What They Bought: Art in the Age

When Philadelphia adman Steven Grasse talks about his 20 years at the helm of Gyro Worldwide, the successful agency he shuttered in 2008, his assessment is as blunt as you might expect from the man who invented Bikini Bandits, a video series about strippers, guns, and hot rods: “I was the asshole who did the Camel ads,” he says. “At Gyro, we had this ‘I’ll fuck anything that moves’ philosophy.” That all changed in 2008, when he sold Sailor Jerry — the rum brand he created before going on to help develop Hendrick’s Gin — to William Grant & Sons for “more money than I ever made in advertising,” he says. Grasse quickly changed the name of his agency to Quaker City Mercantile and transformed its mission completely. “Now we only work on brands that we create and own or with clients I truly like personally,” he says.

Go Farmhouse-Modern

Give your city habitat some rural flair with rustic finds from these design shops.

Philadelphia:Art in the Age

Steven Grasse owns a farm in New Hampshire, and at his boutique he sells antiques he finds in the neighboring towns along with chambray pocket squares and ROOT, a house made liquor.

Hyper-Local Liquor: Tobacco Branding Pioneer Finds Redemption

With a business model that combines sex, drugs and rock n roll with, quote, "cool shit", you'd expect a talk by branding pioneer Steven Grasse to be provocative. But with a professional background in branding cigarettes and sneakers, you might not expect it to be particularly note worthy for TreeHuggers. However, you'd be wrong.

Because what do you do once you've made a fortune selling tobacco? Why, you move on to booze of course. But this is no ordinary booze. In fact, by combining ultra-local (and I do mean ultra-local!), sustainable agriculture with a love for cultural exploration and serious fun, I would argue that it is a beautiful example of where business should be headed. This presentation is worth checking out, whether you drink or not.

Dept. Of Wrestling Art From The Jams Of Salted Meats: Robin McDowell's Jersey Shore Prints

March 16, 2010

Philadelphia location to purchase ROOT:
TOP OF THE HILL SHOP CTR
8705 GERMANTOWN AVE
PHILADELPHIA PA, 19118-2716
Phone: 215.753.4520

Art in the Age presents: "The Farm"
Location: 116 North 3rd Street
Neighborhood: Old City
Date: Feb 5th, 2010 thru Mar 21st, 2010
Every Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
Time: Tues - Sat: 11am - 7pm, Sun: 12 - 6pm
Price: ---

Art In The Age of Mechanical Reproduction presents THE FARM, a narrative exhibition documenting daily life and new initiatives at the Art In The Age Farm in Tamworth, NH through personal anecdotes, photographs, salvaged objects, and letterpress prints. The presenting artist, Robin McDowell, is Art In The Age's Farm Manager and a former Philadelphian. McDowell installed a narrative exhibition beautifully documenting a brief introduction of the farm, her personal experiences as well as ongoing projects in Tamworth, NH. Also on view are found objects and personal belongings from the farm such as vintage tools, garden books, preserves and maps, to name a few, casually installed around a work desk constructed by the artist. www.artintheage.com

More Location Info: Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction