Products which are built to last more than a lifetime are rare and becoming less common every year. It wasn’t long ago when a TV set would last a family ten, fifteen or twenty years; now we get new technology almost monthly. Your mobile phone is very likely to be less than two years old (at most), but you also remember some family member – you know the one, all families have one somewhere – who for 50 years kept the same old antique pulse-style phone where you honestly had to dial the phone by turning a wheel with your finger. We are forced to continue buying new products not so much due to an insatiable desire for the latest tech; it is often simply out of necessity due to devices which last just long enough to get past their warranty expiration date. Quality craftsmanship is something to be praised and recognized when encountered since it is so seldom seen. Here is where a new store in the Northcenter neighborhood of Chicago known as the Isle of Man comes into our business. Their motto should tell you most of what you need to know, “Lifestyle Accessories & Apparel for Men of Character.”
Isle of Man offers products which Steve McQueen or T.E. Lawrence would be proud to call their own. The pair who opened the shop, Arthur Holstein and Brice Cooper, share a passion for motorcycle racing and a certain vintage style – think old-school English adventurers. They scoured 
the four corners of the planet to find items which may not want to have been found – they are rare and most unique. And, most importantly, the pieces sold in the shop are of exceptionally high quality.
The ideal customer is someone who would feel at home surrounded by dark wood and leather in and atmosphere of a gentlemen’s club from a past era. Though it does seem geared towards the male of the species, a woman whose interests are in the same vein would find plenty to admire too. Brands such as Pan Am and Baxter are well-represented, but the store also has a line of private-label racing-inspired clothing which is made locally in the Chicago area.
If you are into vintage motorcycles, skulls, distressed leather and, maybe, scented candles, the Isle of Man is for you. To see what they offer, you must go to their North Lincoln Avenue location outside of Chicago or you can look over their online store: http://www.iomstyle.com
