Kaufmann Mercantile Store | All The Best

Since launching our new company General Knot & Co. a few months ago, I’ve become an increasingly enthusiastic Twitter-er and Facebook fan. Whereas both were always great tools to use for keeping in touch with friends, they are now additionally perfect for making connections to entire industries of related products, information and business partners. And with Twitter in particular, browsing through all those series of 140 character Tweets, one can really find out about some great people, places and things.

New York Adorned

N.Y. Adorned “Tradition” from Evan Owen Dennis on Vimeo.

When I decided some years ago to make a permanent and meaningful mark on my skin, I looked for a parlor with talented artists and a reputation for having the highest quality and standards. After asking everyone I knew who had tattoos- and for that matter, anyone and everyone I came across who I saw with well-done art, one name came up over and over again. New York Adorned. My search ended at 47 Second Avenue in New York’s Bowery.

Gurley Milling Co. | 1950′s Flour Sacks

With my college years starting down south in North Carolina (Greensboro, to be exact), I remember driving through Princeton, N.C. on my way to the Outerbanks. Not a bad drive, knowing that the beaches lay just ahead.

Steve Jobs | Creativity

The Fiberco Laundripak | A Little Gift Box For Mom

Yep, for college students back in the 1920′s, this was their laundromat. Without laundry services on campus or accessibility to a neighborhood laundromat (not sure if they even existed yet), college students had to rely on their ever-dependable mom to keep them in clean duds. As often as needed, they’d pack all their dirty (alcohol soaked) clothes into the Fiberco Laundripak and mail it home where their moms would make everything all perfect again- just like magic!

Scott Caan | The Hundreds

Highsnobiety TV – Scott Caan for The Hundreds from Highsnobiety on Vimeo.

Apple Care | It’s In The Box

You can say what you will about Apple Inc. and their holier-than-thou attitude- you may not even like their products (hard to believe though). One thing they have hands down over the competition (of any product, in any market) is their customer service. I’ve owned Apple computers since getting out of school and I cannot remember being let down by their service. I most often purchase the Apple Care protection plan to extend the warranty of what I buy, and for the few times that I’ve needed it, I’ve been happy to have spent the couple extra bucks. Even when I’d been slack in adding the protection plan (and needed it), Apple customer service came to the rescue- like in the case of the above Time Capsule.

Finding myself last Saturday morning with a completely inoperable Time Capsule, I gave Apple tech support a ring. No luck- they couldn’t fix it over the phone, the warranty had expired 6 months ago, I was totally out of luck. No, but wait! They got a bit creative and found they could extend the warranty of my workhorse iMac to cover the Time Capsule as well, because they are used together. Very nice, indeed.

So, the best part of all, they sent a box out on Saturday, in which I would return the equipment for repair. It arrives Monday morning, Fed Ex picks it up Monday afternoon, and I have the fully repaired equipment back home by today (Wednesday). No charge.

As far as I’m concerned, customer service is where it’s at. A company with the greatest stuff in the world can have bad customer service and the customers will remember nothing but the bad customer service.  True or false?

Did I miss the Super Bowl? | 1975-76 Vintage Collector Series

The answer is no- I did see the Superbowl, but didn’t find these vintage 1975 and 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl beer cans in time to post them before the game. Maybe they would have won if only I had found them in time. Damn. Sorry Pittsburgh. Nonetheless, a great game.

Vintage Fabrics | Neckties | General Knot & Co.

With the encouragement of friends and family (and a whole lot of work), General Knot & Co. has officially become a reality today. It’s been many months of inspired work- more fun than work actually. Years of vintage shopping at flea markets, estate sales, and hole-in-the-wall shops, helped drive the concept and partnering up with my good friend Mel made the whole thing come together.

Duke of Uke | For the “Other” Guitarists

I wouldn’t have thought there was enough demand for ukuleles and banjos the world over to support a freestanding shop that specializes in such string instruments, but I stand corrected. East London’s Duke of Uke, Ukulele & Banjo Emporium is just such a place- and has been doing quite well for years.

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