What is it about America that everyone loves? The people? The quality of life? The freedom? I think it has to do with all of the above and then some. In this turbulent time what can we depend on? Each other is what I think…our brothers, our sisters, parents, family and friends. More of us need to reminisce about the times when our grandparents signed up for World War II at age 17, lying to the recruitment office so they could serve our country proud. My grandpa did just that, what a hard ass mother fucker. Could you imagine trying to throw yourself at a war where you may not come back. I can’t even believe that’s a true story, but it is. Pictured above is Leather Works MN, you’ll see a full blog post about them in the coming weeks.

NorthernGrade in Minneapolis Minnesota was all about bringing back the heritage we all heard about growing up. I look around the room and I see a bunch of the the generation Y or X, whatever the fuck that means. We all heard our labels in high school or college and we went with it. I’m not speaking for all my peers, but I could care less what you label me as. I’m here with the rest of liked minded individuals bringing back the American made artisan culture. Pictured above is Justin, the co-contributor to Columbus & Co. Guy has style like the flag has stripes.

Locally Grown Fred has the American personality. His T-Shirts were a hit again this year  at NorthernGrade. Something about Fred just keeps drawing me back to him. I can tell he is a guy I would trust with anything of mine. Locally Grown Clothing has built a following through the Midwest. I can’t wait to see Fred and his company expand to the coasts, I can see this taking off. Good things happen to good people and Fred is as good as they come. The shirts fit amazing, order a cool design and don’t worry….you won’t get a fruit of the loom or whatever the hell MJ wears. Lol. I always worry about ordering shirts from places I don’t know, there is the “is this shit gonna fit factor” in it. Trust Columbus & Co. Locally Grown  has it down!

Wow…these two Russian mail over brides look fantastic in the Fur Armor from Bemidji Minnesota. Well that was obviously a joke, they are both made in America or they wouldn’t be featured on this blog. The Laura’s will be a frequent addition to Columbus & Co. Look for them in the future and check at Fur Armor if you live in a cold climate.

There is nothing like following up some blondes up with Mustache Mike. In all reality Mike is the go to guy for vintage goods. He is to vintage clothing as Minnesota is to nice, whatever that means. Also I hear he doubles as a bad ass barber, so get your beards and locks ready. Mike’s company MidNorth Mercantile is fresh off the start and making strides in Minneapolis already. Look for there shop to open soon, we’ll do a full post when it does. Good luck bros!

OK, back to why we think you should drop your Gap bullshit and start supporting our local artisans. Have you ever had a really nice pair of jeans that were made well? Well, unless you have bought them recently from some local selvedge denim company the answer is probably no. And no your True Religion’s don’t count, we’ve all owned a pair. You paid for those holes in your jeans? Why? The grandparents you looked up to didn’t own 18 shirts for every occasion, so why should you? Get something that will last, something you can hand down. I’ve been looking for a running pocket watch for a couple years and have just seen them come back on the seen at Martin Patrick.

Well I’m going to end with La Famillia …Tucker pictured here to my right has the James Dean attitude, so cool. I first met him in Long Beach California as we dined at the Waffle House. He’s currently looking for his next venture and I suggested him opening a Waffle House in Minnesota or consolidating his 5 blogs to incorporate 1 bad ass blog. Either way he would kill it! This coming week Columbus & Co. will be featuring a vendor from Northern Grade everyday, so check back. Leave some comments when you can, we would like to know how we’re doing!