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While in Denver, we stopped in at the Ryan Michael showroom, and were privileged to see beautiful color palettes and fresh designs, and meet the president of the company. We are proud to present Ryan Michael as our vendor of the month. Pictured below is the president, Michael Ryan, and his description of the company.

“At Ryan Michael, we’re not the first to create clothing inspired by the west. We’ve embraced its bold, independent spirit and followed our own path in creating a brand providing unincorporated men and women with a look that reflects the romance and complex sophistication of this uniquely American lifestyle.
We’re driven to ensure originality and quality in everything we craft. So, we have to think differently to capture the confidence and inner strength of those who choose to wear our apparel.
For us it starts with our broad palette of colors, and the manner in which they are infused into each garment to produce a distinctive look. It means we must blend the best natural fibers like cotton, silk, and linen in new and striking ways to create designs both refined and comfortable.
In short, we want Ryan Michael to transcend the fleeting nature of trends – to become a time weaver providing a tangible link between the discriminating demands of today with the tradition and values of the past. It’s this inspiration that’s woven into everything carrying our name.
That’s especially important when the name is your own. It makes things personal, makes us work a little harder and helps us to be better. We’re passionate about our work and committed to building a brand true to the character of the west.”
Michael Ryan
President

November 9, 1905. F.M. Light & Sons opened its doors for business, with a foot of snow surrounding and a frigid temperature. What began on that bitter day in November proved to be a 104 year legacy that the intrepid Francis Marion Light left to his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren; six generations. In history, the year 1905 brought many great changes to the world.

January 1 – The Trans-Siberian Railway officially opens after its completion on July 21,1904.

January 5 – The play The Scarlet Pimpernel opens at the New Theatre in London and begins a run of 122 performances and numerous revivals.

March 4 - U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt begins a full term.

April 2 – The Simplon Tunnel is officially opened through the Alps.

May 15 - Las Vegas, Nevada is founded when 110 acres (0.4 km²), in what later becomes
downtown, are auctioned off.

June 30 - Albert Einstein publishes the article On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies where he reveals his theory of special relativity. 1905 is regarded as his “miracle year”.

October 5 – The Wright Brothers’ third aeroplane (Wright Flyer III) stays in the air for 39 minutes with Wilbur piloting. This is the first aeroplane flight lasting over 1/2 an hour.

November 9 – The Berlin Wall is opened in 1989 – citizens on both sides walked freely through the barrier as others danced atop the structure, signaling the end of a historic era.

Churchill makes excellent leather gloves – stay warm this fall wearing their dark brown elk skin thinsulate gloves, on sale in our store for $39.99, down from $54.99.

Cold Feet? If you want a sock that “fits your foot and your lifestyle, is good for the environment, is made in the USA and is a darn good sock,” then visit us and take a look at Fox River socks. Since 1900 (5 years more than us!), in the Fox River Valley of Appleton, Wisconsin, Fox River Mills, Inc.(now based in Osage, Iowa) has “been committed to producing quality knitted socks and handwear. Fox River was founded on the principle of offering a superior product with great service at a fair price. Today, Fox River Mills in one of the leading outdoor, athletic, and lifestyle sock manufacturers in the world.”

Schaefer Ranchwear is proudly manufacturing American – made products in their family owned and operated factory. This means they design, engineer, cut, sew and inspect each and every garment in the product line. They are one of the last full line apparel manufactures left in the U.S. In addition to this, Schaefer firmly stands behind purchasing American made raw materials – every thread, snap and label included. What dedication!

Wah-Maker Cowboy Clothing is the “recognized leader in the design and manufacture of the traditional clothing of the American West.” Their products are American Made and have been for over 125 years – their clothes embody the spirit of the frontier and are lauded for their authenticity; several Academy Award winning films have used their line.

Thank you for letting us know of your interest in American Made products – and thank these companies for their dedication to doing just that.  Come visit us, and ask to see these fine products.

· Obsessive-Compulsive Tendencies. Dickens was obsessed with arranging and combing his hair hundreds of times a day, glancing in the mirror constantly. He also was very preoccupied with rearranging his furniture for optimum concentration; apparently he couldn’t think well unless each chair or table was in a “correct” place. Take his bedroom, for instance. He made sure that his bed was aligned in a north-south position because of magnetic fields. Also, he touched many objects three times for luck. He would be an excellent friend to have, though, as he cleaned other people’s homes as well as his own because of his need for cleanliness.

· Nicknames. Dickens gave each of his children (he had ten of them!) nicknames such as Plorn and Skittles. Charles had a nickname as well, Boz, (he also used this occasionally as a pen name) which originated from Charles’ younger brother Augustus, whose nickname was Moses. Moses was pronounced Boses, which eventually became shorted to Boz. Wow. I guess nicknames are just that hard to explain.

· Epilepsy. Many doctors are amazed at the accuracy of Dickens’ description of epilepsy; unfortunately for Charles, this came from personal experience, as Dickens himself suffered from the disease.

· Trickster. Before he moved into a new house, Dickens designed a secret door for his study; one that appeared to be a bookcase. The bookcase held many hilarious titles, including a nine-volume set entitled Cat’s Lives, and another called Noah’s Arkitecture. Apparently he like puns as well – another book was entitled The Gunpowder Magazine.

· A Not So Inviting Host. Dickens was friends with the well-known Hans Christian Anderson – so much so that Anderson dedicated his book, Poet’s Day Dream to Dickens. One fateful day, during a visit, Andersen awoke to find a sign hung above his mirror, stating: “Hans Andersen slept in this room for five weeks, which seemed to the family like AGES.” Hmmm…but maybe we should cut poor Charles some slack – his daughter later wrote that Andersen was a “bore…who stayed on and on.”

· Hypnotist. Hypnotism, anyone? Dickens had a hobby – namely, hypnotism, otherwise known as mesmerizing. He enjoyed mesmerizing his friends and family, in an attempt to heal them from sickness.

· Multi-Tasker. Dickens many times started writing something new before finishing what he was currently working on. This happened with Oliver Twist, which he began in the middle of The Pickwick Papers, and Nicholas Nickleby, which was started in the middle of Oliver Twist.