring, I'd guess 40's/50's age wise, and the overstitch wheel. I love finding old leatherworking tools.

Double Bottom Weekend Tote available in the shop now! 3 Colorways available, Nun Red and Digicamo coming soon!

The first non-leather piece, the Bottlehook, will be available soon. They were designed in shop, then engineered and cast out in CA. I'm extremely pleased with these final samples that just came in and they'll be what the final product looks like for sure. Huge thanks to Ted at Symmetry Goods for the casting connect! 

Summer Colors

A visit to Rudy (top) and Emma (bottom), Miss Corter's childhood pups