Pod Insights This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von American Originals Holiday Special w/ Mike Rowe About this episode Join Theo and Mike Rowe for a holiday special where they showcase the definitive made-in-the-USA gift guide, featuring hand-built gems, strangely clever creations, and a few delightfully odd surprises.
Learn more about the companies featured in this episode at theovon.com/americanoriginals
Mike Rowe: https://www.instagram.com/mikerowe/
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American Giant: Go to http://american-giant.com to get 20% off your first order with code THEO.
Perplexity AI: Ask anything at https://pplx.ai/theo and download their new web browser Comet at https://comet.perplexity.ai/
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Music: “Shine” by Bishop Gunn Bishop Gunn - Shine
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This Past Weekend
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Producer: Zach https://www.instagram.com/zachdpowers
Producer: Trevyn https://www.instagram.com/trevyn.s/
Producer: Nick https://www.instagram.com/realnickdavis/
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Transcript 11,606 words · 8 speakers
Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.
0:00 Theo Von? You ever realize that you spent your entire morning thinking about lunch? It's 9 a.m. and somehow I'm already in negotiations with myself about how I'm gonna spend $20 on a sandwich at noon. And then I eat it, or you eat it, or somebody eats it, and then an hour later, you're just standing in the kitchen worrying about what you'll do for dinner. And that's one reason why I've been into Huell. The Black Edition Powder is a complete meal you have instead of food, not a shake on top of food. Their powder starts at less than $3 per meal, has 40 grams of protein, and mixes with water or milk in about 30 seconds. I like Huell's shakes because they're clean and it's quick.
0:41 Theo Von? I just want to make sure I have everything I need to keep going the way I want to keep going in a healthy manner. So with Huell, basically, lunch went from a daily logistical problem to a thing I can solve in about 30 seconds. Make healthy eating simple. New customers get an exclusive offer of 15% off online with my code WEEKEND at huell.com/weekend. That's H-U-E-L dot com slash weekend. Thank you to Huell for partnering and supporting our show. Today, we are presenting a special holiday episode where we recommend some genuine, made in the USA, products just in time for the holiday gift giving season.
1:25 Theo Von? These are products that are actually made right here in America. We really did our research. So when you're buying something, you're supporting a fellow American. And joining me for this merry mission is a friend with a laundry list of media accomplishments, including the host of Dirty Jobs, as well as he was host on QVC. He's America's Blue Collar Champion, and he's here today to help encourage you to support American-made while checking off your holiday hitter list. Today's guest is Mr. Mike Rowe.
2:17 Speaker 01 I can't believe we're doing this.
2:18 Theo Von? I know.
2:19 Speaker 01 I mean, we talked about this like a year ago as a goof. Like Wayne's World meets QVC to celebrate American manufacturing. And Theo's like, yeah, man, I'll do that.
2:30 Theo Von? We wanted to highlight American creativity.
2:34 Speaker 01 Yeah.
2:36 Theo Von? You know, we wanna just create gifts where it's like, a lot of times you wanna give a gift to somebody. And a lot of stuff we buy now in America is from other places. So it was like, well, let's buy stuff that's from our neighbor, from our fellow American. Because then you're kind of given like two gifts. It's like, I'm giving one gift because I am giving an actual, physical gift to my friend.
2:54 Speaker 01 Yeah.
2:55 Theo Von? But then I'm giving another gift because the money from it is going towards an American family or an American company.
3:01 Speaker 01 Well, the thing that got me, man, you, you've been touring for, forever.
3:05 Theo Von? We've been to 250 something cities over the past four years, so.
3:09 Speaker 01 Yeah, well, anybody who gets around the country sees that things are tough in certain areas, like really super tough in other areas. And, and, and the idea of reinvigorating manufacturing and, and showing people what's possible. I mean, that's the idea. Like, these, these products, people should know that nobody paid to be on here. These are just items that we found, made by people that we think are super cool. And it would be great to crash their website and at the same time, give, give the audience, you know, something cool to stuff in a stocking.
3:44 Theo Von? Yeah, we just picked a lot of stuff that we thought was cool to us, you know?
3:46 Speaker 01 Yeah.
3:47 Theo Von? And like Mike mentioned, we do wanna say that none of these products are paid to be here. And a lot of these products are like companies that we happened upon in different places. Some of them were businesses that we walked into when we're out on the road. Some are ones that are near and dear to your heart and places that you've been a champion of for a long time. And it's just nice to let people know that there is stuff that is made here in our country. You have to seek it out a little bit and, but that the, the desire and, and the ingenuity is still there. And we put together our best hodgepodge of. Christmas gifts that you can give to somebody you care about or even somebody that you don't.
4:27 Speaker 01 Everything on this show is working, right? They've got a heartbeat and they've figured something out. And, you know, maybe you can drag them over the finish line.
4:38 Theo Von? I think we can start highlighting them.
4:39 Speaker 01 Shall we jump in?
4:40 Theo Von? Let's jump in.
4:43 Speaker 01 This is our first item from the Sullivan Glove Company. Hailing from Bend, Oregon, the Sullivan Glove Company has been keeping their premium gloves distinctly American-made since 1941, sourcing everything from within these United States and crafting each glove through their dedicated and domestic 10-person team who managed to churn out over 12,000 pair every year. Sullivan Glove products are handsome and made for versatility. They're perfect for a full spectrum of activities from a night out on the town to the ranch or the workshop. Sullivan gloves stand for warmth, durability, and the American spirit.
5:24 Speaker 01 Get your special holiday someone's hands into some warm, American-made goodness this year.
5:30 Theo Von? This feels great. And what is this leather?
5:34 Speaker 01 That's elk. This is deer.
5:35 Theo Von? Touch mine with yours. Do that.
5:38 Theo Von? Oh, it's like two animals meeting in the woods, huh?
5:41 Speaker 01 Here's what you do if you really want to mix it up. Give me the one on your right hand. I'll give you the one on my right hand.
5:47 Theo Von? Yeah.
5:48 Speaker 01 I don't know that this has ever been done before at the Sullivan Glove Company. But, oh, wow, these are, see, that's, that's a heavier duty glove.
5:58 Theo Von? Yes. Yeah, this is very, has a very Russian sort of we can do it type of thing. I feel like you definitely, this thing a lot, you could do a lot. You could also train that falcon with this one.
6:12 Speaker 01 Sure.
6:13 Theo Von? The falcon will come back. I feel like if you walked outside with this one on, the falcon will come back.
6:17 Speaker 01 This was made for work, for sure. These feel like, almost, almost like driving gloves.
6:21 Theo Von? There was a guy on the show a while back, a guy, a small guy, um, which is a child. And he was on here and he, uh, found some gloves just in his pocket. He found some like latex gloves in his pocket.
6:35 Speaker 02 There's gloves in my pocket.
6:37 Theo Von? Are they really?
6:38 Speaker 01 Rizler.
6:39 Theo Von? That's his name, yeah.
6:40 Speaker 01 Is that really his name?
6:41 Theo Von? Yeah, that's his name.
6:43 Speaker 01 His first name?
6:43 Theo Von? Christian is his real name. And he's somewhere, he's like six to eight years old. He's a great kid. And, but he actually, we sent him a pair of these.
6:53 Speaker 02 Remember when I pulled these out?
6:55 Speaker 01 Yeah.
6:55 Speaker 02 Well, now I'm gonna upgrade something even better. Check these out, these are really nice.
7:04 Theo Von? Well, I'll tell you this, there's nothing I like putting my hand more in
7:10 Theo Von? than something made right here in America, I'll tell you that, you know? I mean, there was, and that could've gone a few different ways, but I'm glad it went the way it did towards Sullivan Gloves, man.
7:18 Speaker 01 I am too.
7:19 Theo Von? You know, these gloves were created by Edward Sullivan. He got started producing gloves for World War II mainly for the Navy, that's how this glove company started. And, uh, and it's still here. And it's up in Bend, Oregon, and I'll tell you a little bit of something about Bend, you know? That is a resilient place, Michael.
7:34 Speaker 01 Sure it is, man.
7:35 Theo Von? It's the home of the last blockbuster, you know what I'm saying? They're stubborn people, they like to do things their own way. Um, there's a lot of like, uh, even just the way it's set up there, it's not like a regular little city, it's little pockets of this and that, and
7:48 Speaker 01 Yeah.
7:48 Theo Von? Somebody's in the, in the woods sucking tree sap out of something, you know, it's just that kind of people. If I see somebody sucking on something, I'll look the other way, and, you know, I'll support them.
7:58 Speaker 01 You're walking through the woods, and you see a fella sidled up to a tree, say a maple.
8:03 Theo Von? Just slurping it?
8:04 Speaker 01 Yeah, and he's sucking on the tree to get the sap out. What, do you approach? Do you take a photo? Do you step back?
8:12 Theo Von? Oh, I think you wait a few minutes till he, till he steps back, and then you just let him spit it on your hotcakes, dude, that's what I'm saying. That's, I mean, if it's pure maple, I don't know what he was getting, but let's get back to the gloves here, Michael. Um, I do wanna say there's only five glove companies left that manufacture in the USA.
8:29 Speaker 01 They got work gloves, they got driving gloves, they got rodeo gloves, they got going around town gloves. They're all soft, they're all supple, they're all tough, it's, it's a great company.
8:38 Theo Von? Yeah, these can be great, they have "classic," it says, leather motorcycle, wow, so if you wanna get out there
8:43 Speaker 01 Sure.
8:44 Theo Von? and you wanna get your baby girl one of those big sodas, and let her sit behind you on a gold wing or something, and you wanna get out there and show off, you wanna be a little sturgis baby out there, you can do it in these Sullivans. And they have rodeo and ranch, if you wanna, if you like dipping your nuggets in some deep ranch, you can wear these gloves and do it. Is that what they mean, you think?
9:06 Speaker 01 I don't think so.
9:06 Theo Von? Oh, these feel good, man.
9:08 Speaker 01 Honestly, you can feel quality, like you really, really, really know it. You know, you know it when you see it, you really know it when you touch it, but when, to your point. When you push your hand slowly into something that is undeniably of quality, then all of your fingers come together in a joyous fist of solidarity.
9:31 Theo Von? Come together.
9:33 Speaker 01 Right now.
9:37 Speaker 01 And how do they smell? Like, if you really had to sum it up, what is the aroma?
9:41 Theo Von? They smell great. The insides smell a little different than the outsides, but that's kind of nice. That's how I like it. Sullivan gloves. Thank you, guys, for sending us a few pairs so that we could show them off.
9:50 Speaker 01 All you need is glove.
9:52 Theo Von? Only in the bang bang Maxwell Silver Hammer King. Remember that?
9:57 Speaker 01 That is a serious copyright infringement right there.
9:59 Theo Von? Is it?
9:59 Speaker 01 I'll be amazed if you can get away with that.
10:01 Theo Von? You serious?
10:01 Speaker 01 We'll see. The Beatles, they're very grabby with their, with their, what you call their IP.
10:06 Theo Von? Yeah.
10:07 Speaker 01 But yeah, I think when people look back at this and wonder what the heck just happened, the image that's really going to stick with them is the guy in the woods sucking the sap out of the maple tree.
10:16 Theo Von? Yeah.
10:25 Theo Von? Well, let's chat about a new product here, Mike. I hate to keep us moving along, but we got a lot of products to hit.
10:29 Speaker 01 Miles to go before we sleep.
10:31 Theo Von? Amen. Some of those Sullivan gloves are so dexterous, you could actually enjoy a fine piece of fruit in them.
10:39 Speaker 01 I got to admit, I hadn't thought about that, but as Tim comes in with these delicious looking, beautifully wrapped, perfectly boxed pieces of fruit, I will say that the, that the idea of eating them with gloved hands is appealing.
10:56 Theo Von? Hmm. And we're talking about chew car cherries out of Yakima Valley, Washington. Will you give us a little bit more intel on those?
11:06 Speaker 01 In the heart of Washington State's cherry country, an idea was hatched by a woman named Pam Montgomery, whose family owned a cherry orchard. As Pam strolled beneath the cherry trees, enamored by the sweet smell of the sun-dried fruits, she began to experiment with storing the cherries without adding any sugars or preservatives, as was recommended. Instead, Pam made a commitment to keep her cherries additive-free, and eventually combined them with chocolate, and chew car cherries were born. Now sold in Seattle's famous Pike Place and from its headquarters in Prosser,
11:46 Speaker 01 Washington, you can also find these in a variety of cherries and chocolates at chewcar.com. That's chewcar.com.
11:57 Theo Von? Oh, I love that. Yeah, you gotta think, if you think about a cherry, it's really, some people say it's a, it's just a little apple.
12:06 Speaker 01 Have you ever seriously heard of anybody refer to a cherry as a little apple? Ever?
12:14 Theo Von? Nope.
12:16 Speaker 01 All right. There's no wrong answer, but part of why I wanted to do this was just to sit close enough to you for a protracted period of time to see if I can become one of the few people on the planet with some insight as to how your brain actually works.
12:29 Theo Von? Well, I think it actually does a lot of times the real truth. But there is something beautiful about a little cherry, because sometimes you want an apple, sometimes you want 40 apples and you're like, ah, can't eat all these 40 apples at one time and you see a cherry and you're like, oh, okay.
12:42 Speaker 01 So I'm going to-
12:43 Theo Von? Shawty showed up.
12:44 Speaker 01 Put some out here.
12:45 Theo Von? Yeah, I'd love to have one.
12:46 Speaker 01 You can see them.
12:47 Theo Von? Oh, wow.
12:48 Speaker 01 They don't look like your normal cherries. I would say they look like, uh, like a dehydrated cherry, almost.
12:55 Theo Von? God, these are good.
12:55 Speaker 01 I know. They're amazing.
12:59 Theo Von? And I think just knowing that they're natural, knowing they're not all jacked up. Like you see a lot of, you know, fruit these days and it's doing peptides, it's on GLMP-1 or whatever and it's on, you know, you'll get a pear or whatever and it's been doing creatine, you're like, what in the hell is this? It's big as a pumpkin.
13:18 Speaker 01 You know, the most, the most suspicious thing is the color. When they're really super vibrant and when they look so delicious that, you know, that's just not how it is in life, man. That's not what natural is. This is natural.
13:33 Theo Von? Who would you get these for in your family? Be honest with me, Mike.
13:36 Speaker 01 Maybe for an office worker. You know, it's, it's a thoughtful thing to do. You know, it's a, once you're talking about an ingestible, you are getting into like a personal kind of thing. You give it to perfect strangers.
13:50 Theo Von? Oh, I've sold bad pills to people over the years.
13:55 Theo Von? So inviting people to buy something that's good for them is certainly not a problem.
14:01 Speaker 01 What's a new direction for you then?
14:03 Theo Von? Yeah. Oh dude, I bought a batch of fake steroids from somebody in high school, injected it into my body for like 12 weeks, dude.
14:09 Speaker 01 What happened?
14:10 Theo Von? I don't know.
14:12 Speaker 01 Well, look, just for the record, if you're just tuning in, these are, these are cherries. They're natural cherries. Don't inject them into your body. There's no, there's no need for it. Just put it in your mouth, chew it, and let the unmistakable delight of cherries, the way God made them, wash over your palate and thrill to the delight as it journeys through your digestive tract.
14:38 Theo Von? Hmm. And I'll tell you this, these come in a beautiful case. What is this?
