Stacy & Les Norris, owners of Epic, Inc Salon at 210 E. Government Street, Pensacola recently came to us with a request for some metal signs for the inside of their new salon.

In order to enhance the contemporary feel of the salon, our team cut their existing Epic, Inc logo out of a sheet of aluminum to create a wrap for the reception desk.  A hand grinder was then applied to the surface of the wrap to achieve the cool texture.  They then cut out some groovy Peace Sign components to be added to the retail products area.

We may be biased, but we think these are a striking addition to an already fabulous salon.

Check out their website at www.epicdowntown.com  And don’t forget to stop by the salon when you’re in the area.

The Reception Desk Wrap

A Groovy Addition

Categorization! Is it a branch of philosophy ’cause it sure feels like it sometimes. If ever there was a Renaissance Man request that belonged in a miscellaneous category this has to be it: A Gondola Oar. Yes. Those boats you see the old men taking people around on in Venice. And of course Kevin has a friend who has one – and wouldn’t you know it – needed an oar made.

So Kevin – or more specifically Kevin, Daniel Money and Frank Dunca – became reméri for a day. Yes, reméri is the word for the makers of gondola oars. As opposed to squerarioli, which is the word for the makers of gondolas. Don’t ask how Kevin knows these things… or do.

But the point is, I’m charged with entering this item into the Renaissance Man Online Gallery of Metal Worked (Metal-workinged, metal-fabricated, ironed?) items and it seems to defy category. Do we add a category for oars? Seriously, how often is a gig like this gonna come along? Possibly a boat accessories category would be appropriate. They definitely end up doing some repairs and customization to the aluminum (Agh, see? Here we go again – the aluminum what? What is the catch-all term for the aluminum pipes that hold canvas and the like on the tops of boats? Thank goodness for search engines. There used to be a non-electronic way to find these things out. Encyclopedia? How do you look up “aluminum elements on top of boats” in a dictionary? Okay – googled “aluminum boat pipes”, and “rigging” seems to be the term, which apparently includes: Towers, Hard Tops, T-Tops, Radar Arches, Rod Racks – Custom & Bolt-On, Rod Racks – In-bed Truck Racks, Rod Holders, Leaning Posts, Outriggers, Bow Rails, Hand Rails, Aft Rails, Stern Rails, Electronics and United States Coast Guard Pilot House Sun Shades) rigging.

Kevin and Leigh will figure it out.

Paper Towel and Bath Tissue Holders

Most of you are familiar with the Renaissance Man Fish and Hands, and we are looking at other simple fun, creative projects we can get into to turn these tons of metal that accrue around the shop into little gift items and art objects.

Leigh is coming up with things like napkin holders, business card holders, wall hooks, paper towel holders, firewood caddies, candle sconces, coat racks, light fixtures, door knockers and mail boxes.

We’d love to hear what kind of items you would be interested in seeing from Renaissance Man. Please feel free to offer suggestions by commenting below. We’re also always happy to hear from you by email or on Facebook.

At the Renaissance Man office, we try to be mindful of our impact on the environment.  It can be difficult for a small business to balance the desire to be “green” with the necessity of keeping operating costs as low as possible.  While we adhere to the basic, common sense list of resource-saving activities (No disposable cups/plates/utensils, turn out lights, use a programable thermostat, recycle paper), we’ve implemented a few additional measures that we feel fit within both our business needs, and the wellbeing of our planet:

• We use small tools that are rechargable to help eliminate the need to buy batteries.
• We encourage e-mail communications rather than faxes and only print documents when absolutely necessary.
• We recycle our office furniture rather than buying new.
• We ask our suppliers to use the minimum amount of packaging possible, then reuse it in a variety of ways.
• We use a permanent coffee filter in our office machine instead of paper filters.  The used grounds can be saved for compost.
• We request that all of our Trade Publication subscriptions be sent in digital format rather than hard-copy paper format.
• We do as much of our banking and invoicing as possible online, and request E-bills from our vendors, utility providers and financial organizations.

Being environmentally kind while maintaining a healthy small business is a challenge, but small concessions can eventually reap big rewards for everyone involved.

Hi, I’m  Mike, the Renaissance Man web guy.

We were talking about adding some information about pricing to the website, and are still working on the best way to give customers a clear picture of the costs of what they might be looking for without offering any unrealistic expectations.

Kevin has been doing custom metal work for a long time around the Pensacola area and has had his share of interesting requests, questions, emergencies, exceptions, expectations and demands.

His mention of the inquiry, “I’m not really sure what I want, but can you tell me how much it costs?” prompted my first blog entry here, and Kevin says he gets that “all the time, bro.”

His response?

“Hey, if you come to me with a budget I can tell you what is possible. Or what’s better is if you come to me with exactly what you want and if it’s not within your budget, we can back it off a little bit.”

“I get that all the time, too.”

“But I always recommend spending a little more and get exactly what you want.
If you really want a 47 inch TV and you get that 27 inch you’re gonna be sorry in the long run”, Marchetti continues. “If somebody has a vision it’s nice to have drawings or visions.”

Up here at her perch in the office, Leigh adds, “or a picture of something similar
in a magazine or at a friends house to convey the idea… to help inspire a Renaissance Man original design”

They both emphasize that “Nothing will be copied. Nothing will be duplicated. Everything is original.”