Things We Like #1

Anyone that has been in the store recently, or ever really, knows that we're pretty much bursting at the seams with merchandise. Enough that when we moved everything down from the original location, I would still find new things one whole month after we were up and running. To this day we still have frequent patrons discovering 'new' things in the store. So it is with this in mind that I'm officially starting our first recurring feature here on the mp3 blog:

Things in the Store That We Really Like and Feel The Need to Point Out Because They Might Otherwise Get Ignored

Or for short:

Things We Like

For our first things we like feature, we'll be taking a look at my absolute favorite single item in the whole store: The Mr. Winter Document Envelope.

The first thing you should know about Mr. Winter's wares is that they are not really designed with convenience in mind. They are the kind of items that generally require the user to adapt to the function of the piece. Usually this isn't a good thing, but in the case of Mr. Winter it feels like adapting to using a certain piece will make you a better person for it. Mr. Winter are the possessions of tough, well traveled men who have seen things the rest of us have merely read about. This particular item is very simple. It is a leather envelope, but it is a leather envelope that must contain documents important enough to be kept secret from the prying eyes of fellow travelers. Not sales orders, but instructions for something no body knows about. Perhaps that is all a bit dramatic, but like I said you'll feel like a better person for using this.The second thing you should know about Mr. Winter is that each piece is adorned with a recast medallion of some kind, usually religious in origin (mostly St. Christopher). This particular icon is a little bit more unique - a two inch image from Shrine of Mary in Holy Hill, Wisconsin. This may not mean much to most, but being that I was raised both Catholic and in Wisconsin it tugs a bit at the nostalgia strings. Holy Hill, in addition to being naturally quite beautiful, has a legendary history. Tradition has it that the hill was first discovered by Father Marquette in 1673 on his return with Joliet from the discovery of the upper Mississippi. A German priest who had been recreant to his vows seeking to do penance in the new world found a reference to this hill in a strangely discovered portion of Marquette's diary; that on his way to find the hill, he was taken ill in Chicago, and when he recovered he was paralytic. He persisted in his efforts to find the hill and when found he crawled to the summit on his hands and knees and was cured of his paralysis. Every year a good number of pilgrims, some only curious, others with faith that they will be healed of their diseases, visit the hill.

Whether you believe all that is really secondary to the fact that for many people that story carries quite a bit more importance than a leather envelope, and paying a little bit of homage to that is exactly what makes it so cool.

$325