A couple weeks ago I picked up a Saturday night shift at the shop - the first one I’ve had in ages. It’s funny because I had forgotten what a weekend shift at City Foundry was like. If you haven’t been, the complex can best be described as an outdoor mall for millennials. You have a massive food hall representing some of the areas best eats, a museum, a speakeasy and a wine bar, a cosmic putt-putt golf course, and countless local stores like us that really bring everything together.

Unlike my typical weekday shifts, Saturdays at Foundry are filled with people who either A) are from out of town and view it as a must-see while in St. Louis, B) are first-timers to Foundry, but have lived in the area for awhile, C) are regulars - popping in during their fun night out to say hello. The energy hits different - everyone seems to be in a good mood, there is no rush and leisure tends to rule all making it the best foundation for good conversation.  

About an hour before close, a couple walked in who fell into that second category. They were out on a date but not married, still radiating those new-couple vibes (something I always love to see). As the woman and I got to chatting we shared the basics - where we live, what the best meal is at Foundry, and where we’re from.

When I shared a little bit about growing up in the southern Illinois town of Carbondale, she smiled and goes “Oh! I was actually born in Carbondale.”

We went on to discover that we not only were born in the same hospital (about 35 years apart) but that her family owned a prominent Glove Company in town called Good Luck Glove. The crazy thing of it all is that my Great Grandfather was also in the Glove Business and the company he founded, the Illinois Glove Company, purchased her family’s business in the 1960s.

A fun fact - one that I realize is new to many of you in our Polished Prints community - is that garment manufacturing runs deep in my family, starting in the early 1900s with my Great Grandfather. An immigrant who made his way to the United States without a thing to his name, my great gramps founded one of country’s most noteworthy glove manufacturers of its era. They manufactured the gloves for the US soldiers during WWII, Vietnam and beyond, produced private label goods for luxury brands, and employed hundreds of people throughout the state including women and people of color long before the Civil Rights Movement.

Having not really grown up with this in my sphere, I feel like I’m always learning more about my great grandfather and the work he did. Having it brought up in a casual conversation with a stranger felt like kismet - not just for me, but for her.

Leaving that conversation we both were giddy. We were smiling, we exchanged contact information and immediately I emailed my grandma to share. While she and I won’t be best friends, I think we’ll both felt connected. A reminder of how something as simple as yapping with a stranger can lead you into discovering even more about yourself.

XO, Leah