As someone with a love of ethnographic research, I enjoy discovering new approaches to live. And San Francisco thrives in that department – this is a city of entrepreneurs, it sometimes feels like everybody is working on some new great idea or cool invention. So walking the streets lets you see what you miss while driving and concentrating on finding the elusive open parking spot. What caught my eye today was a new store called Green 11 where a Ritz Camera used to be. Big stencil letters were on the front.  The words “soap” “cleaner” and “recycling” were spelled out.  Looking into the window, I spied industrial size containers of different cleaning products.  I also saw Nellie’s Dryer Balls – a product I fell in love with at the Home show in Chicago several years ago.

Seduced by cleaning products, I walked in. Green 11 is a new retailer that sells refills of household cleaners that are free of any known harmful ingredients. The concept is easy – bring in any empty household cleaning product container, refill it with one of the products they sell, and you only pay for the product, not the packaging.  The consumer saves money by not having to pay for new packaging while the environment benefits from the reduced trash. Green 11 is also encouraging their customers to bring in their own personal bottles and containers, putting self-expression into the household cleaners category.

Could this be the start of a new retail trend?  Green 11 taps into the green movement and those consumer’s desire to reduce their carbon footprint and the amount of trash they leave behind.  And the store itself requires a minimum amount of retail space (like 600 sf or so).

What’s to say the mainstream retailers couldn’t follow this act.  Imagine how Target could execute a “refills counter” – whether selling refills of Seventh Generation, Method or Tide laundry detergent (or all three, hopefully). Or think of the volume of business Wal-Mart could generate and landfill they could spare – and what Wal-Mart could do with some of the saved shelf-space (industrial sized containers might take up less shelf space than individual bottles).  And let’s not forget Safeway, Kroger and the other grocery chains that could also execute this concept with their regular shoppers.

It just so happens we finished up our window cleaner this weekend. We’re cleaning the bottle and will be headed in for our first refill.  I can’t wait till we’re out of laundry detergent.

I wasn’t so surprised that my son’s friends are picking up Star Wars and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  I’ve seen the advertising on these franchises; I’ve heard interviews with a number of children’s authors and I work in my son’s school library enough to know these are the hot items.

I suspected my son would probably be delighted by any kind of juvenile humor centered on bodily functions or a wide variety of shoot-‘em-up bad guy versus good guy stories.  But somehow, left to his own devices, he’s found a series of books called Warriors. When he first mentioned the series, I imagined Native American braves or fierce soldiers.  But, no.  The book jacket features quite lovely illustrations of cats.  That’s because the 10-plus book series tells the story of warrior cats.  Seriously.

One page talks about how so-and-so maintains his silky coat and lolls in the sunshine.  The next page has him ferociously fighting an enemy cat to the death.  I struggle to think of an odder coupling.  Warriors who are cats.  Cats who are warriors.

Like many families, we have a cat.  We watch her pounce on dust motes and chase imaginary mice and curl up purring on the bed.  She’s sweet and domesticated and somewhat independent.  This is our third family cat.  We have a familiarity with their ways.  Cats seem safe somehow.

In any other context, I’d hesitate to let my very sensitive, very literal boy read about murder and mayhem.  I’ve vetoed movies that are too adult, comics with too much graphic violence and toy guns. But somehow, the feline characters seem to temper the violence in this series. And, they make us wonder, with no shortage of silliness, about our own cat’s secret (warrior?) life.

The author bio says Erin Hunter writes these books because she really loves cats.  I hypothesize that Erin Hunter is a very smart woman who likes cats and knows mothers like me don’t often allow their kids to read stories of kidnapping and power-grabbing without a good reason.  But stories of cats?  Where’s the harm in that?

Malcom - our warrior cat - protecting her boy, like a good warrior cat should.

Over the course of the years, I’ve learned the downsides of coffee: the highs and lows, headaches, jitteriness and insomnia that can occur on the days I’ve had too much or too little of this delicious cuppa drug. And that’s why, several months ago I decided to drop coffee like a bad habit. I didn’t go cold turkey, I did it gradually, slowly stair-stepping down to just a few milligrams of caffeine in the morning and then to nothing. Nadda. It wasn’t that hard, I didn’t get headaches but ooooh…I missed that morning buzz, that creative surge. I stayed on the wagon until, one day strolling down the aisles of Bed, Bath & Beyond (of all places), I met the Keurig. It was too cute to pass by.

