When you come across Ian Wood's photography, you get a real sense of the intimacy he holds with the cars that he photographs. His unique perspective, which uses color and light to highlight what we normally wouldn't notice, identifies his style as an artist.
The photographer, half British and half American, has been in love with cars since he can remember, often dreaming of his own custom designs and a car company that he would love to own one day. He credits his perseverance in the photography industry and his stick-to-it-ness to the success he's achieved so far.....

Learn more and see his work at www.ScotchParlor.com
Cheers, and go create.

Alex Cottles is the man behind The Routine Creative, a brand identity design business that helps entrepreneurs take their branding from boring to worthwhile. Alex is the kind of person you hope to be in business with one day. Not only does he offer his unique expertise in graphic design to help your business-level up, but he does it in a way that's fun and engaging.

Alex tends to work with clients that already have a good foundation for their businesses. They've seen growth and know their market audience well, but they require a new angle or a push to create that success they've been after from the start....

Learn more and see his work at www.ScotchParlor.com
Cheers, and go create.

When you first look at Jono Melamed’s photography, you’re quite literally stunned. The detail is exquisite, and you feel like, for the first time in the day, that you’re alone and at peace. His incredible skill and talent for capturing the wild comes from how he lives his life and finds inspiration in the most isolating parts of the world.
Jono doesn’t consider himself a landscape photographer. He’s a photographer who shoots the wild. He’s someone who usually forgoes location scouting in favor of living in the moment and shooting his authentic day-to-day life, which is why most of his work is landscape. You’ll find Jono on the road for many weeks or months in the year, and he’s happy living out his days on the road among the wildlife. Jono describes himself as a simple man who loves the world we live in and strives to keep his carbon footprint at a minimum.

Learn more and see his images at www.ScotchParlor.com
Cheers, and go create.

Most successful artists today were in some way creatives when they were younger. They drew inspiration from family members or friends and found ways to entertain the creative bug they had early on in life. This rings true for Brett Wilbanks, who found himself most days drawing and building Legos and train tracks over any other activity as a child. He was inspired by his grandmother to start drawing anything that came to mind, and soon he knew this is what he found the most joy in. He confessed that if it wasn’t for his grandmother, who encouraged him to start drawing, he probably wouldn’t be an artist today.

Cheers, and go create.
www.ScotchParlor.com

This episode is a recap of Scotch Parlor Podcast Season 3. I had the opportunity to interview seven Creators out in the world doing what they love - that's creating. 
Take a listen to this episode for some sound bites from each of the episodes.

Cheers, and go create.
www.ScotchParlor.com

If you ask any car enthusiast you know what their dream job would be, it would probably be to design and create the most luxurious and classic cars out there. For Sean Smith, he gets to live this dream job every day. Sean specializes in the bespoke automotive industry and founded Sean Smith Designs. He has designed the most spectacular cars for celebrities like Kevin Hart and Robert Downey Jr. and works with brands like Saleen Automotive, Ringbrothers, and Speedkore.

In this episode, we talked about Sean's design journey from being a student in high school to working at Honda to establishing Sean Smith Designs, his automotive design process, where he gets his inspiration from, tips and advice for future designers and we even talked about Chili; plus a whole lot more.

Enjoy getting to know Sean smith and his journey as a creator.

Cheers, and go create.
www.ScotchParlor.com

Many people don’t think about what all it takes to create a bar menu and a cocktail experience that’ll leave you wanting more. As consumers and patrons, we glance the menu, and we choose what we’d like to enjoy for the night. It doesn’t enter our mind what all goes into creating the menu, visuals, and social media content for the drinks we order. Karl Steuck understands the industry best; as the founder of Spirit & Spoon, a creative media business that combines photography and content development with cocktail and social media consulting, he can attest to all the hard work it takes to create a business that brings color to the menu and helps other businesses thrive along the way.

In this episode, we talk about how Karl's life changed when he moved from Michigan to L.A., how Spirit & Spoon was born, his photography process, his mindset when it comes to making his videos, what's the best booze strategy when hosting a gathering, his cocktail of choice, social media tips, how he balance his creative passion with his work plus a whole lot more.

Enjoy getting to know Karl Steuck the founder of Spirit and Spoon and his journey as a creator.

