My husband and I recently attended our very first American Field in Boston about a week ago. For those of you who are not familiar, American Field is a pop-up market featuring all American-Made brands and is the brainchild of American Made entrepreneur, Mark Bollman. Mark is the owner of Ball and Buck, an online retailer along with Boston Outfitters, their hunting cabin themed, brick and mortar located in the Back Bay of Boston.
As we browsed from one booth to the next in our customized American Made New Balance 574s, the brands represented at AF Boston were both diverse and varied. From honey to light fixtures to bow ties and bags, there was so much to take in. The one common thread keeping them seamlessly connected was the entrepreneurial spirit and being Made in the USA. It was a pleasure perusing these unique products and connecting with the owners and designers over their stories of how their vision became a reality.
Our first stop was to see our friends at R. Murphy Knives. Although we never formally met before, we have bantered back and forth on social media and it was great to finally put a face with the name! Mimi and Mark are passionate about their knives and provided us with such detail on how they have managed to keep this company, which was started back in 1850, alive and thriving. Truly remarkable! We could have bought everything on their table but walked away with a beautiful Wellfleet oyster knife and Jackson Cannon bar knife.
The Thrifty Gentleman was our next stop where were we asked to name their preppy styled mannequin. My choice was Warner, my husband went with Spaulding. Can't wait to hear what name they pick! Their selection of unique tie bars and tie tacks were functional and fun, made from recycled materials and manufactured at a third generation owned and operated factory in New England. Did I mention the excellent price point? They believe that you don't have to break the bank to look dapper-but their top-notch quality will make it look like you did!
Kendra Philip was located one booth down and had some beautiful yet completely affordable mixed metal bracelets and an edgy pair of earrings that caught my eye. Although, I ended up purchasing the Jo bracelet for myself, I also crossed off a Christmas gift from my list with their Tara Matchstick earrings. The ladies at the booth -sorry I forgot their names- were super helpful and showed genuine interest in the #LabelConscioUS shirts were were wearing. Thanks, again, for your hospitality!
All this shopping made us thirsty, so we made a pit stop at Bulleit Bourbon to sip an exceptional Old Fashioned cocktail which were being expertly mixed by local Boston bartenders! We then made our way to American Trench, who we've purchased from in the past, but got to see their newly released Sawtooth Argyle sock collection along with their Oregon City Blanket wool sock, fashioned after the now defunct company's blanket patterns. These will definitely help keep us warm during those bitter Chicago winters!
The most crowded booth prize definitely goes to Rancourt and Company, as their sale was as one customer put it "epic". Their finely crafted leather shoes are Made in Maine and were marked down to almost half their normal price - allowing my husband to stock up on several pairs, claiming he is saving us a ton of money! Sadly, those who were not a Size 9 (their sample size) had much less of a selection unless like Cinderella's step-sisters, they made it fit!
We also stopped by Randolph Engineering who makes our favorite aviators in Massachusetts and United by Blue, who work diligently to protect our environment for the generations to come. Their shirt "The Mountains are Calling" will make the perfect gift for the avid skier in our family!
Please stay tuned as this is just part 1of our American Field Boston experience. There is so much more to highlight from this amazing weekend.