Two Cowboys: Smithbilt Hats Stepping Forward in Time By Reaching for the Past with Paige1912 in Calgary Alberta

My Hat

There are many practical reasons for covering your head. I am told by Paige Callaway from Paige 1912 that people are finding more reasons to start wearing hats.

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The most obvious reason for wearing a hat is to protect yourself from the sun. Some people stay dry in the rain because of their hats. We know in New Zealand an umbrella is a worthless idea. It rains a lot, and the wind howls most of the time. Umbrellas gets destroyed. Hats work better. With no hair on my top, I prefer wearing a hat in New Zealand for both rain and sun.

A safety hardhat is standard attire on construction and industrial sites all over the civilised world. Many countries make it a law that workers must wear hat protection for safety.

The most important reason why a person would wear a hat has little to do with practicality and everything to do with identity and association. This still seems to be the most fertile frontier for hat designers and manufacturers. For example, hats play an important role in religion.  The rules around hats are endless. Must have a hat on. Must not have a hat on. Must cover your head. Must not cover your head. For example: "A shtreimel (Yiddish שטרײמל, plural שטרײמלעך shtreimlech) is a fur hat worn by many married Haredi Jewish men, particularly (although not exclusively) members of Hasidic Judaism, on Shabbat and Jewish holidays and other festive occasions." (Wikipedia) The same goes for a baseball cap, cowboy hat, and fedora. The list is endless.

There are countless written and unwritten rules about which type of hat, when, where and how to wear it. It is safe to say that a hat is a very personal item. It helps you to associate, and it helps you to differentiate. No two hat wearers wear a hat the same way. The simple way you wear your hat can speak volumes about your personally and outlook in life. It sends off non-verbal signals that are interpreted at a subconscious level.

Therefore, you should choose your hat carefully. You should wear it consciously. Like most clothing items it says a lot about you. (By the way, for those that don't wear hats, it says something about you too.)

Smithbilt Hat Service

We checked in with Brian at Smithbilt for our second instalment of this great business. We needed to get our hats serviced and also to learn more about caring for them.

While there, Brian demystified the bunkhouse roll for us. No, not that kind of roll you do after a hard day of work and a few bourbons. Rather, it happens when your hat's shape changes and it curls at the back or the edges. The reason? Hats have a memory. It takes the shape of how it is used.

Always “rest” your hat with the crown on the bottom. The crown is stiffer than the brim and tends to hold its shape better. If you lay your hat flat on the table the edges curl. It is prone to happen more in warmer and humid weather (heat is used to shape the hat). This is if you must rest it. Your hat should rather be on your head.

There is another reason you must store your hat with the crown at the bottom. "Else, your luck runs out." according to Brian. Well, there you have it. Simple things to do to look after your hat and your future.

We've had enquiries from as far as South Africa on how to get a Smithbilt hat. Brian is old-school. He likes to have your head with him when he sells you a hat. It has something to do with him helping you with your personally and with sizing. However, if you cannot make the trip, you can order it online and keep your fingers crossed you've chosen the right one: Do it here: https://smithbilthats.com/home/shop/. He provides great after sales service because as you know: A hat is for life!

If you want the hat that the Two Cowboys are wearing, it is called the Bull Rider. Get it here: https://smithbilthats.com/product/bull-rider

Paige 1912

Brian introduced us to the next generation of Hatters. Paige Callaway of Paige 1912 is collaborating with him to come up with a new line of more "fashionable" hats that should appeal to the younger more trendy generation. They appeal to us, and we are not young or trendy.

Stay tuned for more about this young designer. We like what she is doing to revive the old and refresh it with new designs in hats, shirts and other wearables.

Smithbilt Sponsoring the Two Cowboys

Smithbilt is now the official hat sponsor for the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Thank you to Brian and his team for making us look good. If you are keen on a Smithbilt Two Cowboys style hat, drop us a line. We have one to give away to a person we like. Comment on our Facebook page and let us know why you deserve to wear our hat: https://www.facebook.com/profiledproductions.

We look forward to meeting you.

Hendrik van Wyk

Cowboy Wearing a Smithbilt Hat

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We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. If you Sponsor us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twocowboys or donate to our cause on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/twocowboys we can do a lot more.

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New Style

Hatter

The Original

Christmas Box 

Service

Two Cowboys: Okotoks Market Square Christmas Market 2016 in Okotoks, Alberta

The Season is Here

We are all for markets in our local communities. In Okotoks, the people are too.

Andrea Wilton-Clark and her team at Okotoks Market Square found another excuse to bring together 135 vendors and thousands of people over the past weekend to prepare for Christmas in the traditional way: By shopping!

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It is shopping with a difference because it is shopping locally with artisans. These are people that make things in their barns, their basements and sometimes in their living rooms. You won't find their products in retail stores because, most of what they do costs so much to make that they simply cannot part with the little profit that is left. This is not a bad thing at all. Let me explain.

Artisans make their products with good quality, high-end materials. They engage with their customers personally. There is simply no way that you can sell something if you know it is not of quality. Your friends, your family and your community support you. That is why you, the consumer is assured of the best possible product when your local Artisan makes and sells you something. They have to face you personally and stand up for their product.

There is another difference. What you buy is often unique, one-of-a-kind items. Even if it looks similar, every item is lovingly crafted by hand and comes with something a little extra: A bit of the Producers soul.

