one year later...

it’s easy to imagine that a year has passed since we moved into our 13th street location. time flies when you’re keeping busy. my ambivalence about the move is a distant memory and any feelings of loss for the old store have since dissipated. the things i thought about last year are so far behind me now that i don’t even remember the urgencies of the moment. this year has offered me the time to digest reality and begin to formulate new points of view. after all, feelings aren’t facts. perspectives change.

being the soap guy on 13th street is a satisfying thing, though it is, truly, the tip of the iceberg. many people don’t realize that i am the director of product development for a line of professional men’s products called joe grooming. joe is distributed in 27 countries worldwide and that allows me to travel and work around the globe. i also enjoy my on-going role as a platform artist and i still train stylists in the art of cutting men’s hair.
the diversity of my work informs my perspective in a way that few are privileged to experience. it has been both humbling and exhilarating.

in the past year i have grown to love this street and this neighborhood though i’ve never been fond of the “midtown village” name. it sounds to me like a retirement community.
i try to be a good neighbor but i’m a pain-in-the-ass. quite often i’m swimming upstream. it’s not difficult to imagine that i’m not the most popular guy on the block. i don’t complain about the landlord (his vision is beyond inspired), i recognize that certain merchants are the most valuable to the neighborhood’s success (marci & val, capogiro, el vez) and i find getting on-board any bad idea almost impossible to fake. i can’t help myself. a year ago, i knew this would be my weakest link. when at a loss for how to proceed, i find out what open house is doing and follow suit.
successful people usually have the best information.

last night i had the opportunity to spend a few hours in the kitchen with a group of ladies from metropolitan moms. it was a private class that was supposed to be fun and informative while the participants had the opportunity to spend some time enjoying themselves away from their families. for me, it was so much more. their chatter was constant, the energy electric. it was all i could have wished for.

it has been a year now. i’m still making some mistakes but maybe,
just maybe i’m getting the hang of it.