Cheryl Shops

A dear friend of mine lives just a few blocks away, which makes it easy to meet up for lunch or a drink; as a bonus, this friend loves to shop, has impeccable taste, and might actually dress better than I do. Through this friend, I learned about Shinola, a re-christened company that makes bicycles, leather goods, and watches in Detroit. (Yes, Detroit.) The watches are classic and sporty in that all-American way, with thick, contrast-stitched leather straps and slightly oversized stainless steel cases, each bearing a unique serial number. In other words, ain't no Timex. Good design and noble-minded employment efforts aside, Shinola is dedicated to reviving American luxury manufacturing, a pursuit I fully support. Watches like the Runwell are meant to last a lifetime; at the risk of sounding like Don Draper, this is what American-made products, as few and far between as they are nowadays, should be. A Shinola watch would obviously be an incredibly generous Christmas gift, but in the interest of buying quality over quantity, it would also be an everlasting one. And isn't that what one wants out of a gift anyway?