While I've never been masochistic enough to get on a pair of rollers, head to head with another person, and pedal like crazy for one full minute, I still feel an obligation to contribute/reward those who choose to engage in such behavior.
Which is why two s*class hats will be given to the top male and top female racers tonight at the Boldsprints event.
Want a hat for free? Check out All Asia from 7pm tonight!
A few weeks ago, just when I started playing around with the whole idea of actually selling these hats, I got an interesting email.
The story went like this: Guy wants a hat. Guy got his bike stolen. Guy offers a MS Paint masterpiece of his bike (pictured above) in exchange for a hat.
So I agreed to the deal: a hat - a custom job, incidentally - for the picture (and a few more bucks). We finally met up Friday night in front of North Station and pictured below is my end of the deal.
This got me thinking though - the barter system isn't so bad. I get interesting stuff and I get to meet nice people.
Anyone wanna barter?
I passed a chipmunk the today that had been perfectly smushed against the pavement. Well, I passed it a few days in a row now (it's on my commute) and as gross as it is, I still tend to pass right by it. And I look at it. Like every day.
Okay, I'm definitely not going to pick it up and play with it, but somehow, I can't seem to tear my eyes away from that little striped back that's plastered onto the asphalt.
I've kind of developed the same kind of relationship with my mailbox lately. It only seems to bring disappointment; I actually preferred it when it was empty or full of junk mail. Still, I consistently find myself nearly running to check what might be in store in that little metal box every single goddamn day.
It did yield some presents though, in the form of fabric destined for hats. Thank my Mom; these are going to make some sweet hats!
It happened - I have officially sold my first hat!
Greg of SuffolkBikes contacted me about purchasing the "Attention, Please" hat and I was only too happy to drop it off in a brown paper bag in front of the Otherside Cafe.
So here's Greg (and his bunny!) with his hat - you can chase after him on his enormous black fixed-gear Fuji if you want to take a closer look at the first s-class hat ever sold!
While everyone seems to be firing up their grills and searing steaks, I've been planning an excursion to Super 88.
What can I say? I'm craving Asian food like woah.
Which might also be why I made this hat. The fabric seemed almost too Asian; but with Boston being a minority majority city, what does that matter?
It's actually the first hat I've made with a white brim. I almost want to keep it. Or at least eat loads of sushi wearing it.
$20 plus shipping & handling
[This hat will comfortably fit most heads that are 22 to 23 inches. It's fully lined and comes with a cloth sweatband as well as elastic in the back for a snug fit.]
I don't deal well with public speaking. I'd really rather write the speech and have another person deliver it, take all the credit, and rise to fame/be promoted/be applauded.
That's one reason why I started giving these hats away for free. I figured no one would part with money for these, even if each one I gave away was important to me. And even when I did give them away, with the exception of Boston Biker and What I Think, I didn't get one response, one picture, one email.
It's ironic, then, that just as I decided to set up shop, that people actually expressed interest in them. I've gotten requests for custom jobs, offers of a barter exchange of sorts, and straight up "I'll buy one"s.
Thanks to Boston Biker, I'm now able to officially offer my hats online. Click on the pictures for more details and to order - I'll be charging $20 for a posted hat and $25 for custom jobs (plus shipping). Custom jobs will depend on the fabric I have available and I'll be making a "fabrics" page specifically for people who want to pick and choose.
Thanks for checking the site and feel free to look around, tell your friends, or give me feedback on any of these hats. Want more Boston hats? Want more black hats? Just drop me an email.