Cheers, and go create.
www.ScotchParlor.com

Jackson Robinson is the illustrator we never knew we needed in our lives. His wit, sarcasm, and the ability to create a beautifully detailed deck of cards is the reason why people are drawn to who he is as a whole. Robinson, who is the illustrator and founder of Kings Wild Project, a luxury playing cards company that produces creatively illustrated playing cards, has only one message to deliver his audience around the world, and it's to… learn to like "the suck."

In this episode, we talk about how it all started for Jackson as an illustrator, how Kickstarter helped him start and grow Kings Wild Project, what "the suck" is, what he thinks of perfectionism, his booze of choice being Mead, what he really does beyond just selling decks of cards, plus a whole lot more.

Enjoy getting to know Jackson Robinson and his journey as a creator.

Cheers, and go create.
www.ScotchParlor.com

Kyson Dana is a San Francisco Bay UX Designer dedicated to bringing out the authentic human spirit in his design work. Kyson just loves to create. He loves taking raw ideas, breaking those ideas down to build something new. He has always been a curious-minded person. This constant need to "staying curious" has shaped his foundation on the type of designer he is today.

Enjoy getting to know Kyson Dana and his journey as a creator.

Cheers, and go create.
www.ScotchParlor.com

Nicolas Miller (@nickmillers) is a fantastic photographer who's seen much success since he started taking his photography seriously in 2018. Inspired by moody New York during storms that bring darker weather, Nicolas can be seen walking for miles on end throughout the city, finding the perfect shot that possesses neo-noir-inspired elements.

Neo-noir is defined "as a revival of the genre of film noir. The film noir genre includes stylish Hollywood crime dramas, often with a twisted dark wit. Neo-noir has a similar style but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements, and media."

This is why you will see his best work is usually done at night or during a storm when no one is around. He chooses to shoot at those opportune moments to capture a sense of broody suspense throughout the city. His photography style is unique and captures escapism in its raw form, which is why he's seen success so early on.

Nicolas hasn't always wandered the New York City streets at night looking for that golden opportunity; he's spent most of his life in France before moving to London for 4 years in 2013 and finally relocating to the states in 2018. As a kid, Nicolas never felt he was the artistic type; he was an average school athlete competing in sports like European football, tennis, and swimming and always wanted to play video games and hang out with his friends.

Initially interested in landscape photography, Nicolas knew he'd have to change his lifestyle to travel outside the city to capture any kind of landscape, so he decided to use New York City instead as his backdrop. He felt inspired by how his city looked on its darkest days and decided to capture pictures showcasing a pensive city. He gets loads of inspiration from watching classic gangster and crime drama movies like Blade Runner, King of New York, and French Connections. This leads him to study these genres' film stills to capture the same moody cinematographic effect he brings into his photography.

As many artists feel the pressure to constantly be active with their craft, Nicolas is unique in that he needs a certain level of motivation to go out and capture New York. He won't pressure himself or push to get more content out. If Nicolas feels that motivation, he will grab his camera - Sony A7R and hit the city. If he doesn't feel inspired to go and shoot, he'll wait until he does. His chosen style affords him more flexibility as he has to wait for gloomy weather to make an entrance. In his effort to not force his technique, we see the true beauty of patience and quiet perseverance.

While he might have to wait for the right circumstances to shoot, he is always active on social media and loves answering questions and connecting with the community he's built online. And while you might not find a website to purchase his prints, if you find yourself in need of one to buy for your wall, contact him directly on Instagram (@nickmillers) or Twitter (@nickmillers1), and he'd be happy to sell you your chosen print.

Nicolas's wanderlust will take him far and wide on many future trips throughout New York City and beyond. He'll bring along his camera to capture his journeys and tell many more stories through the eye of the lens.

In this episode, you will hear how Nicolas is inspired by classic gangster and crime movies, the weather conditions he looks for to shoot, his creative process on how uses his phone and iPad for post-production, his Instagram post-process, tips for those who are looking to start in photography and other great inspirational insights on how he creates.

Enjoy getting to know Nicolas and his journey as a creator.

Cheers, and go create.
www.ScotchParlor.com

Arwin Levinson is a Las Vegas-based landscape photographer known to capture some of the most compelling photography that depicts nature in its most raw and ethereal form. Levinson's commitment to her photography career only took a serious turn several years ago, and since then, she's devoted her time to capturing not only perfectly timed photos of our world but also the feeling of awe you get when you experience those moments of wonder in real-time.

Arwin was born in Massachusetts and studied computer science at the University of Illinois before finding herself in Las Vegas. One day, on a road trip through the country to help her sister move to Los Angeles, Levinson found herself driving through the mountains in Colorado when she felt immediately inspired by the nature and the views of the mountains. She picked up her first camera not long after in Portland (a Pentax SLR) and found herself wandering around the landscapes trying to capture as much of the land surrounding the North West as she could. When she moved back to Illinois, she found herself in a city with very minimal landscape opportunities, but a work trip that took her all the way to India, where she got the chance to visit the Himalayas, would rekindle her passion for photography again.

Arwin's style is more realistic with certain aspects she adds that go beyond realism and add more depth to the photo, all to capture the viewers and transport them in. She uses techniques like exposure blending, focal-length, and time blending to reveal a photo that includes many layers that all work to enhance the image. She also loves to shoot astrophotography and has an interest in the universe and our placement among the stars. The stars are always vibrant and round, and when she can, she finds a way for sunbeams to be the source of light that pulls us in. Her technique is added in Photoshop, while Lightroom is used to organize all the photos she takes, which she admits she picks only a handful of them for her viewers to see.

To create such stunning photography, Levinson credits her patience and persistence to get the perfect shot she envisions. She makes a list of the things she wants to shoot and does her research to determine when the best time to capture those shots is. She considers the weather, season, and time of year and whether the conditions will be right to get what she wants. Once she's ready to shoot her shot, Arwin drives as far out as 8 hours to bring back what she's envisioned. She's committed to getting the perfect shot and has even had to come back to the same place several years in a row to photograph a landscape due to poor weather conditions and overcrowded locations.

Arwin, within only a few years of experience, has wowed her audience on social media with her photography, but that doesn't stop her from continuing her training with resources like workshops, books, and tutorials. She finds inspiration in travelers, hikers, and other photographers and does her part to share her wisdom with other up-and-coming photographers. Arwin is always looking for inspiration as she tries to get out into nature as often as she can to fine-tune her craft and capture photography that her viewers get to feel an emotional connection with.

In this podcast, you will hear how Arwin's love for landscape photography began, her choice of camera brand, her favorite lens and why she loves her lens so much, her creator routine as she plans, shoots, and does post-production, tips for those who are looking to start in photography and other great inspirational insights on how she creates.

Enjoy getting to know Arwin and her journey as a creator.

You can follow Arwin on Instagram at @arwin.l
and check out her photography on her website at photographybyarwin.com

Cheers, and Go Create.
www.ScotchParlor.com

Have you ever dreamed of opening up a creative agency? Do you wonder what it would be like to run your own creative shop? Let me introduce you to Kyle Merwin and George De’Ath, the founders of San Francisco’s creative branding and marketing agency Born & Bred.

In 2017, Born and Bred was established as a creative agency that can build brands and help grow brands like Eaze, Del Monte’s PinkGlow Pineapple, Whisper, and numerous others. Their involvement with each of their clients is remarkable. They put their whole heart into what they do and have a motto that they live by - “If the devil’s in the details, Hail Satan.”

In this podcast episode, you will hear from Kyle Merwin, the co-founder of Born & Bred and Lead Business Strategist. Originally born in La Paz, Bolivia, Kyle was raised in San Francisco, California, where he lives. Growing up, Kyle has always connected to his creative side. One of his favorite things to do was to create entertaining YouTube videos from his iMac. Initially, he thought he would go to film school but decided to pursue his connection to the creative world’s business side. After graduating from UC Berkeley, Kyle got his start on the ground floor of Eaze, the cannabis-technology company, as employee #18 and implemented tactics that grew the company to over one million deliveries in its first year.

Kyle met George De’Ath during his time there and would later become the other half of Born & Bred. Their yin-yang dynamic yielded instant business chemistry, which led to the founding of Born & Bred.

George De’Ath put the 'born' in Born & Bred. As a career designer and creative director, George turned his dream of starting an agency into a reality when he met Kyle Merwin in 2017. George’s background has allowed him to bring a global perspective to branding and design. Hailing from the United Kingdom and, before Born & Bred, George worked at agencies spanning the globe where he gained extensive experience across various industries, including Samsung, Diageo, and L'Oréal.

