My surroundings are important to me, at home and at work. I gravitate to old buildings with good bones and natural light. Polished, glassy buildings with modern amenities generally don’t catch my eye.
Through the years, I’ve set up operations in inner city office buildings, old factory buildings, a historic coffee shop, and now, a converted barn that’s a lot older than I am. Each location has gotten better along the way. The old Bills Khakis factory building in Reading, PA had a microbrewery in the basement. Can’t get much better than that unless your office is in a farm-to-table country cafe, which is where I’ve been for the past three years. Farmer and Co. was as much fun as you could have while trying to work (thank you Jess & Soren). If you can imagine your office water cooler filled with hyper caffeinated coffee, that was the vibe. Too many big ideas to fit into two small rooms above a coffee shop.
We’ve been looking for a larger space for almost 2 years but each opportunity didn’t come to fruition. Last month, we moved out of Unionville village into a timberframe barn space that was once an antique store, an art gallery and the Willowdale Country Store. Our new digs bring together the best of all venues under one roof. I don’t miss driving back and forth from our storage units or lugging boxes of khakis up and down the stairs, but it was fun and good exercise.
The move came just in time. This spring, we’ve added new styles and colors, notably the summer-weight Airman chino and new colors Olive and Ash in shorts (coming soon to stores near you). Every time you add something new, check off another 20 or 30 square feet. And there’s more to come this fall with the addition of Corduroy.
Most importantly, it’s an inspiring place to spend the work day. Our neighbors are Landhope Farms, Brandywine Polo Club and the Willowdale Races so it’s a great community. We’re grateful to the Strouds & Bucklins for making this space happen for us.
If you ever find yourself driving Route 1 between Philadelphia and Baltimore, we’re only a mile north of the Kennett Square exit on Route 82 above the Landhope Farm’s store. We don’t have fixed hours so call ahead. The coffee is pretty good here too!