14:45 Speaker 01 Look at that. No, honestly, that's a great point.
14:48 Theo Von? That's nine by 12, I believe.
14:50 Speaker 01 Looks up, looks about right. Maybe more. I think that's a foot. I think that's 12. I think that's 12 by nine.
14:57 Theo Von? Okay.
14:57 Speaker 01 Well, I guess it'd be the same, wouldn't it? Nine by 12.
15:00 Theo Von? No, I wouldn't get a challenger there, Mike. It's your universe.
15:02 Speaker 01 That, that, that's at least a foot.
15:04 Theo Von? But the simple fact that you know these chocolate covered cherries are in here sleeping and I don't want to, I know it's, the lights are bright. We're gonna, just gonna expose them right away.
15:12 Speaker 01 There we go. Oh yeah. Look at that. Raspberry truffles, vanilla almonds, classic cranberries. You can see the list for yourself and then one layer comes down.
15:25 Theo Von? Oh my gosh.
15:26 Speaker 01 Look at that.
15:27 Theo Von? And look at these. I'm gonna show these up so the baby girls at home can see them.
15:30 Speaker 03 There we go.
15:33 Theo Von? Hello Pam?
15:35 Speaker 03 Hello Theo.
15:37 Theo Von? Yep, that's me. Thank you so much for being a part of our gift giving holiday season and, and inspiring us with your Chukar cherries story. This is one of our heroes, Mike.
15:50 Speaker 01 Hi Pam.
15:51 Speaker 03 Hi Mike.
15:52 Theo Von? And Pam, tell me this, and thank you so much for joining us today. How do you, is it Shukar? Shukar?
15:58 Speaker 03 It's Chucker. Chucker, it's a bird. You know the logo? That looks like a little penguin? Yeah. Well, that's, that's actually a chucker bird.
16:09 Theo Von? That's awesome.
16:09 Speaker 03 Yeah.
16:10 Theo Von? Congratulations.
16:11 Speaker 03 Last, thanks. And last year, we dried, uh, 700,000 pounds of cherries. Ooh.
16:20 Speaker 01 Holy cow.
16:21 Theo Von? Oh, my gosh.
16:22 Speaker 01 What's the most interesting thing about cherries? That the average American would benefit from knowing, but currently doesn't?
16:31 Speaker 03 Probably the average wouldn't know that this is one of the best places to grow cherries in the world.
16:40 Speaker 01 So how many people do you employ now?
16:42 Speaker 03 About 75 a year.
16:44 Speaker 01 Nice.
16:45 Speaker 03 We really have focused on using US products, US labor.
16:51 Theo Von? Well, that's one of the things that stood out to us whenever, um, whenever we're searching for companies like yours is just the, the, the desire to use American products, providing jobs for other Americans.
17:02 Speaker 03 Having people have a wonderful place where they like to work and customers that enjoy what you're doing. I think that will keep Chucker going.
17:11 Speaker 01 That's the American dream right there.
17:13 Theo Von? Yep.
17:14 Speaker 01 You're living it.
17:14 Speaker 03 Exactly.
17:15 Speaker 01 You're living the American dream through cherries. I think it's terrific.
17:18 Theo Von? Amen. Well, thank you so much, Pam, uh, for creating Chuck Our Cherries and Mike?
17:25 Speaker 01 I'm literally going to order three of these for the holidays. My family's gonna absolutely love them. They look great and, uh, it's just, it's just nice to know you're out there doing your thing for as long as you've been doing it. Uh, congratulations on building something great.
17:41 Speaker 03 Thank you. Thank you. It's been my pleasure.
17:53 Theo Von? We could keep it moving, Mike.
17:54 Speaker 01 Why wouldn't we?
17:56 Theo Von? I don't think there's any reason not to.
17:57 Speaker 01 All right. Oh, yeah, this is a good one. Crippling hot sauce. When life gives you lemons, make hot sauce. In a small Missouri town, Drew Davis did just that. Born with cerebral palsy, Drew started crippling hot sauce at 16 with $3,000, a folding table, and his grandmother's kitchen. What began? As a high school project became a national movement, selling over 500,000 bottles. This incredible feat is one built on family, faith, and the belief that strength comes in all forms. Every bottle is made and bottled here in America with bold, original flavors like spicy bacon,
18:41 Speaker 01 special treatment, and salsa verde, limping. Drew's determination has inspired millions, proving that when you bet on yourself, even the hottest challenges can turn into something extraordinary.
18:55 Theo Von? Yeah, let me take a, I wouldn't mind taking a little hit of this dill with it.
18:59 Speaker 01 Yeah, so let's crack that open.
19:04 Theo Von? Get your little gander, get your little, there we go. Mmm. Ooh.
19:10 Speaker 01 Oh, yeah. No, it's got a wang to it.
19:13 Theo Von? We got Drew on the line. What's up, Drew Davis? How are you?
19:17 Speaker 04 Good, how about you?
19:19 Theo Von? We're doing great, man. I just accidentally drank a decent amount of your dill with it sauce, man.
19:26 Speaker 04 That shit'll give you the runs.
19:28 Theo Von? It will?
19:29 Speaker 01 Well, it's good to know, man. We just started the show.
19:31 Speaker 04 The sauce, the sauce gives you the runs better than I run.
19:34 Theo Von? Yeah, I know, dude. Yeah, you won't give anybody the runs.
19:38 Speaker 04 Yeah.
19:40 Speaker 01 When did you get it into your head to start making hot sauce?
19:44 Speaker 04 So, I actually had a school project that was due in two days. I'm like, man, what am I gonna do? And I looked down, I looked at myself, I'm like, huh, it'd be funny. I like making fun of myself, and I like hot sauce. Let's present an idea called crippling hot sauce. So I, and I get the grade back, it's 82%. And as a person with cerebral palsy, my brain is the only thing that works 100% well on my body. So I kinda got mad. I was like, I, so I went up to the teacher and asked him why. I'm like, I've never gotten a grade this low, why, why this grade? He goes, oh, I thought it was a great idea, just didn't think you could do it, thought it was unrealistic.
20:27 Speaker 04 So I went home that day, out of spite, learned how to make hot sauce and, and launched it. And a couple of years later, we sold. Hundreds of thousands of bottles, all while supporting people with disabilities along the way.
20:43 Theo Von? Let's go.
20:44 Speaker 01 Fucking fantastic dude. It says on your box here that 5% goes to cerebral palsy research for every sale. Is that right?
20:52 Speaker 04 Yup. I'm trying to fix this stuff.
20:55 Theo Von? Oh, hell yeah, dude. I was gonna say, I was gonna recommend a chiropractor for you, but.
21:00 Speaker 04 Yeah, I tried that.
21:05 Theo Von? Drew, it's exciting, man. Even just seeing you and feeling your energy, dude, uh, it just feels like the American spirit, you know, like, oh, I'll find a way to get this done, right? I love that, man. And I love this, I love this quote on the box. It's not the hot sauce that put me in the wheelchair. It's the cerebral palsy.
21:23 Speaker 01 Bit on the nose, but you know.
21:25 Speaker 04 I just always have liked making fun of myself. So now that I get to monetize that, I couldn't ask for anything better.
21:34 Theo Von? What makes us a perfect gift for someone for the holidays?
21:38 Speaker 04 Man, I think it just encompasses like the true, uh, uh, like, our, a lot of our humor and I think it does well. So it's like a, a gimmick product that tastes well, but also does, like, like great for the, for the disabled community, which is 1.3 billion strong in the, in the world. Can you believe that?
22:00 Theo Von? Are you serious?
22:01 Speaker 04 1.3 billion wheelchairs in the world.
22:05 Theo Von? Wow.
22:06 Speaker 04 Dude, imagine if we all raced, dude.
22:08 Theo Von? It'd be like the, um.
