Shinola

Shinola is an American luxury lifestyle brand which specializes in watches, bicycles, and leather goods among items. Founded in 2011, its name is a nod to the former Shinola shoe polish company that was manufactured in the early- and mid-20th century. The current company is owned and operated by Bedrock Brands, a privately owned Texas investment group, and was launched by Tom Kartsotis, one of the founders of the Fossil Group retail conglomerate.

History

The original Shinola shoe polish brand was founded in Rochester New York in 1877, and went out of business in 1960. In 2001, the name Shinola was acquired by Bedrock Manufacturing, a venture capital firm based in Dallas, Texas (later rechristened as Bedrock Brands). Kartsotis wanted to create an American watch-manufacturing brand to rival Swiss-makers at a lower price point. The management at Bedrock Manufacturing chose the name "Shinola" when the World War II era colloquialism, "You don't know shit from Shinola," surfaced in a conversation. Unexpectedly, the joke generated a serious discussion about restoring the Shinola brand. Market surveys established that consumers—when faced with a choice of paying $5 for a pen from China, $10 for one made in the United States, and $15 for a pen made in Detroit—would be willing to pay a premium for the last one.

Shinola (John Scofield album)

Shinola is a live album by jazz musician John Scofield.

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Personnel

References

Shinola (band)

Shinola was a rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, that existed from 1994 to 1997, and was a regular mainstay in the burgeoning local indie-rock scene of the time. Employing two guitars, electrified violin, drums, bass guitar, and occasionally Farfisa organ and banjo, their sound drew simultaneously on country/folk and punk rock influences. The band brandished left-wing politics on its album art, web site and flyers, but lyrically most of its songs focused on heartbreak.

They recorded the single "Vodka" (b/w "Who's a Fuck-up?") on Backporch Revolution, who released it in 1996. The record was accorded a favorable review by Billboard Magazine and other periodicals. The band had over 30 songs, but never released a full-length album. A compilation of singles, demos, and live recordings was released after the band broke up in 1997.

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