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Back at ya again with another MotoMonday. Hopefully things will start to pick up again. It’s been pretty busy around here but I won’t fill your ears with a bunch of BS excuses. Check out these folks – Deus Customs. They’re originally out of Australia and now they have locations across the globe including a shop in Venice, California. They make amazing motorcycles, well built down to every detail.
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these but I wanted to start it up again. This time I feature one of the big guys: New Balance. This may come as a surprise but New Balance has been around since 1938 and is the only company that still manufactures athletic shoes here in the US. Unfortunately, not all of their shoes are made here but a quarter of all new balance shoes sold in North America are made here. They have multiple plants in the northeast including one in Norridgewock, Maine that produces custom 574′s from start to finish. You can custom build your 574 online and they make the shoe to your specs from sole to laces and package and ship it from right there in Maine. They also provide footwear to all five branches of the military including the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon. The company purchases goods and services from over 38 U.S.-based suppliers who employ more than 5,000 U.S. workers. While 25% domestic manufacturing isn’t perfect, it’s definitely a start and it feels good to know some of the big guys are still trying to keep people employed here in the states. I know what brand my next pair of running shoes will be.
New Balance
www.NewBalance.com
We got a few new products in last week and they’re now available online! The first two come to you as new accessories hand made right here at home. My wife put them together and I got them emblazoned with Straight Shooters artwork. I’m pretty happy with the way they came out and I think you’ll be too.
…and up next is something I’ve been patiently awaiting for quite some time. It’s out latest shirt design and as usual features original artwork by me on American Apparel shirts made here in the USA.
See all the new stuff in the shop!
I love hitting old antique stores – especially the big one in downtown McKinney. It’s pretty good sized and full of old great stuff. If I had the room and the money I would buy all of the old packaging they have in there. It was Father’s Day so my beautiful wife and my son and I went looking and I did manage to pick up a couple things, without breaking the bank. These are some of the items I had to pass up but I couldn’t resist getting a couple pictures. Enjoy.
Some of you locals are familiar with McKinney Trade Days (Third Mondays) but for those of you that aren’t I’ll fill you in. It’s pretty much a big flea market. You can get everything from dogs to handmade rustic wooden benches for your front porch. As with any flea market, there’s plenty of junk to be found but there’s also some great finds. There used to be a guy there that sold nothing but old metal trinkets. He had cast iron hooks and vintage license plates – you name it. My plan is to rent a booth for the June event and set up shop. So I’ve started making signs and planning what the booth will look like. If I can get away with it I plan on giving away beer! So if you’re in the area or up for a road trip come see us at the Straight Shooters boot at McKinney Trade Days on June 15th through the 17th.
Happy Monday all! Today I bring you Best Made, a company based in New York that specializes in axes made right here in the US. That’s right axes, and some other cool stuff too.
I found these guys a couple years ago and have been lusting after their Hudson Bay axe ever since. They started in 2009 with axes and have since added a plethora of useful tools and gadgets with the outdoor enthusiast in mind. Their axes are made in North Carolina of Appalachian hickory and US Steel and a lot of their other goods are made in the US too. As useful as they are, the axes have also been sought after as art objects by the likes of designers, artists, and entrepreneurs and currently seven of the axes hang in the Saatchi Gallery in London.
I want on and I plan on buying one for my brother this year for his birthday so expect to see one in use in DeerCamp this winter. So if you’re in the market for a new axe or some other good camp gear check out Best Made.
Best Made Company
New York, USA
BestMadeCo.com
Today I’m starting a new thing here at Straight Shooters North America. My intention is to write a short article every week featuring a company or person that creates some sort of product/good right here in America. At first I’ll try to focus on the little guy but I would like to include larger companies like American Apparel too. So, to start things off I wanted to let you guys know about this great company in Winter Park, Fl called Makr.
I may be a little biased because I carry one of their wallets every day but I believe these guys make the best stuff out there. They’re a small studio in Florida that makes leather wallets, iPhone sleeves, bags, and even home goods like barstools. My wife got me one of their flap wallets in Oxblood Horween leather for our first Christmas together. One of the reasons I decided to keep her! Their products start off the same way any great product does: with a sketch. That sketch then goes to CAD and from there they start building prototypes. Under the watchful eye of Founder and Design Director Jason Gregory the products are scrutinized at every level from material selection to production. They use American suppliers whenever possible and even source some of their wood from local fallen trees. So if you’re in the market for a wallet that’s going to last you – hit em up.
Makr Carry Goods.
Winter Park Fl
Makr.com
They’re finally here! The first proofs came back from the printer today! I plan on giving them the green light when the sun comes up. Sorry, for the crappy low-light phone pics but I didn’t feel like messing with the Nikon. Too excited.
Pretty stoked about these. Ordered a stamp from Simon’s Stamp last week and they got in on friday. So I went about testing it with the tags I stained with coffee a couple weeks ago. These should be ready to go on shirts by the time I start taking orders. I can’t wait to see what they look like on the shirts.
I wanted to give everyone an update about the project real quick. I was having some issues with Kickstarter and Amazon payments but it’s all worked out now thanks to a pretty efficient customer service organization. So now I’m back on track and plan to actually launch the Kickstarter project tonight. When I get home I’ll shoot a quick video for the kickstarter page and then it’s launch time. I worked this weekend on one of the next designs for shirts and finally decided the “Knucklehead” design will be next. Just need to get the screen burned and get to work! In the mean time check out some mockups I put together and see my thrown-together press in the garage.
“Made In USA” shirt in Tan, and “Knucklehead” shirt in Steel.
“Made In USA” shirt in Steel, and “Straight Shooters Logo” shirt in Earth.
Look at that setup!