Grateful for his prior experience, George still knew a company creates the most meaningful work when people feel purpose in what they do. George uncovered his vision of bringing soul and energy back into design. He was confident, if the team thrives, then the output will mirror and, with the help of Merwin, that is what he has done.

In this podcast, you will hear how these gentlemen were growing up, their journey to how Born and Breed all came together, insights on the creative industry, advice for those who are looking to get into the creative agency world, tips for those who are trying to establish their own brands, what Kyle and George like to do for fun, drink, read, and other great inspirational insights of how life is like running an agency.

Cheers, and Go Create.
www.ScotchParlor.com

Rick spent more than a decade in the financial investment world as a market strategist and financial advisor. As he moved forward in life, he felt like something was missing and began searching for his "creative calling." So in 2016, Rick decided to leave the finance industry, start his creative entrepreneurial journey, and develop his skills in becoming a Multimedia Designer specializing in UX Design and Visual Media.

In 2018, Rick launched Scotch Parlor as a media project, with the idea to interview and profile the journeys of inspiring people throughout the Bay Area. It was built as a media platform where he produced a podcast, created short documentaries, and took editorial-type photos of the people he interviewed.

With the 2020 Pandemic limiting his podcast projects, he decided he would have to do his podcast interviews remotely for the future. The tremendous benefit of doing these remote podcasts was he could now bring the journeys and stories of inspiring creators from all across the nation to his Scotch Parlor audience. Scotch Parlor, today, continues to build upon its original concept of capturing and sharing the stories of inspiring creators through podcasting, short documentaries, and cool photos.

Rick is a big believer in self-teaching, learning, adapting, and being fearless when trying new things. All his ventures, jobs, and personal experiences have led him to what he genuinely loves doing. That's designing, creating content, and sharing stories with a camera.

Rick says, "Scotch Parlor will always be a project and platform that evolves and gets better and better over time. For now, this is where you will get to hear inspiring creators, be introduced to uniquely cool goods, recommended great books, and perhaps lured into pouring yourself a cocktail."

Cheers, and Go Create.

Magician, entertainer, and storyteller are all words that come to my mind when I think of Chris Herren and his alter ego, Faust. Chris creates a cirque-style of performance that’s filled with mime, music, and magic. He is a member of two of the most prestigious Magic organizations in the world, The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, and The Magic Circle of London, England. His magical style has won him two International Competition Awards and he has appeared on America’s Got Talent Season 15.

Chris’s love for magic started at a young age with his grandma sharing old Filipino folklore legends of mystical creatures using magic in their stories. He also remembers when he first saw the great illusionist Harry Houdini perform these unexplainable escapes on a black and white TV. Magical impressions like these are what steered Chris down the path to perform magic throughout his younger years.

As Chris grew older he had to set aside his love for magic as life’s responsibilities took over. It wasn’t until life gave him a health scare that got him to revisit his passion for magic.


The seed of Faust began about ten years ago, while Chris was dealing with cancer. He described his life at that time, “as being in a constant dream-like state of mind due to all the medication and the chemotherapy visits. It’s like you’re there but you’re not really there.” Chris was seeking a way to translate and manifest all of these emotions and what it feels like to be in this perpetual state of mind of battling cancer. His first consideration was, he would just write about it but that did not feel right. Then he revisited his love for magic and started exploring the idea of creating this alter ego. That’s when it clicked and over the years, Chris documented his thoughts and feelings through this idea of an alter ego. It was until his wife urged him to take a magic class in Las Vegas that blossomed that seed and Faust was born.

Chris is an amazingly talented individual and a master storyteller. His sense of engagement with his audience and that unique magical experience he brings to his shows is magnificent to watch. In this Scotch Parlor Story you will learn more about Chris’s journey, why he loves magic so much, who is Faust and what he is all about, and many other insights on what it’s like to be in the magic world.

Enjoy and always love what you do.

www.ScotchParlor.com

Matthew describes himself as a graphic designer who loves cocktails. I would go further to describe Matthew as a person who followed his strengths, explored his passions, magnificent at what he does, and yes...loves cocktails.

Today, Matthew runs his independent graphic design business, Wyne Enterprises. Some of the brands he works with are Uber, Facebook, and St. George Spirits. He has also been recognized in publications like Playboy, The Atlantic, People, and many others.