Gentle reader, allow me to now gush about the wonders of this fine machine. First of all, it’s candy apple red. It’s small and sophisticated looking – like a toy espresso machine. And it’s so easy to use. Just pop a little K cup in, pour in the water and presto – a great little cup of coffee in just 3 minutes!  And it’s fun, like a vintage Gumball machine meets the Easy-Bake Oven.

So now I’m afraid I’m hooked on a new equation: Cute Design + Convenience + Caffeine = I Heart Coffee (Again).

Need a kit to make Whoopie Pies at home? On sale now at Williams Sonoma.

If you read the New York Times, you learned back in March 2009 that the whoopie pie was making a comeback, although it wasn’t totally clear why. I missed that article and had to discover the trend and its origins for myself.

It started this fall on a client project studying behavior in convenience stores when we spotted a freshly wrapped, big as my head, whoopie pie.  We had been debating the merits of Oreo Cakesters earlier in the day and this resembled a cakester on steroids, so we had to try it out.  The freshness of the filling was impressive, with sugar granules still detectable on the tongue.  Alas the cake, much like a cakester, didn’t deliver on what promised to be a dark chocolatey goodness experience.  Instead, it was cakey with some sort of hint of chocolate, not a wallop.  However, it did feel somewhat fresher than the Cakester we had sampled earlier in the day.  (Yes, sometimes the diet goes out the window in the field).

The New York Times article didn’t give a precise answer as to why now is the time for the Whoopie Pie to make a comeback, other than the public’s turn toward nostalgic foods in the face of a recession and the fact that Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village, Kim’s Kitchen in Evanston, IL and Williams Sonoma catalog were all offering fresh Whoopie Pies.

But what got these bakers thinking about making Whoopie Pies?  My thoughts turn to the prevelance of Oreo Cakesters. Launched several years ago (2007) and suspiciously reminiscent of a whoopie pie, I think the idea of two cake discs filled with creamy goodness was planted in the nation’s conscious. And so, if you are an upscale bakery looking for something new, why not take the Whoopie Pie out for a spin? Just amp up the original and reintroduce it.

a cakester meets a whoopie pie - look similar?

Search out a real Whoopie Pie and discover it for yourself. And mark your calendars, September 18, 2010 is the next annual Whoopie Pie Festival in Lancaster, PA. Over 100 different Whoopie Pie  flavors available.

And what’s next?  How about Parisian Macaroons? Starbucks is selling them and here they are again in Williams Sonoma online.

Pushing Whoopie Pies off center stage as the new cupcake?

As I walked, I began to listen to what those around me were saying.  I heard stories of a friend’s wedding gone bad, a mom fighting breast cancer with the help of her friends and family and a husband describing to his buddy what it’s really like to live in a house with breast cancer.  I listened and found myself forming silent questions.

If you’re a walker (or a runner, I’d guess), you know the meditative quality that comes from a repetitive motion. Something happens to people when they talk while walking.  The combined activity stimulates the brain in ways different than engaging in a single activity.

The honesty and rawness of the conversations I was hearing had the same qualities of many of the ethnographies I’ve experienced as a part of the Axen Research team.  The same banter interspersed with life-altering revelations; the same brand of well-thought-out personal truths juxtaposed with universal expectations.

Recognizing the honesty and depth of the personal stories people were sharing with one another in an event dedicated to a particular cause was moving.  Realizing that veritable strangers share themselves with us everyday, with the same depth of emotion, the same honesty and the same passion, in the research we do, filled me with intense amazement and gratitude.

Living in the Bay Area (and much of the West Coast), you accept the fact that an earthquake could hit at any moment.  While I wasn’t in the Bay Area in 89, I have lived through an earthquake in LA and had a tornado chase me down the street growing up in Indiana. So I’ve learned to take safety seriously.

We consider ourselves “sherpas” for our clients – taking them out to see the sights, smell the smells and gather all the insights and learning that they can during our research project. We try to provide the best field experience for our clients – from strong moderating and facilitation to organizing logistical details.  Safety is an important part of that.

During our pre-field briefing, we always provide some basic safety tips.  Sometimes I feel like a flight attendant, with about as many people paying attention to me as it appears watch those safety videos.  But I know that just reviewing some basic safety details provides a level of awareness that enables action in the “unlikely event” that something goes wrong.

