Stories — At Work

At Stock we use time-tested methods of production and appreciate the fine details that make a garment built to last. For our At Work series, we focus on like-minded companies and individuals who don’t do things the expedient way, but the right way.

This time, we’re featuring a business down the street from our store, Metric Coffee. Started in 2013, the company quickly gained acclaim for their delicious coffee--Chicago Magazine’s “Best Espresso” in 2017--and shop, which ZAGAT, Eater and Roast Magazine have featured. 

We sat down with owners Darko and Xavier to hear more about where they’ve been and where they’re headed.

Steven: Long story short or short story long, what's the timeline on how you got to where you are now?

Aaron: We've been around since 2011, so about four years now. It kind of all started when I would draw on canvas shoes in college. Then, through word of mouth or on Facebook I had people start asking me to make shoes for them. After graduating college in 2008, I bought a one-way ticket to Argentina because I really wanted to learn Spanish and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. While volunteering for an organization that worked with street kids in the slums, I met my then future business partner, Raaja, who I sold a pair of hand-designed shoes to. After meeting, we went our separate ways for a while. He was traveling around the world and I stayed in Argentina for a couple years working as a freelance photographer. On the side, I was still making drawing on shoes and even had a Facebook page with a couple thousand fans (laughs). A couple of years after that chance encounter he reached out to see if I'd be interested in turning the small-scale hobby I had into a real company. I said "let's do it" and we began putting the wheels in motion.

S: Was the page called Bucketfeet?

A: Yep, in fact it's always been called Bucketfeet. It's funny because when I teamed up with Raaja and decided to turn this into a business, we thought we'd change the name, but decided to just keep it. It came from a silly nickname I had in college. Some friends thought it'd be funny to call me "Bucket", because they had been out and were pretty drunk and then for some reason it stuck. I hated it at first, but then started to embrace it. When I first made my FB page I needed a name, so I thought about how to integrate "Bucket" into the name. I thought about something like feet or kicks and thought about 'Bucket Kicks' or like 'Kick the Bucket' which was just a little too morbid (laughs). So then I landed on Bucket Feet and still to this day the best compliment I get is that whether or not people like it, they always remember it.

S: How do artists get their designs featured on a pair of shoes?

A: Right now we have a network of 20k artists that we source from.

S: Wow, how are you able to keep track of all that?

A: It's an open platform on our site so anyone can go in and submit designs. Then we have an internal team that filters through and selects the designs that we then turn into shoes. So not all 20k artist have shoes, but that's around how many artists have raised their hands and said "I want to be a part of this". It runs the gamut of graffiti artists, graphic designers, textile designers, fine artists, doodlers – you name it. I'm usually the first filter on what does or doesn't get produced. Then from there it goes through even more and more eyeballs that narrow it down even further. It's a long process from concept to product; it takes a lot of work.

S: That does sound like a lot of work, how does that fit that into your workweek?

A: Well I like to think of our company culture as a nice mix of flexibility and discipline. As long as you're getting your stuff done, no one's going to really be babysitting you. As for me, and a lot of other people here, I travel a lot. I correspond with a lot of artists that I have strong relationships with still. I also spend a lot of time scouting for new artists.

S: What's your day-to-day look like with so much work?

A: I travel a lot for work so between traveling around and working from the office while I am in town, it's a lot of corresponding with artists and maintaining those relationships. I spend a lot of time scouring the Internet looking for unique artists that we really want to work with. I also spend a lot of time working pretty closely with our marketing team so that when we're sending out emails to our consumers or artists, we're always using the right tone. We also just opened our new Studio in Bucktown (1647 N. Damen) that we're really excited about. It's a combination retail store/gallery space so we'll be able to host different events throughout the year.

S: Do you plan on hosting private events there where people can rent the place out and draw on shoes?

A: Yeah we've had a lot of fun throwing a few of those events in the past. We recently threw one at Havas. We've also been contacted by Children's Hospitals for kids based events.

S: I love that you're still staying true to the root of why Bucketfeet exists in the first place.

A: Of course! One of my favorite parts of hosting some of those events is watching people, no matter their age or whether they consider themselves an artist, having a good time. It's all about having fun and being as creative as you want to be. That 's why we truly do believe that 'Art is For Everyone'.

S: So now you guys have a few Studios around town and your office is over here in the West Loop, but what's your favorite place to hang around the city?

A: That's always a funny question because I'm usually the last person you'd suspect would, but I live in the Gold Coast. Being from California, I've always wanted to be close to the water. Even though I don't spend too much time at the beach, it's always nice to feel like I can get away from where I work and like to go out. Soho House is always a good fallback option if there isn't much going on because you can normally run into someone you know. Plus it's close to the office. When I do go out, I'm usually spending my time around Wicker Park, Bucktown, Logan Square. My lease is up at the end of the year, so I'm sure I'll make my way back to some of those neighborhoods I really love at some point soon.

S: How long have you lived in Chicago?

A: I've been here for about four years now and I love it.

S: After four years, what does Chicago mean to you?