Lastly, if it breaks and needs repair, is finished and needs refilling, or must be replaced because it simply managed to make it to its end of life, then you can always look up the master maker. The person who's hands crafted you your favourite item or product is the best person to help you get it back in working order, refilling your jar, or replacing it with the next generation hand-crafted model.

That is why we shop at our local markets. That is why we appreciate the things our Artisans made us.

I must confess. I didn't know just how lively the Artisan maker scene is in Okotoks until I started to do a bit more research about Andrea's endeavours at The Market Square.

Market Impressions 

Okotoks MarketSquare was established by Adriana Bratu and Andrea Wilton-Clark in 2010 with a vision to create regular community events and to bring better exposure to local artists, artisans and small businesses in the region.

MarketSquare's first event was a small cluster of local vendors showcasing unique products with local musicians entertaining the crowds on a grassed park area in downtown Okotoks. The events quickly grew in size and popularity. Today MarketSquare offers five major market-style indoor as well as outdoor events and works with over eight hundred locally based vendors and small businesses.

MarketSquare now offers an extensive online platform with a directory and detailed profile, information, photo galleries, and website links to local artisans and boutique small businesses.  See it here: https://www.themarketsquare.ca

The online directory makes it simple to connect with vendors before as well as after events.  Andrea is also publishing articles on the site to tell the stories of our local artisans to bring continuous attention to them throughout the year! Soon you will find more videos as well courtesy of the Two Cowboys & A Camera.

We applaud her and her team. We look forward to featuring more of their events. Most importantly, we look forward to meeting more of the Artisans that make it possible for Andrea and us to do what we do and for you to get something of quality made locally.

Hendrik van Wyk
Market Cowboy

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers: Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys and our Producers when you subscribe to our email list.

We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. If you Sponsor us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twocowboys or donate to our cause on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/twocowboys we can do a lot more.

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Welcome

The Best Coal

For Your Boots

For Your Butt

Happy Artisans

The Perogy Guy

Two Cowboys: Businesses are Working On A New Chamber of Commerce for the Bow Valley in Canmore, Alberta

One Voice Many Songs

"A chamber of commerce (or board of trade) is a form of business network, for example, a local organisation of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community." Wikipedia

"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

If you've been following the events of the past year and knew about the demise of the Canmore Business and Tourism (CBT) (see the video here) you will think that the voice of business in the town of Canmore is no more. Let's find out.

The Unrepresented

We've attended a recent gathering of some of the town's business folk at an event referred to as "Conversation Cafe". It is a continuation of one of the CBT initiatives. Since the demise of CBT, it is spearheaded by Stephanie O'Brien of Carmella Consulting.  We wanted to find out what they have in mind to get an organisation off the ground with the goal of representing the interests of businesses in the town and in the rest of the Bow Valley.

It is accepted that businesses in the Bow Valley will do well with a unified voice. Something like a Chamber of Commerce. However, we've discovered the valley is already a crowded place for voices professing to be speaking on behalf of business.

There is the Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association (BOWDA), which is a membership driven networking and advocacy group focused on the needs of the building & development industry in Canmore and the Bow Valley. Membership according to their website is at 210. There is the Canmore Downtown Business Association. The Canmore Hotel and Lodging Association represent more than 65% of the Canmore and area hotel and lodging properties. Then we have Banff where you will find organisations such as the Banff and Lake Louise Hospitality Association and the Banff Hospitality Collective. The Banff Hotels Association and the very well funded and high profile Banff Lake Louise Tourism destination marketing organisation.

I've not even touched Google to find out if there are any other Associations, Organizations, Collectives, Lobbyers, Investors, Benefactors or Instigators around, which may also profess to represent the interest of "businesses in the Bow Valley."

Brave People

Back to Stephanie and her group of supporters for a Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce. Suffice to say; the group has their work cut out for them. Getting a Chamber of Commerce off the ground may be a noble idea, but it may not be as easy as they may think. Others have tried before.

It is our opinion that to have Chamber of Commerce succeed in the Bow Valley, all the various organisations that profess to represent interests of members or taxpayers for destination marketing, will have to come together to support the initiative. Keep in mind that many of these organisations are already well established with a solid track record for their membership.

A newcomer to "furthering the interest of businesses" may not be as welcome as everybody thinks. Add to this that the local councils of these towns already have their hands full with balancing competing agendas from all directions and interested parties. An effort to herd cats sounds like a more feasible endeavour.

Without all round buy-in, the initiative is at risk of being a "filler" organisation. With "filler" we mean that the organisation will try to represent businesses overall, but end up representing the unrepresented instead.

The effort will also require a strong, respected and inclusive leader from the Bow Valley. A person revered in Banff and Canmore. Someone who can broker cooperation between all the business associations and still succeeds to motivate affiliation with yet another "uber" organisation: A Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce. If you are this leader, then the time is now to step forward.

We applaud the enthusiasm of Stephanie and her collaborators as we continue to follow the journey to establish a strong voice for all businesses in the Bow Valley and in particular: Canmore, Alberta.

Hendrik van Wyk
Business Cowboy

We are a content company. We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. It allows us to have a closer relationship with our collaborators and grow our audience. If you Sponsor us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/twocowboys or donate to our cause on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/twocowboys we can do a lot more.

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Pleased to Meet You

Agenda

Conclusion