Hi there,How are you? How’d it get to be the first of March already? Where did February go? Where did winter go?February was a busy month for sure. It started with a trip to Chicago on the 3rd for the Chicago Men’s Collective, a great show that features offerings for next Fall/Winter. Normally I fly out Sunday, the day after the Klondike Dog Derby, and scramble to get to see all of my suppliers, as the show ends on Tuesday. This year, with the cancellation of the Klondike, I was able to get there Saturday which meant I could see all of my trusted Brightwater brands, and have time to search out new lines. I found a few...
Hi All,Happy soggy January! I’m getting tired of fog and high 30°F temps. Damn it, this is January in Minnesota! It’s forecasted to get over 50°F next week! I guess I just need to focus on the positive. I haven’t had to shovel snow or dig out my snow boots. Yet anyway. I keep thinking to myself that this is MN, and it's likely that we will get the snow… It’ll just show up in April and May!I am grateful that the local ski areas have been able to make enough snow to be open. I’m having fun racing twice a week with the Ski Challenge down at Buck Hill. I laugh that after 15 years of racing, I’m...
How are you? I’m hoping that all is well in your sphere. Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is here! Time flies! What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Deb and I are having a quiet Thanksgiving at the house in Chanhassen. We’ll cook the turkey and make the necessary fixings: mashed potatoes, gravy, wild rice and a few more sides that will come together Thanksgiving morning. Sometimes kitchen spontaneity just happens! I hope that wherever your Thanksgiving happens that it can be full of grace and gratitude. We all have so much to be thankful for. We’ll probably head in to Brightwater for a while, too. I’m one of those old school retailers who believes holiday decorations don’t come out until...
How are you? It’s hard to believe the end of March is here! I’d like to say where’d the winter go, but it seems to be lingering on and on! More snow this weekend? Let’s hope not… It’s been a little over a week since we did out photoshoot for Brightwater's 2023 look book! We headed up the the North Shore of Lake Superior, to Knife River, and had a fun time collecting many amazing shots for next fall/winter. After I go to market and select the fall and winter clothing mix, I ask the reps to send me sample pieces so we can shoot photos of them. The Brightwater crew is a wonderful collection of amazing friends that know how to...
Surviving the snowstorm? I’m sitting at the table at my friend Tim’s house outside of Saylorsburg, PA. Tim and I both went to Macalester about a thousand years ago. Together we moved to Vail about two weeks after graduation. Tim didn’t know how to ski. He learned fast! I’m grateful for our longtime friendship! We had planned this chance to get together to spend time at his country house a month or so ago. (His primary home is on Roosevelt Island, in the East River between Manhattan and Queens, NY.) The initial plan was to go skiing for a day at one of the ski resorts here in the Poconos. Unlike Minnesota, this area hasn’t seen virtually any snow this winter,...
