SHINOLA - FROM MOTOR CITY TO THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS

"Where American is made"

The name Shinola was a household name from 1907 till 1960, as a American brand of wax-based shoe polish. The original trademark of the Rochester, NY based company was filed in 1929. Shinola/Detroit LLC purchased the name from the defunct shoe polish company and now they're putting a shine on new Made in the USA products like watches, bicycles, leather goods, journals and....shoe sine in Detroit, Mi.

They recently opened a store in New York, the store itself has been meticulously renovated to honor the history of the neighborhood and the building. From a design standpoint, inspiration the comes from artist Donald Judd's library in Marfa, TX, and they managed to get their hands on an incredible 1930s Bronze Mercator map, which in all honesty is worth coming into the store just to see.

Shinola Tribeca Flagship

177 Franklin St.

New York, NY 10013

917-728-3000

THE ART OF WINDOW SIGNING

Sign painting is the act of taking a specific kind of brush, and with various kinds of paint, and applying it to a 2 or 3 dimensional surfaces creating letters, forms and/or symbols.

Sign painting was/is a learned craft. It has a very long history within the realm of "artisans-crafts". Historically, apprenticeships were the means of learning the craft. Though many, in the earlier history of the craft were self-taught. An apprenticeship could last for years, depending on the skill of the apprentice and the knowledge of the "master". The skills learned were varied and some quite complex. Basically, learning to manipulate a lettering brush was the core of the learning process. This skill alone could take years to master. There were a number of associated skills and techniques also taught, such as: gold leafing (surface and glass), carving (in various mediums), glue-glass chipping, stencilling, silk-screening. (text via Wikipedia).

STORE LOCATOR - DESII VINTAGE, FIRENZE

Meet Mr. Carlo Alberto Andreani of Desii Vintage, you can find this small well curated store

at Via de Conti 17/19 - Firenze. Indeed, in the same street as UB. The store is packed with vintage

shoes like Red Wings, Tricker's, John Lobb etc. Nice broken-in Belstaff Jackets, Woolrich, vintage Louis Vuitton luggage etc. etc.

This is a man's "one stop wet dream".

THE ONLY WAY IS........ UB, FIRENZE

In a hidden street called Via dei Conti, I found UB, named after it's owner Ubaldo. The store has a beautiful customized metal door and window. When you enter the store you don't enter another vintage store which just sells some vintage furniture and decor. All pieces are carefully searched for, selected and restored. Next to great retro furniture, vintage signs you see the love for sports-stuff, better said cycling. Great pieces of vintage woolen cycle shirts are all over the store. So peacocks next time when you visit Pitti Uomo stop by @ UB and see it for yourself.

CHAD @ THE HOME OF "THE HERITAGE POST"

On my way to the Bread & Butter, I made a stop in Dusseldorf, I planned a visit to the Uwe van Afferden store. You find this store tucked away in the Lorettostrasse 35, far away from the mainstream shops at the Ko. The store is well curated with beautiful brands, like Tolix chairs, Haversack, Gitman Vintage, Nigel Cabourn, Roberu, Monitaly, Red Wing Shoes etc. etc. Not just the products are great but also how everything is displayed with a lot of humor. Uwe van Afferden is next to shop owned & designer the founding father of a great magazine called The Heritage Post. A must read for everyone who loves the story behind a product. For those who don't read German, the picture will satisfy you and that's for sure.

A FEW DAYS LEFT........CLUB MONACO POP UP STORE

 

Okay I admit, it's a little late to post  a story about Club Monaco's Pop Up Store in Hong Kong, as it opened already on September 15, 2012 and will run through June 2013. I came across these pictures recently and I couldn't get my eyes off it, there is so much to see. (pics via Hypebeast)

If you have a stop over for your vacation in Hong Kong this month pay them a visit @ Shop No. 4B, Upper Ground Floor, Bo Fung Mansion, Nos. 1-4 St. Francis Yard, Wanchai.