Rye Whiskey’s Second Life: How a Dead American Spirit Clawed Its Way Back from Prohibition’s Grave
Rye whiskey nearly vanished after Prohibition. Here’s the real history of how America’s original spirit died and fought its way back to your glass.
The Naugahyde Naugahide: How a Manufactured Hide from a Fictional Animal Became the Seating Material of Long Island’s Working-Class Diners and What That Says About Postwar American Fakery
The real history of Naugahyde vinyl — developed by U.S. Rubber in 1914, adopted in diner booths across Long Island, and sold with a fictional creature invented by Madison Avenue.
The Briefcase Maker Across from the Brewster House: Leather, Spies, and the Geography of a Craft
My Marcellino NY workshop in Setauket sat directly across from the Brewster House, c. 1665 — the oldest building in Brookhaven and a Culper Spy Ring landmark. What that place meant, and why I’m going back.
The Stainless Steel Cathedrals: How Kullman and DeRaffele Built Long Island’s Roadside Landscape
How two factories — Kullman in New Jersey and DeRaffele in New Rochelle — fabricated the chrome-and-porcelain diners that defined Long Island’s roadside landscape for generations.
The Selvedge Denim Lie: Why Your $300 Jeans Might Not Be Worth More Than Levi’s 501 STF
The raw denim world sells selvedge edges and Japanese mills, but what actually makes jeans last has nothing to do with the red line on your cuff.
Filson vs. Carhartt vs. Schott: The American Outerwear Trinity and What Each One Actually Does Best
Three American outerwear brands built a century ago for men who needed gear that worked. Here’s what the tin cloth jacket, the Detroit jacket, and the Perfecto each actually do — and which one belongs in your closet.