A: It's really grown on me since I've been here. Obviously the winters are tough and you don't really get used to them. A lot of why we decided to base the company here has a lot to do with the personal connections we have, the affordability, and because no one is really doing what we're doing here.

S: What would your biggest competition be then?

A: We definitely pay attention to what the usual suspects in footwear are doing. We also like to make sure we're keeping an eye on other companies that work with artists. It's extremely important that we work as hard as possible to become a company artists aspire to work with because they feel like their voice is being heard and the products that are being released are things they can be proud of. We're only four years into it so we know we still have a lot of growing to do.

S: Side note, how does the warm weather play into the seasonal success of Bucketfeet? Because I distinctly remember hanging out with you in the middle of February when we had that insane blizzard, and you were walking in three feet of snow in Bucketfeet.

A: Yeah that's a funny story because I ended up walking home that night. It was pretty miserable, trust me. That being said, when the weather gets bad, we tend to shift our resources to the warmer climates and our online presence. We're also working on a few designs that will be geared towards the colder months this coming fall that we're really excited about.

S: So you're wearing Stock, what got you into it?

A: Well Jim and Jason are a couple of the guys I've known longest in Chicago actually. We met through mutual friends when they were running a company called Left of Trend. They were always super supportive about what we were doing, so we really got along. We're a pretty small bunch, but the Chicago maker scene has a lot of pride and it's awesome to be a part of it.

Steven: You have a pretty good set up, how did you get to where you are right now?

Alan: Well the story goes, I had always wanted to go to law school, but before spending hundreds of thousands on a degree, I decided to get a job in the field as a paralegal. Did the whole corporate 9-5 grind and sure it paid well, but it wasn't fulfilling. I had been living in Lakeview at the time and while the shop was under construction, I noticed some Stumptown Coffee and Bowery Lane Bicycles signs in the window. I was pretty familiar with both so I began riding by often and getting to know Mike the owner. Long story short, I left the legal field to become a barista at the newly opening Heritage Bicycles. It was a huge leap of faith for a huge decrease in income but a huge increase in happiness. I've been here since day one and I've worked my way up to bike mechanic, e-commerce, web development, to now my main focus is sales and new business development. We're expanding so you could say I wear many hats, hah.

S: What's your typical day around the shop look like?

A: I get in around 9 o'clock and of course step one: coffee. Working at a coffee shop is pretty awesome because you get to nerd out about coffee from different origins and dialing in the perfect pour over. After that I move into e-mail and do some catching up around the shop until noon. Around then I'll start working on any outbound shipments if we have e-commerce or wholesales going out. Then most of the day I'm working on new business, following up with some of our dealers, setting up bike build appointments, and hanging around the shop until we close up around 8pm.

S: Whoa, you're at the shop all day long?

A: Well mostly all day. But don't get me wrong, I live next door so I can run home to make lunch, use my own bathroom, or maybe run an errand or two. It's the beauty of having a live-work lifestyle. I like to picture this place as my living room so it doesn't really feel like work because I enjoy it so much.

S: If you had to consider this a job, what would be your favorite part of it?

A: I think the social aspects are one of my favorite parts. Living and working in the neighborhood has allowed me to get to know our customer base and I've made a lot of great relationships and friends from it. Since this is a smaller company, there's also a lot of opportunity for growth and development. I've learned so much about what it takes to run a business from the ground up since I've been here.

S: On a more personal note, what have you been listening to lately?

A: I just got really into vinyl so a lot of older stuff. Anything funk, soul, jazz, and reggae records when you can find them. But the youth in me will always be into the punk rock indie scene. If I had to have an absolute all time favorites I think it'd have to be Miles Davis, Bitches Brew (laughs).

S: I know you're a bike guy but if you could have any car, what would it be?

A: Cadillac, hands down. I grew up in Detroit in an auto industry family so I've always had an attachment to the American made. On the opposite spectrum, if you can picture a super old beat up farm truck, that's me. Definitely 1952 Chevy or a Cadillac Eldorado.

S: Do you ever make it out of the city?

A: Not as often as I'd like. In the past 3 years since starting this business, it's taken up a good amount of my time. If I could go somewhere right now though? I'd most likely go to New York, Southern California, or even back to Detroit. There's so much soul and character in Detroit.

S: Living and working in the neighborhood, do you ever feel like you're in a bubble?

A: A little bit sometimes. The beauty is I feel like a lot of it comes to me so often I don't have to venture far to find what I'm looking for. I still get out around the city, but for the most part I'm pretty true to the 60657, hah!

S:Because you live right around the corner from where you work and don't really need to leave the neighborhood for any reason, do you ever venture out on your bike?

A: You're right, I live, work, eat, drink all in this neighborhood, but getting out and riding my bike is definitely my escape. I have seven bikes and a tandem so I definitely try to get out and ride all the time. I've always been into shitty iPhone photography so that gets me out of the neighborhood to explore. Bikes are my key to freedom.

S: You're wearing the Stock denim work shirt right now, awesome! Why do you wear Stock?

