Field Notes had a classic style old aluminum desk for their booth setup. They even had creator Aaron Draplin in the crowd roaming around. Let me tell you if you need a good laugh hang out with him for 5 minutes. Guy will have you rolling on the floor. I see Field Notes everywhere and have a huge admiration for Aaron’s creation even though he’ll downplay it as paper and two staples. I think his vision to have a simple everyday use product manufactured and printed in the U.S. is great.

Pierrepont Hicks who are jointly responsible for setting up Northern Grade had an array of their hand crafted ties on display for sale. We totally dig their unique designs and quality construction. I’ve heard NorthernGrade is expanding to San Francisco, Nashville and Moscow in 2013. That’s crazy good news!

We were happy to see Penelope’s show case some products at NorthernGrade. We visited them last time we were in town and walked away with a variety of items. Their retail store is located in Wicker Park and reminds me of a vintage shop although they carry a variety of American Made brands.

Oak Street Bootmakers were dressed for service at NorthernGrade. We like the apron look pictured above. Their is a lot of history with Oak Street in Chicago with over 20 years of experience making shoes out of their Chicago location.

Corter Leather and Cloth who makes every piece you see in this photo by hand had a display right to the left of the main entrance as you walked in. Their work looked great with items ranging from wallets, belts, key chains all the way to mouse pads. This booth was constantly busy, which I’m sure they were excited about!