22:09 Speaker 04 Not running.
22:11 Theo Von? Yeah, like that, yeah. Almost like the running of the bulls.
22:14 Speaker 01 The rolling of the bulls. How good is the product?
22:17 Speaker 04 We are flavor first. None of them are, are too terribly hot besides the ghost pepper palsy.
22:23 Theo Von? I guess specifically for, about cerebral palsy, do you feel like it's something that can be defeated one day? Like, what do you think about that?
22:30 Speaker 04 Yes, I do think so because the, what cerebral palsy is, is it's brain damage to the cerebral cortex in your brain. So my brain doesn't get the right messages to my legs for them to work.
22:44 Theo Von? Oh, yeah. It's like 3G wireless or whatever.
22:48 Speaker 04 Yeah, my, my brain got one part, dude.
22:53 Speaker 01 What are sales like?
22:54 Speaker 04 We've done like two and a half million um this year and um you know still crippled, but at least I sell hot sauce.
23:04 Theo Von? Blessings to you, bro. Happy holidays to you and uh and thanks for being so creative.
23:09 Speaker 04 Thank you so much for having me, guys.
23:11 Theo Von? You bet. Peace, Drew.
23:12 Speaker 01 Thanks, Drew.
23:20 Speaker 01 Bye bye, hot sauce. Ooh, are we going to take me out to the ballgame?
23:23 Theo Von? What do you what do you got here, bud?
23:25 Speaker 01 Well, what we have here is maybe maybe the best baseball glove ever made. These are Nakona baseball gloves. Nothing may be more American than baseball and with this next product, once again, we are going all American. Nakona baseball gloves from Nakona, Texas are a premium, customizable, American-made baseball glove worn by both young players and major leaguers alike. These gloves have been in iconic baseball movies, Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own. You see them in ballparks all over the country. America's pastime deserves American leather, made on American soil. And when you visit their website, you will be treated to a grand slam
24:09 Speaker 01 of customizable options from sizes and colors to personalized engraving and stitching. Catch the holiday spirit this year with Nakona baseball gloves. That's Nakona baseball gloves.
24:21 Theo Von? Hmm. Yeah, that's a beautiful piece of uh equipment, huh?
24:26 Speaker 01 Did you ever break in a glove?
24:28 Theo Von? Uh, Mike, we had a horrible, whoa, they put my name on it.
24:32 Speaker 01 I know, look at that.
24:33 Theo Von? Does yours have Mike on it?
24:34 Speaker 01 Yeah.
24:34 Theo Von? No. I know Nolan Ryan was a famous Nakona user. I remember that from growing up. 2026 is the 100-year anniversary. For 100 years, they've been making these gloves right here in the USA. These are the top baseball glove maker in America.
24:50 Speaker 01 A great piece of art, which is what I would think of this glove as. You know, it's not just a baseball glove. It's a it is a love letter to everything we're talking about. You give that to the kid and you make sure they they see the story and they understand what they're getting. And they understand the company culture that made it. And then, you know. Then it's more than a glove, right?
25:13 Theo Von? Yeah, Bob Story, who is the founder of Nakona Gloves. He, um, there's a famous quote by him. I'd rather take a bucket of worms and go fishing than import a Nakona glove.
25:26 Speaker 01 Yeah.
25:26 Theo Von? He wanted to keep it American made.
25:28 Speaker 01 Yeah.
25:28 Theo Von? One beautiful thing that happened in World War II. They got a government contract to send gloves over to
25:36 Speaker 01 Soldiers.
25:37 Theo Von? Over to soldiers.
25:37 Speaker 01 Yeah.
25:38 Theo Von? So they could have some, a bit of something that felt American. That's pretty amazing. And those are the kind of stories I think when you get somebody a gift like this, that you want to share, right? It's like, it's like so much of it, yeah, you're right. It's not about the product. It's about the story, right? It's about like a sense of tradition and a sense of why we do this and why you would think this glove's perfect for somebody.
25:57 Speaker 01 What's your favorite baseball movie?
25:59 Theo Von? My favorite of all time is League of Their Own.
26:02 Speaker 01 Why?
26:02 Theo Von? Just devout lesbianism hidden behind war and sports.
26:08 Speaker 01 I think that's right off their poster. Some of the products that we're looking at have been around a hundred years, right? Some of them are, are almost institutional to the point where you can look back, see how they built it and be inspired by it. And then some of them are first generation. They're just getting started. And, you know, I, I wouldn't put a value judgment honestly on, on what's, what's better or what's more important. It's the idea, whether it's Bob Story, who a hundred years ago, you know, says, I'm going to do this the way I'm going to do it. Or whether it's the kid with, you know, Drew with cerebral palsy or the lady making the cherries.
26:47 Theo Von? I remember, though I wasn't good at baseball, I remember that glove. I just, I can remember exactly what it looked like.
26:53 Speaker 01 I'll never forget my first car, first baseball glove, pocket knife my granddad gave me. Some of that stuff matters.
27:01 Theo Von? Yeah.
27:02 Speaker 01 And now that I think about it, they, they were all American made products.
27:05 Theo Von? Yeah.
27:05 Speaker 01 Yeah. That's the thread.
27:07 Theo Von? Yeah.
27:07 Speaker 01 That's the spirit. Whose life would change if you, if you present them with a glove like this? And Bob Story's story.
27:17 Theo Von? Yeah.
27:17 Speaker 01 Now you got a gift. Maybe it's not your son or daughter, maybe it's a niece, maybe it's a nephew. Somebody loves baseball. Somebody's going to unwrap this and they're never going to forget it.
27:27 Theo Von? That's an American dream right there.
27:37 Theo Von? I want to thank Shopify for sponsoring this special American-made holiday gift episode. A lot of the brands we've been talking about today run on Shopify. Those are real people making real products, trying to build something honest right here in the U.S. I remember I saw somebody was selling glacier water melted, get you a little half a jug of that, or get you a quart, or get you a little cup. They even become one of those little baby sippers. Shopify has always supported entrepreneurs from some of the largest corporations in the world to your favorite shop right down the street. And
28:19 Theo Von? that's what I love about Shopify. It's the engine behind small shops, behind mom and pop garage dreams. Even in the craziness of the holiday season shopping, Shopify gives the little guy a fair shot. So if you want to join millions of hardworking men and women that managed to create their American dream out of nothing, head to Shopify.com/ Theo today. You've got the ideas and you've got the grit. Shopify has the know-how to help turn that dream of yours into a future legacy. It can happen. You can do it. You know, we
28:59 Theo Von? all hate buying clothes, and after a week, they're falling apart. You'll see something on the ground. It's like, what is that? It's part of your clothes. Dang. Your shirt broke down on the side of the road. Not with American Giant. If you listen to this podcast, you've probably heard me talk about American Giant before. They make high-quality clothes, and they make them right here in America, right here. I bought a sweatshirt from them about a year and a half ago and I love it. It's one of my favorites. I bought a zip up hoodie from them and um a really great black tee shirt as well. They were started more than 10 years ago by this guy named Bayard Winthrop, who was fed up with everything feeling so cheap. I love knowing I'm supporting an American made brand.
29:44 Theo Von? Yep, I mean, from from the cotton grown on American farms, all the way through the finished product made entirely in the USA. I think an item from American Giant would make the perfect Christmas gift for the guy or girl in your life because it comes with a story. Tell them the story and right now you can shop at American-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with code Theo. Yep, you can shop at American-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with code Theo. And starting now throughout the holiday season, you can find links to all of these companies uh at theovon.com slash American Originals.