A: You know, now that I'm making goods in America I really want to support American made, specifically Chicago made makers. I can't remember my exact introduction to Stock, but regardless it's really supporting that locally made craftsmanship. It's affordable, refined, and different without needing to be extravagant. I come from a mentality of "buy nice or buy twice" so their clothing is not disposable and I feel confident that it's going to last me. They make real "Men's Clothing", not dainty fashion wear. They make that shirt you're going to wear for 10 or so years that weathers over time. The shirt that once you get a hole in it, you patch it up and add even more character to it. They make shit that lasts.

S: What does Chicago mean to you? You've been here for almost a decade now, right?

A: Chicago to me is the Midwest mecca. It's people from all over the world. Mostly from Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and all the surrounding states. It's the big city in the Midwest that draws a lot of young people. I like to call it super college sometimes because it's the place that you either go to for college or after college and you either make it or you don't. There's a lot of opportunity here, which I love. Unlike other big cities, Chicago has that Midwest "nice" mentality. For the most part everyone's approachable and the city is very attainable. I love it here.

S: Thanks, Alan. We love it too.

Steven: Tell us a little about your career path and how you got to where you are now.

Wade: I moved to New York in 2008 after college at ASU. I started working for a start up doing sales and I fucking hated it. In 2009 I began working as a captain on the floor at the Standard Grill in the new Standard Hotel NYC. I worked my way up to the bar until I left to bartend and eventually take over the bar program at Rye House. From there I left to be on the opening team of a restaurant called The Dutch. I spent my time there until I was sick of paying New York rent prices and up and moved to Chicago in late 2011. My first job here was opening The Barrelhouse Flat where I met my business partner Jeff Donahue and the rest of the Chicago industry community. During my two years there Jeff and I had started planning out a concept for our own project. After teaming up with Matt Eisler and Kevin Heisner, the masterminds behind Trencherman, Revel Room, and Bar Deville to name a few, Sportsman's Club was born. From the day the doors opened it's been all systems go with the best crew we could ask for. It's been a great year and a half so far with a great response from our customers and industry friends.

S: What's your typical day look like?

W: Both Jeff and I have slowly moved out of a hands-on role in the bar to more of Directors of Operations. Now our days are filled with more paper work than anything. Right now I'm spending my time between managing operations at Sportsman's and opening up five more projects. We're in the final stages of opening our new project, Pub Royale, so I've been spending a lot of time putting the finishing touches on that and making sure our management processes are in place. Our plates are full at the moment so there's no shortage of work to be done (chuckles).

S: What would you say the best part of your job is?

W: Creativity. I love being able to push the boundaries on what we can do. At Sportsman's Club we create a new menu every day, which keeps us creatively challenged. And now moving into this new director role we have the ability to craft full concepts from scratch and develop those ideas, watching them become successful establishments.

S: Do you have any special talents?

W: I play a very mediocre basketball game (laughs). I tend to focus a lot of my creative energy on cooking and making drinks. So I guess you could say I'm good at cooking.

S: What have you been listening to lately?

W: I listen to all sorts of music but I've really been into the new Kendrick a lot. Also been into the new Courtney Barnett, Father John Misty, but mostly that new Kendrick album.

S: Do you play it in the bar?

W: Sometimes, in fact, it's pretty cool how we do the music here because we play it off an old reel-to-reel player. We have DJs come in and spin vinyls and we record them to the analogue tapes. When we play it back you get the pretty unique sound of that old raspy vinyl sound which digital just can't replace.

S: Do you drive a car?

W: I drive a Buick Enclave (laughs). I drive like an old man so it's nice to drive an old man car. I wasn't planning on getting a Buick but now that I have it, it's a great freaking car.

S: What's your dream car?

W: Whoa, man I've always been a fan of the early 60's fast back mustangs.

S: Do you ever get out of Chicago?

W: All the time. From time to time I still visit Arizona where I'm from, San Diego, and New Orleans. I make it out to New York quite often still too. It's by far my favorite place to visit. Makes me feel like I'm still a part of it every time I go back.

S: Favorite place to eat in Chicago?

W: That's always a tough one to answer with so much great food in Chicago. I'd have to be a toss up between La Sirena Clandestina and Avec. If you've never been you have to check them out!

S: How about drink? Outside of your own bar, of course.

W: There are so many different types of drinking though. I really love Analogue. I live half a block from Bar Deville so I certainly spend a lot a time there. I still love going to Big Star during the day when it's not absolute mayhem. The Whistler is always a favorite. If I'm drinking wine I'm going to Rootstock. I could honestly go on forever about my favorites.

S: Why do you wear Stock?

W: Honestly, they make great stuff here in Chicago and their price points are great. The guys that run it are honest and there's a lot of integrity with that brand. They truly put everything they've got into it and they make super handsome clothes. Every time I rock their stuff or I see them out anywhere I'm always impressed with the work that they do.

S: What does Chicago mean to you? Would you consider it your home now?

W: Definitely. For me it's meant a lot for opportunity. The friendships I've been able to gain here are tremendous. I've definitely met a lot of good people.

S: Thanks, Wade. Now get back to work.

W: (laughs)