Pooks and Pookies and Dukes, oh my!
"It all started with a sock"....and "yes, alcohol was involved"...
The story goes that one night Tony Pook and Kevin McCotter were enjoying a few "beverages" with friends. Tony was feeling fine, and his mouth was doing overtime, when a friend threw a work sock at him, and told him to "put a sock in it". Tony put the sock on his head, and wore it as a hat -- a great (albeit rather tipsy) idea was born...
Tony and Kevin model Pook gear.
Fast forward a few years, when we saw the Pook display at the local Christmas Craft sale. We loved the Pook Toques, but it was the Dukes (mitts) that really got our attention! They were kookie, they were local, they were soft and warm, and they were awesome (the product as well as the fellas!)--we knew that we had to have some Pook product in the shop. We made that first phone-call to Tony, and told him that we'd take a few toques and dukes. He warned us that "a few" would not be enough -- of course, we'd heard that before from other suppliers whose "few" were still collecting dust on the shelves...
Let's just say that the Pook Toques and Dukes were a hit! We've since added Loops (awesome scarves with pockets, handy for warming hands or holding a bevvy--how Canadian is THAT!?), Pookie Toques for the wee stylin' ones and Boots (lined socks--soooooo warm and "toesty"!!).
We always include a style sheet--thirty ways to wear a Pook! Yes, really!
Pooks have come a long way in a few short years, and many celebs have been caught stylin' the Pook! Even the OTHER local celebrity, Justin Bieber, has had a lesson on how to wear his Toque:
...and what's even better is that now it comes in PINK! How cool -- yet warm -- is that!?
If Justin Bieber and work sock gear don't do it for ya', the guys have even come up with a line of hats and accoutrement made from hockey socks. The Hockey Sockeys come in many team colours, and we think that they're great -- as do many of the celebs who have been caught modeling them!
Ron McLean shows off his team Canada Hockey Sockey!
We love our Pook loot, and we're proud to carry them in our shop! And let me tell you, coming from a girl whose hands and feet are freezing cold in July -- they're not only cute, they're HOT!
It's amazing what brilliantly crazy ideas can occur to friends who have enjoyed a few "beverages" together (our idea for the Bieber shirt was developed after Cathy and I enjoyed a glass or two of chardonnay). We are grateful that these friends took their wacky idea and ran with it.
Speaking of friends with crazy ideas -- we will soon be adding Beardo to our collection of treasures. But that's a story for another day....
