Carhartt -- North Face -- Columbia Sportswear -- LL Bean

For previous posts on Carhartt, click on the Carhartt label/tag at the bottom of the blog.

The thing one notices when coming back to Boston in cool/cold weather is all the folks wearing "North Face" outer wear. If Carhartt is the uniform of the Bakken, North Face is the uniform of Boston.

As noted before, one of the first things I bought when it turned cool in the Bakken earlier this autumn was a Carhartt coat. I have had a lot of winter coats over the years having grown up in Williston, North Dakota, and then being assigned to northern tier US Air Force bases, but without question this Carhartt coat is one of the best, if not the best. This does not include the extreme cold weather parka issued by the Air Force.

I get a kick out of this. In the Bakken, the Carhartt is the uniform of the day, and it is being bought by folks that use it for work.

In Boston, the North Face is the uniform of the day, worn predominantly by urban young adults making a fashion statement.

More on this later, perhaps, if I remember.

Oh, one more thing: Carhartt headquarters in Williston is Home of Economy.

Six Months Ago I Had Not Heard of Carhartt -- The Bakken, North Dakota,USA

Now, it seems to me Carhartt is the state clothier.

I love their television ads -- just happened to see another one during the LSU - Ole Miss football game. With the score 52 - 3, why am I still watching? I have no idea.

Oh, By The Way -- Home of Economy --

I keep forgetting to note this.

While watching the college football game tonight -- actually, I'm not watching it. It's on in the background. I had hoped to see game 6 of the World Series but postponed due to weather.

And then a Home of Economy commercial popped up....

As I've mentioned before, Home of Economy is my favorite store in Williston, and could probably be displaced by only one other store: an Apple store. But the likelihood of an Apple store opening in Williston ....

Anyway, I digress.

A cold front moved through the area yesterday. It was cold. [Not "North Dakota cold." More like "San Antonio, Texas, cold.'] Because I am traveling and had not planned to stay this long in North Dakota, I have no winter clothes. But, that's great.

 A week ago I bought a pair of Sorel autumn boots at Home of Economy; not winter boots, but autumn boots; there's a difference. And I love them.

Yesterday with that cold spell I went down to Home of Economy on Million Dollar Way in Williston. I decided to go at noon when I knew it would be packed so I could enjoy my favorite sight: folks with good-paying jobs spending their money. Ha.

The store was packed. Except for the clerks and for me, everyone spoke Spanish. Some were on their cell phones, including someone talking at 78 rpm about something that sounded serious but not life-threatening.

Most were buying Carhartt. If Harold Hamm is the face of the Bakken, Carhartt is the Levi Strauss of this oil rush. The gloves and stocking caps were mostly sold out. But huge selection of winter, fire-resistant clothing. I was quite impressed.  Whoever buys for Home of Economy deserves a lot of credit. My hunch is no one buys for Home of Economy: Carhartt just drops off their truckloads as fast as they can.

There is no way to move in the clothing section at this store quickly. Every square foot is filled with clothing. [You know, reflecting on that, despite all the craziness, the stuff on the shelves was still very neat and in good order.]

I  have no idea what folks think of the prices but the Carhartt winter coat I got was $89. Up to $149 would have been expected. Leather gloves and a stocking hat and I was finished for the day.

And, as busy as they were, two things: not one customer was in a bad mood. Men generally don't like shopping, but every guy in there seemed happy; even the guy on the cell phone was courteous as we bumped into each other a couple of times.

And the women clerks -- there were probably about four -- were in a very good mood. I was impressed. No shoving, no pushing in lines.