Matthew's graphic design work is very distinctive, poetic, graceful, and artistic. What additionally makes Matthew so unique within the graphic design industry, is how he took his love for cocktails and created a blog called LettersandLiquor.com with his Instagram account called @letterandliquor. The blog features 52 cocktails and their recipes, along with the stories behind the cocktails, and lettering inspired by different eras. His blog and Instagram account are so aesthetically pleasing; it builds the desire to grab a recipe and create a cocktail.

Matthew didn't start his career in design. When he was younger, his love for music was so strong he felt that's where his life path was meant to be. After years of traveling from show to show, creating and playing music, Matthew found his passion dwindling. At that point, he decided to give up music and pursue another creative art...painting. Matthew painted for a bit but decided while living in New York; the starving artist lifestyle wasn't for him. Matthew went on to work in the advertising industry, which is where he discovered his unique strength which was lettering. That's when he decided to enroll in a graphic design program, and the rest is history.

One of my favorite things with speaking with Matthew was the way he described his hands. He talked about his hands as if his hands have a conscious mind of their own. He says, "through all the years of drawing and sketching his hands of an accumulated knowledge that no computer software can replicate." This is one of the reasons why he always sketches first before he finalizes the design on the computer. His hands can create something that his brain or his computer would have not naturally done. This is also a reason why he is brilliant at what he does. To him, it's not about doing it quickly to move to the next project; it's about creating a piece of art that is unique and beautiful for each of his clients.

In this podcast, we talk about his journey, the wisdom that his hands naturally have over his brain, how the love of cocktails started, his process when he brings a design to life, and other encouraging words of wisdom from a creative freelancer point of view.

Enjoy the podcast, and do what you love.

www.ScotchParlor.com

Let me introduce you to Alfred Ramos, the tenacious founder and maker of Stagger Lee Goods. Alfred was born and raised in East Los Angeles. Through watching his parents striving for a better life, he learned the value of hard work and hustle. His initial thought on his life's path was in the film industry, until one day he decided to move to San Francisco. Alfred saw San Francisco as an opportunity to change his life's direction. No more traffic issues compared to L.A, a bustling Bay Area city, and most of all, he felt like San Francisco was home.

As Alfred moved from job to job, one particular job set the foundation on how he approaches his business today. While working for a custom tailor shop, he became immediately fascinated by the amount of detail that goes in every single piece of clothing. At this shop, he received a real-life fashion education experience. He used his knowledge, purchased a sewing machine, and a few years later, Stagger Lee Goods was born.

The name Stagger Lee comes from a legend's story about a poker game that had gone bad in the early days of society. Today, Stagger Lee Goods stands by its motto "Handmade & Built With Integrity." His shop offers limited-run hand made goods such as aprons, bartender and chef accessories, tees and a variety of leather goods.

Alfred's attention to detail is intoxicating and inspiring. He challenges himself with each item he makes to be better than the last. He knows the value of leveraging skilled individuals to enhance his life's work. One particular individual, his wife, has been a tremendous supporter and advocate for the vision of Stagger Lee Goods.

In this podcast, we talked about growing up, how he created his business, being self-aware, focusing on being great at one thing, plus other tidbits of advice. Alfred also shares his most significant life challenge he had to go through, which was dealing with his child's health. He says, "life will kick you in the ass and try to make you fall," but Alfred was not going to let anything bring him down for his child. Through this life scare, Alfred realized how truly tenacious he is and how his vision on life has completely changed.

Alfred Ramos is detailed, enthusiastic, hard-working, tenacious as hell, and a dedicated father. I'm excited to see the future of Stagger Lee Goods as it continues to build and thrive.

Enjoy The Podcast and Do What You Love.

Lights, camera, flowers! May I introduce you to the Flower Picasso, Mr. Jun Piñon. Jun has been a floral designer for over 25 years, providing flower arrangements to 5-star hotels throughout his career. Hotels such as the Ritz, Four Seasons and the Fairmont, to name just a few. Today, you will find him on Social Media, inspiring his following through his passion for flowers.

Jun was born in the Philippines, came over to the U.S. to study interior design. Upon graduating, he was determined to find his first job. There was an opportunity with a local retail store as a silk floral arranger. Jun had no idea on how to be a floral designer, but he wanted a job so bad that he faked it until he made it. Jun ended up getting the job through his enthusiasm and dedication in learning the craft. Months later, while working, he ended up meeting a florist that would eventually lead him down the path of becoming San Francisco's most celebrated floral designer.