30:28 Theo Von? One thing I wanted to share with you right here next is a company that I learned about about 10 years ago. Oddly Sweet Dolls. People collect all kinds of things from baseball cards to watches to rocks. So this shouldn't be too crazy to hear. I collect oddly sweet dolls. That's a true story. For the last 10 years, I've been buying these dolls for my own collection and sometimes I'll send one to a family member or friend. Oddly Sweet Dolls are created in the one woman art studio of Miss Lacey Michelle, who hand sculpts every creepy cute doll straight from her home workshop. What began in 2009 as an experiment in sculpting
31:12 Theo Von? faces what became a world of imperfect, soulful characters, each brought to life with humor, heart, and a touch of mischief. After surviving a brain tumor while 27 weeks pregnant, Lacey turned creation into her therapy, infusing every piece with gratitude and grit. Entirely American-made Oddly Sweet Dolls stands for originality, resilience, and the beauty of imperfection. Proof that even the strangest ideas can be oddly sweet. How long have you been buying these, honestly? Probably about one decade. How many do you own personally? I think I have 11.
31:53 Theo Von? But I've given some as gifts.
31:54 Speaker 01 How many have you given as gifts?
31:56 Theo Von? Fifteen.
31:57 Speaker 01 Is this a thing you talk about often on the pod?
32:00 Theo Von? A lot of people don't know about this.
32:01 Speaker 01 I think, I think a lot of people are going to, uh, run with this, really. This, this field, maybe not like headline news, but you're an open book. That's the, that's the charm of you, man.
32:12 Theo Von? Just the eyes, some of them seem like maybe they've been using or in recovery. But I did love the fact, a lot of them, like, some of them have a meat cleaver, a different knife. Just the fact that they're willing to work.
32:25 Speaker 01 Millions of people have hundreds of millions of dolls.
32:30 Theo Von? Yeah, I think I would remember going over to certain friends' homes and the, some of their moms or stepmoms would have a doll room. And be like, this is where the dolls are. Oh dude, I just remember my friend, I would sleep at his house. Dude, his mom would, if you got up to go pee in the middle of the night, she'd make the bed while you were up. She's very organized.
32:48 Speaker 01 Was this the same you were telling me about in the back of the car on the road trip?
32:52 Theo Von? Yeah, my buddy that was masturbating had a map. His family was driving somewhere, he's pretending he's reading a map.
32:57 Speaker 01 Yeah.
32:58 Theo Von? And he was touching his body behind it.
33:00 Speaker 01 Hmm. What do you, I mean, what do you get a guy like that for Christmas? I mean, a bigger map, maybe, I mean.
33:07 Theo Von? There's something about it to me that's very much like, even though something's messed up, there's still, please find something endearing about me. And just the fact that Lacey Michelle was, have, was pregnant and is dealing with a brain tumor at the same time. You know, that has to be like fear and hope at the same time, so much going on.
33:27 Speaker 01 See, that, that's interesting because, you know, if you have fear and hope in the same feeling, then you can also have creepy and cute on the same face.
33:36 Theo Von? For sure. When you accidentally get your, uh, your ba, your, uh, sonogram picture mixed up with your tumor, with your.
33:42 Speaker 01 With your.
33:43 Theo Von? MRI scan. You know, you're showing somebody the baby and like, that's the baby? It's, it's, where is it? It's by your brain?
33:50 Speaker 01 No.
33:51 Theo Von? You know what I'm saying? But just the whole ambiance of that is absolutely kind of wild. But that's the stuff that people go through. And that's the stuff where creativity comes out of. I really believe that kind of thing.
34:00 Speaker 01 Yeah.
34:00 Theo Von? And, uh, and here we are. I'm inspired, I'm inspired by her story. To have two things growing inside you at the same time.
34:06 Speaker 01 Yeah.
34:06 Theo Von? And one of them's really good and one of them's really bad.
34:08 Speaker 01 Right.
34:09 Theo Von? The fact that she makes each one of these is pretty fascinating.
34:13 Speaker 01 Yeah.
34:13 Theo Von? I mean, the attention to detail on them.
34:15 Speaker 01 Yeah, no, it's great. It's great.
34:17 Theo Von? And I do know it's a limited item. This item should probably only have maybe a hundred and fifty to two hundred. So if you do go to her site and she's sold out, then that's awesome, right? Um, and you can go back next year. And these are out of Salt Lake City as well. I want to say you've been there. It's a beautiful area. It's very nice. If you haven't been there, it's beautiful.
34:34 Speaker 01 It is gorgeous.
34:35 Theo Von? It's beautiful.
34:36 Speaker 01 Do you know why some of the heads are severed?
34:38 Theo Von? See, you don't have time for a statue.
34:39 Speaker 01 I don't have time for a statue.
34:40 Theo Von? There you go. This is an ornament.
34:43 Speaker 01 For a Christmas tree?
34:44 Theo Von? Yep. You could hang it on a maypole. You could hang it on a friend that's not moving much.
34:48 Speaker 01 Sure. Uh, how have your friends reacted who have received one of these gifts from you?
34:54 Theo Von? I think they're excited about it. Some people are afraid to display the truth, though.
34:58 Speaker 01 Yeah.
34:59 Theo Von? And I think that's what these things are doing. And it just shows you like, this is neat to me. To somebody else, it may not be, but there's probably a ton of other creators who are making really neat stuff. And can, like, you can have a whole business. This, the fact that Lacey Michelle does this and has an entire business built around it? The fact that she's going to be able to fulfill a hundred and fifty to two hundred orders for Christmas gifts this year? Dude, that's, to me, it's fascinating, man.
35:23 Speaker 01 Is there someone in your life that has something going on just below the surface? Something they may not be keen to talk about casually in polite company? But something that nevertheless needs to be tapped into, maybe, just maybe, a doll like this is exactly what they've been waiting to receive. They just don't know it yet. And they won't until Christmas morning, when they unwrap it. And the universe suddenly starts to make sense for the first time.
35:57 Theo Von? Amen.
36:05 Theo Von? There's been some neat stuff, man. Thanks so much for, uh...
36:08 Speaker 01 Hey, kid, man.
36:09 Theo Von? Onward.
36:09 Speaker 01 This is from our friends at Scraggly Bush. A truly unforgettable American original where, deep from Papion, Nebraska, a husband and wife have turned laughter and hard work into a true American dream. Craig and Carly Summitt founded Scraggly Bush. After Craig's high school trapping hobby and gag wedding gift, the fur squallet, also known as a squirrel wallet, sparked a wild idea. With a COVID stimulus check and a lot of faith, they began sewing fur goods by hand in their home workshop. Today, their creations include raccoons,
36:51 Speaker 01 possum packs, even satin-lined squallets. They're shipped nationwide. They're made from ethically sourced American furs. And they're named after Craig's late best friend. Scraggly Bush is more than a business. It's a tribute to friendship, laughter, and the power of the American spirit to turn even the wildest idea into something worth hoarding. So this is a squirrel, or it was. This was an actual squirrel.
37:20 Theo Von? Hmm.
37:21 Speaker 01 And, uh, maybe it was hunted, maybe it was found. I don't... I don't know the etymology, but I know it was a real squirrel.
37:28 Theo Von? You can get them pretty easy.
37:30 Speaker 01 But now it has a zipper where its abdomen used to be. It's a satin-lined interior.
37:35 Theo Von? Oh, is that satin in there?
37:36 Speaker 01 Yeah.
37:37 Theo Von? Hmm. Oh, that is nice. Wow.
37:40 Speaker 01 Right?
37:40 Theo Von? Yeah, very nice. Keep some pills in there. Keep whatever you want in there.
37:43 Speaker 01 Car keys, a pair of glasses, the aforementioned pills, whatever, medication, whatever it is.
37:50 Theo Von? Medication, we could say. Jelly beans, whatever you want in there.
37:53 Speaker 01 Sure.
37:54 Theo Von? Um, and squirrels are notorious for hoarding and hiding things anyway, so they're still getting to live the life they want.
