Stewart's Department Store

We recently photographed our new cold weather apparel at Stewart's Department Store in Delhi, New York—just a stone's throw from BMC HQ here in the Catskills. It was a beautiful fall day, and the shoot was a local production in every way. That's me above on the shoot at Stewart's, with my good friend, neighbor, and all-around Best Made man Ross Thompson.

So often, I spend months, if not years, developing our products. They live in factories, on fit models and cutting tables. It all becomes real at the shoot. Nothing beats seeing our stuff in the context of such a majestic location as Stewart's, on the back of my good friend.

Stewart's is like a living, working time capsule—open 5 days a week, still serving its original role in the community. It stocks everything from hunting gear to sewing notions to women's wear, the kind of general merchandise that once defined small town Main Streets in America. The Mendel brothers built this place in 1883, when retail meant custom counters, movable racks inset into fine cabinetry, and evocative hand-lettered signs. As you can see from this photo, these details remain.

In a digital age, Stewart's is a monument to a dignified, human retail experience. Anyone who visited our shops in Tribeca or Los Angeles will appreciate how spaces like Stewart's have long been an influence on me and Best Made. I'm grateful that such a space still stands, so close to home. We need to protect them. And I'm grateful to Stephanie Carter, the store's owner: for protecting Stewart's all these years, and letting us in for a day. 

Many ask me if we're going to open a store again; if nothing else, Stewart's is a reason to do it. — PB-S

PS- Special thanks to Ross Thompson, Katie Toker, and Jess Hild for making this shoot such a success.