What do I always touch on?  Where are the emergency exits. Meet back up at the car.  Don’t be a hero. Trust the hairs on the back of your neck. And depending on where we are headed, I’ll provide some information about tornadoes or earthquakes.

A reminder of the importance of safety in the field occurred this past January in Los Angeles.  I was conducting a friendship circle in a respondent’s home, several clients were with me as well as a videographer.  During the middle of the conversation, the house began to shake. Not shake like a truck was driving by, but shake like it was uprooting.

Everyone looked at each other, we were about to take cover (in an earthquake you duck, cover and hold on), but then it subsided.  Turns out it was a 3-point something out in the mountains, strong enough to feel in LA, but not strong enough to cause damage.  I looked back at my clients, who were a bit wide eyed.  My participants were a bit more seasoned but also slightly shaken. After a few deep breaths, we realized we were safe and the session continued.

If it had been a “big one” – would we have reacted and gotten into position or been able to get out of the house? And if it had been a significant quake or natural disaster, then what?  It’s suggested that you have supplies on hand for 72 hours. We usually have some bottles of water and snack bars in the car, but will that hold 4 people for 3 days?

Ultimately, the temblor did provide a great story for my midwest-based clients, went to LA and got to see celebrities and experience an earthquake. But it was also a reminder of the importance of sharing a few thoughts on safety to help keep everyone safe out in the field.

Are you prepared when you go into the field? What are your safety habits?

Mission Pie - 25th and Mission - Eat Pie!

Yesterday afternoon, after viewing some art at the local open studios, my partner and I both had the desire for a slice of pie.  While we share a sweet tooth, it was unusual that we both had the same thought of the same sweet at the same cafe at the same time.  Since we were both thinking of it, neither could come up with a reason not to go, so we headed off to Mission Pie.

If you haven’t been, it’s a pie-lovers heaven.  Pies baked fresh daily using only fresh seasonal ingredients.  On the menu were Pumpkin, Banana Cream, Apple and Pear pies among others.  What really got us excited was the good fortune of stumbling onto Mission Pie’s annual pie contest.  It was 2:10pm and contestants were showing up with various forms of pies in pie carriers vintage and modern. And people who were in the cafe got to sample the contestant’s pies for free!

As more pies came in, the mood in Mission Pie became even more jovial.  Talking to the contestants and the consumers, I found strong connections of pie to mom and childhood.  These folks, men and women, were carrying tradition forward, either with old family recipes, creating new traditions or honoring cherished memories. The contestants were proud of their output and often had some emotional attachment or story behind their pie recipe.

I first talked to Carolyn, who brought in a peach pie contained in an extra flaky crust. She told me she learned that crust recipe years ago from a woman she had met on a photo shoot. They went to Carolyn’s house to recreate the pie from the shoot and the woman taught Carolyn her pie crust secrets.  Several months later, Carolyn ran into the woman and announced that she was pregnant, a surprise since Carolyn was having trouble conceiving. The woman nodded and told Carolyn to look in the back of her cabinet. During that pie-baking afternoon she sensed Carolyn’s issue and had placed a small baby bottle way in the back to help bring about the conception.  Needless to say, Carolyn has been loyal to that pie crust recipe ever since.

Darryl took tupperware to a new level as he brought his apple pie into the shop tucked inside a briefcase, which he held gingerly so not to upset his delicate creation. He told us about the years he’s spent baking alongside his mother, trying to duplicate her crust recipe.  At this point he’s convinced she’s leaving out an ingredient or two as she relays the recipe but he compensates with a few tricks of his own.

Sarah made a mixed berry pie that we particularly enjoyed – tart berries with their jewel-colored flesh were offset by just enough sweetness nestled in a crust that was a perfect canvas for the filling.  Originally from Oregon, her pie memories are also at mom’s side using the best of Oregon’s berry harvest. She has moved beyond Mom’s Crisco pie crust to a blend of Crisco and butter.

