Friday, September 30

Wednesday, September 28

10E2566: 1620 Workwear

 
Longtime neighbor and supporter of 10e, Josh Walker (formerly of BERN Helmets) has started a new endeavor; 1620. For those readers not from New England or perhaps unfamiliar with US primary school history that is a reference to the date of the pilgrims arrival at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

I have noted before, we are massively lucky to live in the north east.  I tell the interns all the time (and appreciate it myself too) - it is amazing to live in New England and experience on a day to day basis the sites and monuments and stories that other kids in America only read about. We live steps from the path of Paul Revere's ride, Walden Pond, and the birthplace of Concord grapes... Plymouth - as in ROCK - is a short drive away. So much history. Fantastic.  Just words on a page to others - but daily life for yankees (small y... #evilempire).

Anyhow - Josh and co are flipping the script on outsourcing and tapping the still-standing Massachusetts mills to create a line of 100% made in USA shirts, jacs, shorts, double-knees and lets see what else...  



Follow them at 1620workwear

Nearing this time of Thanksgiving these dates and stories are constantly referenced across the USA - but in New England you get to walk it. Soak it up.

Josh Walker, "why cant we do this here..."  [Indeed - ed]






Sign up RIGHT NOW at www.1620usa.com and you get early access and a discount as a potential tester on the short / double knee pant and whatever they are making next. 

Friday, September 23

10E2565: People's Choice Beef Jerky - intro and giveaway


I don't tend to bite (OH!!) on many emails sent in - but this is a great story, and they are willing to share with 10e readers too (see end over thx!).  People's Choice Beef Jerky made in LA for almost 90 years. From their blurb:
"Jerky. No longer relegated to preservative-riddled gas station fodder, the long-time go-to snack has been elevated with high quality ingredients... interesting flavors and skip on the additives, artificial ingredients, and preservatives. We let the star of beef jerky shine – rich protein found in the 100% USA-sourced beef."


The younger member of the business Brian Bianchetti wrote in, above Brian and his father Mark Bianchetti, 3rd and 4th generation owners. "This building has housed four generations of my family's business, so it felt amazing to be part of that history with my dad."




Brian: We have been handcrafting premium meats for over 87 years and four generations in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. Our heritage, tradition, and dedication to quality have inspired us to create a website to tell our story and offer handmade beef jerky to those that appreciate things that are made with purpose.
 

My great-grandfather, John, founded Peoples Sausage Company in 1929 as a local butcher shop, serving the local community with a variety of premium meat products (including jerky). By the time my grandfather took over, our business had evolved into restaurant supply, servicing a variety of restaurants all over the Greater LA area. It was my Father, Mark, in the late 1980s that decided to focus the company almost exclusively on beef jerky - something we've always done, but never focused on completely. Some of the recipes  date back to my Great Grandfather in the 1920s.
 
Having such a rich tradition in Los Angeles has been influential in our identity - one of the products being the Carne Seca. We have such rich culinary tradition right here in our backyard with a mix of cultures and ethnicities, it's great to pay homage to that. We find inspiration for new flavors and styles right here in LA. 
 

10E: your price points are strong ($6). Are you in any stores out there i can talk about?
Brian: I'm glad you noticed the price points. One of the benefits of manufacturing everything in house is that we can keep our costs down compared to the larger companies that have their product made my co-packers. We cut out [butchers pun!  - ed] the middle man by selling direct to consumers (BUY). One of our goals is to deliver the highest quality product while maintaining prices at affordable levels.
The best places to purchase People's Choice Beef Jerky are at our Downtown Location - 1132 E. Pico (for local LA or SoCal people), or online. Our biggest grocery customer is Smart&Final where you can find the Carne Seca product. 

Giveaway: 10e readers - YOU TOO can win a taste of this historic and intelligently updated jerky - visit their site and then email me or tweet/RT at me and cc  @PCBeefJerky the flavor you would like to try. Help these guys out. Big it up...    Over - Thx!   Even better go buy some here -

Thx - J


Tuesday, September 13

10E2564: Topo x Woolrich

Old pal Topo Designs teamed up with the historic American outdoor brand Woolrich® to put a new spin on some of their timeless fabrics. From $49. Learn more.



Friday, September 9

10E2563: Mortgage Button


"Detail of the "mortgage button" on the Thomas Macy house front stairway. The house is located at 99 Main Street. Built in 1770, the house is now owned by the Nantucket Historical Association."
- photo courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association.

A tradition from Nantucket that you may find in other New England homes; the mortgage button. When the mortgage was paid off, the papers were burned and the ashes placed in a prominent stairway's newel post, then the post topped with a piece of scrimshaw, often with the owner's initials etc but originally was plain. Now these are often made of ivory, not whale bone, and is common to be installed upon sale or construction and not stuck down until mortgage paid off. Forget scrimshaw, even ivory buttons run around $150... A long time ago found the below on eBay ... owner said it is plastic. For $7.50 was worth finding out... (Item is handturned on Nantucket natch'.)

Tuesday, September 6

10E2562: Rockmount snap-shirts

Playing catch-up here...

Rockmount western-styled shirts are famous for their diamond shaped snaps. The book Western Shirts (co-written by Steve Weil of Rockmount) has all kinds of dating info for HBarC, Rockmount, Levis etc.

Rockmount (and Lee Stomrider jackets) famously worn by the entire crew it seems of The Misfits. Clark Gable below;


These sawtoothed, diamond snapped, made in USA shirts are selects up on Huckberry at the moment. Fine examples. I live in the blue ginghams...



In 2008, the grandfather of the Rockmount brand Jack Weil did die. Fantastic obit at the time from The Economist; a slightly unexpected source but very welcome.
"Mr Weil reckoned that a cowboy on a horse, if wearing a shirt with buttons, was liable to get snagged on sagebrush or cactus or, worse than that, get a steerhorn straight through his fancy buttonhole. He was pretty certain, too, that a cowboy losing a button would feel disinclined to sew it on again. The answer to all those difficulties was to make shirts with snap-fasteners. And for 62 years, in a red-brick warehouse in the LoDo district of Denver, Mr Weil did exactly that."