One of my favorite stories Jun shared was he when he realized what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Jun had just been promoted as the delivery person for a florist. It was Mother's Day and was extremely busy with all the orders he had to drop off. It was getting late, and one of the last deliveries was to an elderly woman. As she opened the door, she immediately lit up with so much amazement and appreciation. That's when Jun realized the power of flowers. He loved the idea of providing this type of magic to his customers. From that day forward, he was addicted and hooked for the opportunity to give happiness to his customers.

After years of providing flowers to 5-star hotels, it was time for Jun to explore another avenue. Jun is a natural showman, so once he discovered the power of Instagram, the Flower Influencer was born. Jun has only been on Instagram for a year now and has amassed an enormous following. You will find him doing tutorial videos, tours around flower markets, words of encouragement, and most of all raw video of who Jun Piñon is. His followers love him, and he is a true inspiration for anyone who needs a reminder on the power of doing what you love.

In this podcast, we talk about Jun's flower career, how his father was such a significant influence on him and how he sacrificed part of his career to take care of him while he was losing his eyesight. We also talked about his love for flowers, his failures, and successes, why he loves social media, some advice for entrepreneurs, and why he so passionate about teaching others.

Jun is one of a kind. He is one of those people who you meet for the first time and instantly like; a person who can fill a room with enthusiasm. He wakes up every morning, loving what he does. Passionate about helping others and sharing his love for flowers to all. As he says, "I'm not here to impress, I'm here to Inspire."

Enjoy the podcast and go after your dreams.

http://www.ScotchParlor.com

Adventures and celebratory drinks are just one way to describe what this company, High Camp Flasks is all about. High Camp Flasks designs barware products for your favorite spirits for you to enjoy after a day of outdoor adventures. The gentlemen behind this innovative and exciting company are Whit Gautreaux and Nic Barisone.

The idea of High Camp Flasks initial product, "The Firelight Flask," came from Nic while he was on a camping trip with his brothers. As evening rolled around; it was time to pour some whiskey in his favorite whiskey cup. Upon doing this, one of his brothers who didn't have an extra cup asked Nic if he had another cup that he could use. He didn't want to use the only cup he had, which he uses for coffee. Unfortunately, Nic did not have an extra cup, and that's when he discovered the idea. He thought of creating a stainless steel canister that can secure a couple of tumblers for these type of adventures. His focus for the design aesthetic must have a "cool" look and marketed as an alcohol product.

After that, at a friend's wedding, Nic met Whit. They instantly hit it off as friends with both having that love for the outdoors. Whit happened to have an engineering background, and as Nic shared his idea, that's when Whit took his expertise and brought the idea to life. Whit strives for perfection and loves the idea of bringing something from paper to reality. The partnership was secure, and High Camp Flasks was born.

In this podcast, Nic and Whit talk about their experience with working with China manufacturers and how they almost had to throw in the towel, and how running a Kickstarter campaign is stressful but yet a fantastic tool to leverage. Both of these gentlemen are relentless. They believe in their vision, and they are on their way of building a lifestyle company that lets them be where they want to be...the outdoors.

High Camp Flasks is an innovative company that found a niche where the opportunity is robust. I am excited to see what is coming up next in their product line. I cheer to you, High Camp Flasks, for your tenaciousness and to be doing what you love.

http://www.ScotchParlor.com

Go on google and search for the best men's store in Austin, Texas, and you will discover this one-of-kind shop called Bykowski Tailor & Garb.

Well, let me introduce you to Chris and Wendy Bykowski who are the founders of this modern-day haberdashery gentlemen store. They are local fashion designers that design bespoke and ready to wear menswear items such as suits, casual wear, hats, leather goods, accessories, and boots.

The idea of Bykowski Tailor & Garb goes back to 2009 when Wendy and Chris were planning their wedding. At that time, while living in Los Angeles, CA, they had a difficult time designing the wedding suits. They wanted the suits to have a Prohibition era-style that they both had a passion for. After going through the process, they realized there was an opportunity in the market for this type of inspired fashion. They moved to Austin and started to build the foundation of what Bykowski Tailor and Garb is today.