38:00 Speaker 01 Right. You could actually...
38:01 Theo Von? Without all the hassle of being alive.
38:05 Theo Von? You know?
38:06 Speaker 01 Sure, sure. I mean, what about nuts? That's the ultimate irony.
38:11 Theo Von? Oh, if you popped that bitch open and had some cashews in it, dude.
38:14 Speaker 01 Right.
38:14 Theo Von? I'd be the happiest guy in the world. The squallit right there, and that's for males and females.
38:19 Speaker 01 Sure, and you've got a little, like a carabiner right here, right? So you can clip it, I guess, to your... I got your belt loop, maybe?
38:27 Theo Von? One beautiful thing about this company is that they received a COVID stimulus check and created something from it, right? This company makes $250,000 a year. All fur is sourced and harvested from American hunters. There are no farmed furs. This is straight out of God's refrigerator, the forest. And there's also the racuzzi right here. If you get tired of drinking out of a squeezy, you got that racuzzi, baby. And it's more, this is a little thicker fur. And this is from a raccoon, a raccoon body. That's where this hide is from. Nice insides, it's dry, beautiful tail. You want to let a kid play with the tail while you stand there and drink at regular level? If you got a son and wants to bat that tail around while you're drinking here at human level. If I see somebody drinking out of that...
39:10 Speaker 01 You don't ignore it.
39:13 Theo Von? I mean, what baby girl ain't gonna want that squallit?
39:16 Speaker 01 Think of the story you're gonna have.
39:17 Theo Von? Keep your couple condoms in that thing, too, if you're in high school.
39:20 Speaker 01 You've got Astroglide, you've got birth control, you could have...
39:24 Theo Von? A mint gum?
39:25 Speaker 01 Mint gum and aromatherapy candle. You could outfit this squirrel. Man, you want to improve your odds in a rough and tumble, unpredictable dating world? Hollow out that squirrel and never take it off your belt.
39:37 Theo Von? Look, I gotta work early tomorrow, but I'm in, you know? That's Scraggly Bush, that's their company right there, and we can go support them. Thank them so much for their creativity.
39:48 Speaker 01 Yeah, man. Why settle for a bush when you can have a scraggly one?
40:02 Theo Von? Let's keep it moving, man. One of the things that I'm inspired by is the way that people use things in their area. You know?
40:08 Speaker 01 Yep.
40:09 Theo Von? And one of the best stories that I've heard about that, turning something kind of a negative into a positive, is with the Albizia Project. Under the Hawaiian sun, where the trade winds rustle through wild forests, a once-destructive tree has found new life. The Albizia Project transforms Hawai'ti's most invasive wood into stunning, handcrafted cutting boards that help restore the island's native forests. Husband and wife founders Joey Valenti and Christine Johnson, alongside their team, hunt Albizia trees and turn them into heirlooms made entirely on Oahu. From their Wahaiwa workshop and cafe,
40:53 Theo Von? they're building strong community, one cup of coffee and one cutting board at a time. They make a few legendary surfboards out there as well, out of Albizia also. This holiday season, give something with true aloha. Proof that even the most invasive species can be transformed into something regenerative, enduring and proudly American. Look at that, man. It's just amazing that they, ooh, pick that up.
41:18 Speaker 01 Yeah. Ooh. Lighter than you think.
41:22 Theo Von? Yeah.
41:22 Speaker 01 But stronger than you know.
41:24 Theo Von? Gosh.
41:25 Speaker 01 Yeah.
41:27 Theo Von? Hmm.
41:28 Speaker 01 New wood smell?
41:29 Theo Von? Yeah, it smells great, man. Imagine you walk into somewhere and they got a couple onions cut up on that thing, baby boy. Couple of carrots.
41:42 Speaker 01 It's a hard, yet light wood.
41:44 Theo Von? Hard and light, surprising, boy.
41:45 Speaker 01 I can't think of a better combination for everything you would want in a cutting board.
41:49 Theo Von? Hawaii tourism plummeted during COVID, so they got a $250,000 US Forest Service grant to launch the company. Wow.
41:57 Speaker 01 Yeah, I think the invasive species thing is fascinating. You've got to be very careful with what you introduce into a, into an environment.
42:06 Theo Von? Oh, it's like bringing someone horrible home for the holidays to meet your parents.
42:09 Speaker 01 That's an invasive species at large.
42:12 Theo Von? Something you're not gonna have with this. One of the beautiful things about this is then not only you creating a gift, you're giving a gift to Mother Nature too, because you're getting bad things out of the forest.
42:20 Speaker 01 But the other thing too, it's like, it's super personal. Like, that specific piece of wood. Gets traced back to a specific tree. It gets traced back to the specific person who cut it. That's what these guys do. They they knew where it grew. They knew who cut it. And it's only possible through uh what they would call a super localized domestic supply chain.
42:42 Theo Von? Wow.
42:43 Speaker 01 So it's like, yeah, if you need a cutting board, you can go to any retailer. You can buy any cutting board. And now now there's a piece of wood in your kitchen and that's it. You use it till you don't use it anymore and whatever.
42:53 Theo Von? But that's not the Albizia project, brother.
42:55 Speaker 01 No.
42:56 Theo Von? That's not cleaning up Hawaii, keeping it natural.
42:59 Speaker 01 Yeah.
43:00 Theo Von? Which uh is one of the most greatest gifts that we get in the world is nature.
43:06 Speaker 01 It's a big one.
43:06 Theo Von? And it's a family run business. Who would this be a good gift for? Obviously, a mom would love this, especially with the story. Like, Mom, you're one of the things. Or Mom, remember when you tried to marry that guy? He was an invasive species. Glad we don't have him.
43:17 Speaker 01 Look, whatever it is, I mean, look, it it I'd say.
43:20 Theo Von? Donnie or whatever his name was.
43:21 Speaker 01 Don.
43:22 Theo Von? You could use it as a small charcuterie board as well. If you want to put you a little summer sausage, a little bit of winter meat.
43:27 Speaker 01 You do that. And you can use this one as a um as a makeshift paddle.
43:31 Theo Von? Mm hmm.
43:32 Speaker 01 Not saying you should or shouldn't, but.
43:34 Theo Von? I'm not saying you shouldn't. I'd I would definitely paddle some kids if they let you paddle someone else's kids. I'd run across the street right now and.
43:43 Speaker 01 No, don't.
43:45 Theo Von? Yeah, you're right. You could not want to use one of these to surf on, but they do make surfboards. They make lamps. Um, they make a plethora of different options. With Albizia, you can check it out. Imagine you want to cut something. What you gonna cut it on? Your counter?
44:00 Speaker 01 No.
44:00 Theo Von? No. Your friend's back, a strong friend?
44:03 Speaker 01 Possible, but no.
44:05 Theo Von? Get a cutting board.
44:06 Speaker 01 From an invasive species.
44:08 Theo Von? Yeah.
44:09 Speaker 01 That's been repurposed and reimagined into something truly useful.
44:13 Theo Von? That's what I'm talking about. It's like uh going to a um detox center for wood.
44:18 Speaker 01 You go in somewhat misplaced and not necessarily welcomed in the world you find yourself. But you come out repurposed, reshaped, reinvigorated. And who knows, one day re-gifted.
44:34 Theo Von? Hmm, yeah.
44:44 Theo Von? A lot of guys out there, they don't know what's going on, right?
44:49 Theo Von? And they're lonesome or whatever. I will tell you this, if you have those types of feelings sometimes, the thing you can do is blaze up a tit in your room like this.
44:59 Speaker 01 These are, um, these are Candle Tits. Uh, they're made in this country.
45:03 Theo Von? Let me pop off that A cup for you, homie.