As the pies were cut and made available to the public – we marveled at the varieties.  Savory pies were also included and I was intrigued by the concept of a Salmon Potato Pie.  In this case, it was delicious and I’m on the hunt for a recipe – the salmon and potato nicely spiced and complementing each other inside a crust that held up to the filling.  Not surprisingly – this Salmon Potato won the people’s pie choice award – a popular vote among the attendees – everyone that tasted it remarked at how special and unique it was.  While I particularly liked Sarah’s berry pie, it didn’t make the final awards, bested instead by an Apple Cranberry Pie which we didn’t get to taste.  Darryl and Carolyn’s submissions came up short in the judging as well.  But no one seemed to mind, it was the esprit de corps that people were enjoying.

As we walked away, what struck me was how here, in the heart of San Francisco, the art of baking a pie from scratch had not died out but was instead showing signs of life.  In small urban kitchens, people were finding the room and the time to roll out a pie crust, patiently slice apples and babysit the oven to achieve their perfect pie. Besides the flaky crust and fruit suspended in its own juices, these pies are being made and filled with loving memories.  Maybe that’s the connection to pie – regardless if it’s a new flavor or one remarkably comfortable and familiar, it reminds us of home and love.

And that’s when I started thinking about how I need to perfect my own interpretation of my mom’s pie crust.

Fasteners hold the double breasted suit closed.

Ready for the runway!

The clock was striking 1pm as Karyl put the finishing touches on our business suit.  She was looking for fasteners to close the “double breasted” suit.  What did she use? Why, fasteners, of course!  And she put in a zipper! And she got the sleeves attached. And the red trim runs all around the jacket.

Hard to believe just 44 hours earlier we had nothing but some blank pieces of muslin and some outstretched hands looking for business cards.  Thanks to everyone that contributed (and thanks to those that have given me your card in the past – we dug into the collection to make some of the color panels on the skirts – one thing we noticed, today’s business cards, at least at this conference, tend to be white).

Combined with our travel sewing kits, we felt creating the booth nicely reinforced the idea of hand-tailoring our research projects.  To us, it’s about the attention to detail – not just the research design, but also the logistics, creating the best experience for clients and respondents, which enables the business epiphanies that can be game changers.

It was great fun putting the suit together – Karyl did an awesome job. Coming soon – a little video showing the progression of the garment’s construction. And we’re already thinking about the next outfit we’ll make. Any suggestions?

The finished, hand-tailored product, ready for the runway!

Sewing the skirt panels together.

A little stiff, but stitching in the sleeve.

Looks like a quilt on the inside.

Side profile.

The back.

Ready for the runway!

The designer successfully completed our challenge!

there's even a zipper!

Pret-a-porter

Karyl trying to create the lapel

manipulating some cards on the jacket

Sewing some red trim - to be used later on the cuffs.

red piping definitely helping define the jacket, still need sleeves

end of day, getting closer, but not liking the "fringe" on the jacket.

We’re just hours till deadline, looks like we have enough cards. But can we get it stitched together – and how do you attach a stiff sleeve to a stiff body – and can we get the trim and detail done so the suit is somewhat attractive?

The skirt is looking great, shades of blue and green migrating to yellow as you move around the skirt.

The top is mostly white with some red trim.  An early attempt at adding our old business cards as a “fringe” is looking like a misfire right now.  I felt like I was channeling Tim Gunn as Karyl and I were discussing the suit and the overall design direction.  The fringe is just too much on the jacket, and it was lacking some definition until we came up with the idea of some red trim to help define the shape – and that’s now growing to outline the jacket.

We’ve only got an hour to go until deadline….

As we’ve come to understand our brand and our approach, we’ve realized that we take a hand-tailored approach to our projects – creating projects that have creative elements which help respondents open up and also engage our clients. And how do you do that with a trade show booth?

Our goal was to have a vehicle to showcase our creativity, allow us to collect business cards and engage show attendees.  Inspired by an article on good trade shows and a very creative Adobe software booth at a developers conference, we built on our hand-tailored concept to build a business suit out of business cards.  In theory, it should be engaging, give us a reason to chat with attendees, collect business cards, and hopefully give them a reason to return to the booth.  In addition, we’ve got sewing kits for giveaways that reinforce our hand-tailored statement.

And, we have a fabulous designer, Karyl Newman, who agreed to take on our Project Runway-like challenge and make our dress.  Armed with a portable sewing machine, a dress form and a suit pattern from the 60s (a boxier cut, more suitable to business cards), we’ve set out to make our suit in 40 hours.

Will we make it?

Karyl starts on our "suit" of business cards.