In this podcast, they shared the beginning days when they would sit in front of their TV's and make bowtie after bowtie for festivals and events. Having only a few pockets watches to display and mainly being just a design house rather than to be able to offer items that were ready to wear. About two years of grinding to build the business, they found themselves ready to open up their official brick & mortar store in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas in 2011.

When you walk into their store, you instantly go back in time. From their antique fixtures to the details of their products, it's a store that puts you right into their lifestyle. It's a place where if you want to rock a fresh, nostalgic suit, Chris is going to design something you will be proud to wear. You may even share some bourbon with him as you two design your future suit. Looking for a cool watch, Wendy will show you some timeless pocket watches. Their hats are fabulous, and you will never see so many unique pocket squares.

Being they are in Texas, they also carry curated guns. They don't consider themselves a gun shop, rather a place where you can buy a gun as an heirloom piece that you can pass on for generations. Bykowski Tailor & Garb is all about, embracing the lifestyle, which led them to introduce the Tommy Club. This club gives you a membership for a lifetime discount on Bykowski Tailor clothing and suits, a fully custom 3-piece suit and a real Gold Tommy Gun. It's all about "Shoots & Suits."

Wendy and Chris have created a brand and built a shop that is truly their own. It's an incredible shopping experience when you walk into Bykowski Tailor & Garb. The shop takes you back in time when the details mattered; booze was flowing and being cool was the lifestyle. Chris and Wendy have nailed it in creating a lifestyle brand that you instantly embrace and continue to leave their mark on the heritage wear fashion market.

http://www.ScotchParlor.com

Let me introduce you to James Tucker.

Sacrifice, self-awareness, having a dream, a student of his craft, and tenacious are all words that describe James Tucker.

James grew up in New Jersey, spending most of his childhood and teenage life on his grandparent's tree farm. His grandparents had a huge positive influence on him growing up. In particular, his grandma taught him how to work on machines, how to save money, and how to be a hard worker. These attributes have stayed with him throughout his whole life, where he now runs and operate his letterpress shop, The Aesthetic Union.

As James was growing up, he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to do but knew he loved his high school art class and loved water. At one point, he was going to follow his love for water and join the Navy, but then after he witnessed 9/11, those ambitions changed. James then decided with the guidance of a teacher that he should enroll in a vocational school focused on being a graphic artist. He proceeded to that vocational school, thrived as a graphic artist and was able to apply and get into any college of his choice. After having some fun in a Florida college, he then decided he needed to transfer to a school in Baltimore that would cater more to his art style.

The influence of living in Baltimore with its famous historic landmarks running throughout the city is where James found his true calling. At that point, he dreamed of opening a brick and mortar print shop. He pictured himself sweeping the front of his shop with a coffee in hand, waving "hello" to his business neighbors and helping cool customers with their printing needs. Once he decided that was his calling, he knew he would have to move to either New York or San Francisco.

He ended up choosing San Francisco. He packed his bags and started his journey towards his dream. Living in San Francisco brought many stressful moments, but he was determined to find a job within the printing industry. First, he worked for a bookbinding company, then got an opportunity to work for a letterpress card making shop, which unfortunately led him to eventually being laid off.

At the time of James being laid off, he was maintaining a job at a marina. Working at a marina allowed him to buy a boat in which he decided he would live in rather than rent an apartment in the Bay Area. This was a tuff time for him where he started questioning what he was going to do in life. All while this was happening, James began a little blog called "The Aesthetic Union." This blog was where he posted some of his graphic artwork to share and sell online.

Through his blog, his sacrifices and his relentless mindset of not giving up, he found himself with an opportunity that would change his life. He received an email from a company who had seen his work and asked him if he would be interested in establishing a shop for his printing company.

December 5th, 2013, is the day The Aesthetic Union brick and mortar shop officially opened.

The Aesthetic Union is a letterpress print shop that specializes in custom work and in-house design services. What makes The Aesthetic Union so unique, besides their attention to detail and providing one-of-kind results, is that they offer a community retail experience within their letterpress shop. Their shop carries a variety of writing tools, art materials, notebooks, studio supplies, and original art prints. The Aesthetic Union is a truly creative space.

James Tucker is the definition of someone who identified what he was good at, what he loved to do and had the willingness to make the sacrifices to make his dream happen. From growing up on a tree farm in New Jersey to surviving the craziness of living in Baltimore, to living on a boat in San Francisco, James Tucker's entrepreneurial journey is remarkable.

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