45:05 Speaker 01 Comes straight out of Chicago. Candle Tit proves that light and laughter can come from the most unexpected of places. Founded by an artist named Bailey, this one woman brand hand casts every candle from real bodies to celebrate shape, self-love, and good humor. Each piece is made from locally sourced wax, poured and finished by hand. Some come for the fun, others for farewell. A keepsake made before surgery, helping them see their body with tenderness instead of fear. What started as a bold art experiment is now a movement that supports breast cancer survivors and anyone learning to appreciate one of God's year-round holiday treats.
45:50 Speaker 01 During this festive season, skip the vanilla jar candle and motorboat yourself over
45:57 Speaker 01 to candletit.com. Handmade in Chicago, because nothing warms a room like compassion, confidence, and a perfect pair of wicks.
46:08 Theo Von? A thick tit will keep you warm, homie. I know that. That's why a tit's got two sides on it, one for each hand, brother.
46:15 Speaker 01 Who am I to disagree? Why, why, why aren't these lit?
46:18 Theo Von? You can pop, blaze one up. I didn't know you wanted them all lit, freak. It's almost more like a time capsule in a way, for people that are gonna go through, um, possible adjustments to their bodies. You know, people that could be dealing with breast cancer or breast removal, something like that, to have a keepsake, to have a fun kind of, almost a time capsule way, you lock that tit in forever with these blazers, you know?
46:41 Speaker 01 Sure.
46:41 Theo Von? And you spark one of these things up at a campfire, it's gonna be a great story. Who don't like talking tit? With their buddies or their family. You know what? My sister and I've never even talked about tits, but I spark one of these up. Who knows what's, what can happen? I mean, this is an American doing something creative, doing something cool. You guys can check it out. We just, we sparked up five of them right now. Right there, you got an A cup. I was breastfed on an A cup and, oh, it's harrowing to see it. Do you ever watch a baby try to get milk out of an A cup?
47:10 Speaker 01 I have.
47:11 Theo Von? Oh, it's harrowing.
47:12 Speaker 01 I've seen it.
47:12 Theo Von? Like he's beating on a drum.
47:14 Speaker 01 Oh, it was, I felt bad for the kid.
47:16 Theo Von? It's horrible.
47:17 Speaker 01 Seventeen.
47:18 Theo Von? Yeah, and, oh.
47:19 Speaker 01 The kid was me.
47:20 Theo Von? Oh, well, damn, that's, uh, okay.
47:32 Theo Von? I want to tell you about this.
47:33 Speaker 01 All right.
47:34 Theo Von? So we had a show in Casper, Wyoming. I get back to my room and somebody had got me a little box of Don L's candies.
47:43 Speaker 01 The people are so sweet.
47:44 Theo Von? And I didn't know if I wanted it or not. I was like, well, what is this? And I cracked it open, dude. And this is, I kid you not, the best toffee I've ever had in my life. And their, their, their place was just a few blocks from us.
48:02 Speaker 01 Uh huh.
48:03 Theo Von? And so I had to get loaded up on it. I got me some Don L's. I ate my whole box in one night. Couldn't even sleep. I want to tell you a little bit about it.
48:13 Theo Von? These candies have been curated by the Step family since 1956, when Don and Elma Step opened their little shop on St. Patrick's Day. And for nearly 70 years, their family has handcrafted toffees, chocolates, caramels, and other sweets using the same original recipes in copper kettles. Three generations later, every batch still carries that small-town pride and patience. So this season, skip the bullshit French truffle or that Chinese-made La Fetafe and give the gift of truly American-made sweetness, Don L's Candies. Where holiday tradition tastes better when it's American. And every piece gonna make you holler for joy and slap your cousin. It's good. So if you hate your cousin.
48:56 Speaker 01 Yeah.
48:56 Theo Von? I can put two pieces in and go whoop his ass, you know what I'm saying? But it's good, man. It just.
49:05 Theo Von? There was something perfect about it for me. And I'm gonna try one more of their candies live, right here. I've never even tried it. Don Els candies almond brittle. Never had almond brittle.
49:13 Speaker 01 Hmm. While his mouth is full, I'll tell you, three generations strong. What started with Don Elma and their son Mike now includes grandson Ryan. They're still crafting candies by hand 70 years later. And if that doesn't make your mouth water, my friend, I don't know what will.
49:29 Theo Von? Dear God, it's good. This is beautiful. I can't recommend it enough. It's an American company. You'll support them. They got a great website. They can fulfill a lot of orders. They'll let you know when they can't. But I don't think you can go wrong supporting such a
49:45 Theo Von? such a company like Don Els. Cand- candies. I couldn't even close my eyes. I had so much toffee that one night. It wouldn't close because of the pressure.
49:57 Speaker 01 But it was good. The pressure.
50:07 Theo Von? I know some of these products we were asking around to some of our friends to see if they had recommended any in their area. And my friend, Kate Thornton, wanted to recommend a domestic company in her area. So I thought we'd see if she could help. Can you hear us, Kate?
50:20 Speaker 05 I can.
50:22 Theo Von? Oh, it looks nice out there. What's going on out there?
50:25 Speaker 05 This is my real backdrop. Can you believe that?
50:28 Speaker 01 Seriously? That's not AI, Kate?
50:29 Speaker 05 This is not AI. That's White Stone Mountain, and this is White Stone Mountain Orchards that is sending you some fruit. And Hal and Claire, they're the ones running that orchard. And they do an excellent job, like through and through.
50:41 Theo Von? Thank you so much, Kate, for recommending one of your neighbors. Um, can you tell us how often do you guys harvest apples?
50:47 Speaker 05 We start harvesting pears in mid-August and then start working our way through apples all the way up until now. Usually it goes into November, but it's a pretty long season. So we're all kind of cranky at the end of it. But it's a beautiful day. So what's, what's to be mad about?
51:04 Speaker 01 How many kinds of apples are there?
51:06 Speaker 05 Well, there's at least 30 on the commercial market, but there's over 7,000 different varieties worldwide.
51:11 Speaker 01 I told you, I told you there are more than you think. There are a lot of apples.
51:15 Theo Von? Who's keeping them? How do we get more of them?
51:17 Speaker 01 Well, you got the Granny Smith, you got the Golden Delicious.
51:20 Theo Von? Cosmic Crisp, that's my favorite.
51:22 Speaker 01 That's three. I said there's 6,997 more.
51:28 Speaker 01 It's a lot of apples, man.
51:29 Theo Von? What are these apples here?
51:31 Speaker 01 And how do you like them?
51:35 Speaker 01 Ah, right, Kate?
51:36 Speaker 05 Yeah, I've heard that one before.
51:38 Speaker 01 I bet you did.
51:39 Theo Von? Whitestone Mountain Orchard, this card says, uh, thank you for your order and for supporting small, family-owned farms. Your apples include, uh, an American heirloom from the 1800s and a new variety. Remember to ripen your pears by leaving them out at room temperature for several days.
51:56 Speaker 01 How do you know her, guys?
51:58 Theo Von? I know Kate, shh, well, we met just online, but then she came to our comedy show and then we went and saw a concert together one time, I think.
52:06 Speaker 01 That's nice.
52:07 Theo Von? I can't remember exactly. Oh, we went for a walk somewhere, remember?
52:11 Speaker 05 We went to, yeah, we went for a walk in the park with Zita.
52:14 Theo Von? Yeah, but yeah, we know each other. What does it even matter? I was like, this lady's got some nice fruit. Um, def, I go, yeah, I'd like to learn more about it. That was it, dude. It's good people, Mike. What is your problem?
52:25 Speaker 01 I don't have a problem with it. I'm trying to celebrate the fact that you're still curious enough to go on the Instagram, look around and find a, a, a fruit, a picture of fruit.
52:35 Theo Von? It's called stalking people, Mike, and lurking. But thanks for highlighting that, yes. But I picked a good person this time because Kate's one of the best and she just spends so much time like in the community with farmers, learning about farming, working on her own farm, all types of stuff. She's just constantly, if you watch her social media, it's just, it's a, it's always a good time.
52:55 Speaker 01 I think it's a Christmas miracle, Kate. I appreciate you being part of it.
52:59 Speaker 05 Well, thank you. This is my absolute passion. My family's been doing this for a long time, so it's, it's a privilege to be able to highlight, even if it's not my family, but other families that do this. So, thank you.
53:11 Theo Von? I love this fruit. This is great. If you wanna, uh, have a nice story to tell your family and get them some fruit, um, that's American grown and it's not one of the big vendors, it's, uh, more of a mom and pop organization, is it, Kate?
53:26 Speaker 05 Yes, it's absolutely like family-run. They, you can learn all about them on their website. They do a great job of like explaining everything.
53:32 Theo Von? I love it. That's Claire and Hal right there. Let's zoom in a little bit so we can see the good people that are there and that work there. Oh, that's awesome.
53:39 Speaker 01 I like them apples.
53:39 Theo Von? That's my kind of area, yeah. Uh, Kate, thank you so much for highlighting them and, uh, and for just being a part of this, um, holiday gift show.
53:48 Speaker 05 Well, I adore you both, so let me know if I can help any, in any way.
53:52 Theo Von? Appreciate it. Have a good day.
53:55 Speaker 05 All right. Bye you guys.
53:56 Theo Von? See ya. Bye Kate. That was White Stone Mountain Orchard, established in 1993.
54:12 Theo Von? Mike, I do want to let you know, sometimes it's nice to have something in your mouth, you know it? Well, sure. And Olympia Provisions is our next company that we're gonna feature. There's an old saying where I'm from, and it's that American meat is the real good kind of meat. And where are you from again? It's Louisiana, right? From Louisiana, yeah. And that's what they say down there? That's what people were saying that to each other. Some people even wrote it down. And here we got some of the best, all the way from Portland, Oregon. This is not just made in America, it's independently owned by its founder, Elias Cairo, who first discovered his passion for cured meats when on an apprenticeship in Switzerland. Upon returning home, he perfected a curing process that has seen the company grow to a team of 150
54:55 Theo Von? that crafts tens of thousands of pounds of cured meats every week. Their secret? No automation, no gimmicks, just skill, time, and care. What do you got, Mikey? Well, this appears to be a summer sausage. Yes. Bet you found that in my grandmother's drawer, huh? Get that meat out, Whitey.
55:15 Theo Von? This is good, huh? It's delicious. Salami with red wine and fennel. Really? I'm gonna have to text my sponsor, but I'll have a little cut of it. Why don't you chop into that bad boy for us, right there? Lukaniko, Greek-inspired sausage with garlic, oregano, and lemon zest. Three fully cooked sausages right here. God, that looks good, Michael. And they don't just have these, they have dog treats as well. If your dog gets jealous, because every time, you know, when you crack open your meat, your dog comes around. He's a bum, he hasn't been doing shit all day, but he pulls up to get your shit. Give him a dog treat, right there from Olympia Provisions, pure pork. These guys are slanging meat. What a perfect stocking stuffer. It's already been stuffed. Olympia Provisions, guys, that's cured meats. You want something that's American-made.
55:59 Theo Von? It's been sourced from America for a long time. You want to put together a charcuterie board, you want to get somebody some summer sausage that's right here in America, cured and tasty. That's the best tasting I've ever had, I think.
56:18 Speaker 01 You're a belt guy?
56:19 Theo Von? Yeah.
56:20 Speaker 01 Or a suspenders guy?
56:21 Theo Von? I've never worn suspenders except for once for Halloween. Good day.
56:25 Speaker 01 Right, like something you could snap with enthusiasm.
56:29 Theo Von? It was like having a cup of coffee without having one. That snap would get you going, dude hitting you right in the nipples. You have to walk back into work.
56:37 Speaker 01 Calavera Tool Works. Deep in the woods of Johns Island, South Carolina, Michael Williams ditched corporate life to do something truly uplifting. Make belts by hand. Welcome to Calavera Tool Works, a small batch leather shop with a cult-like following and zero interest in outsourcing overseas. Zero interest. Every single Calavera belt is cut and stitched and finished from American-raised leather and solid US hardware. These aren't just belts, Theo, they're heirlooms. This holiday season, skip the tie and give this handsome gift that could literally hold up Santa's britches after power munching through a stocking full of cookies.
57:22 Speaker 01 Handmade on Johns Island, tough as a $2 Christmas steak on New Year's Eve and built to outlast the Christmas dinner politics.
57:31 Theo Von? God, that's a belt right there, huh? If somebody spanked me with that, I would get my act together.
57:37 Speaker 01 All my dad had to do was walk in the room and go.
57:44 Speaker 01 Never, never had to use it.
57:46 Theo Von? Oh, yeah.
57:46 Speaker 01 Straightens you right up.
57:48 Theo Von? I want to go right now to a testimonial.
57:49 Speaker 01 From Jackson.
57:50 Theo Von? Yeah, let's hear it from him. What does he have to say about these Calavera belts?
57:54 Speaker 06 Hi folks, I recommend Calavera belts and, um, tool belts. Um, they're really well made. This one holds up to all my farm uses and jobs, so go check out Calavera belts.
58:09 Theo Von? You heard it.
58:10 Speaker 01 Here's a sentence I've never said before, but this is a belt you can pass down to your loved ones.
58:14 Theo Von? Amen.
58:15 Speaker 01 Well, it'll grow with you, it'll shrink with you, but it'll never let you down and it'll always keep your pants up.
58:21 Theo Von? Amen.
58:30 Theo Von? Yeah, I've never had any goose, man. I'm trying to think of something nice that I've had around the holidays. Maybe.
58:35 Speaker 01 A turkey? A ham?
58:37 Theo Von? Oh, yeah.
58:38 Speaker 01 A good Christmas ham?
58:39 Theo Von? God, yeah.
58:40 Speaker 01 Yeah.
58:41 Theo Von? Yeah, I've liked a good ham. I like the way it looks.
58:44 Speaker 01 Well, there's no reason to put a ham in one of these. But you want to jump into one of these right now?
58:49 Theo Von? Yeah, I'd love to see. What do you have here?
58:50 Speaker 01 This is a Dutch oven.
58:52 Theo Von? Ooh.
58:54 Speaker 01 Strap in.
58:55 Theo Von? Okay, yeah, dude. Let me out of the covers, brother. Tell me more.
58:58 Speaker 01 Smithy Ironware. Down in Charleston, South Carolina, there's a workshop where the holidays smell like cast iron and cornbread. And that's where Isaac Morton started Smithy Ironware, restoring old skillets before deciding to make his own. Each piece, crafted by hand, polished to a mirror finish and built to last for generations. Today, every single Smithy skillet and carbon steel pan is made from 100% recycled American iron. Poured and polished in an old naval base, turned foundry, they are as beautiful as they are tough. Kitchen heirlooms meant to be passed down, not tossed out. So if you're looking for a gift that says forever,
59:40 Speaker 01 forget the foreign-made gadgets and give the skillet that could cook an all-American Christmas breakfast for your grandkids one day.
59:48 Theo Von? I love that, having grandpappy skillet. Ooh, that's a heavy deal there, man. That has some real weight to it.
59:54 Speaker 01 Okay, I mean, it's a good, you know, seven, eight pounds.
59:58 Theo Von? That's beautiful.
59:59 Speaker 01 It's solid as can be. It will, it'll simply never wear out.
1:00:02 Theo Von? Anything in there will taste good.
1:00:04 Speaker 01 I mean, like, I like what? Like a, like a lamb stew.
1:00:08 Theo Von? Beef stew.
1:00:09 Speaker 01 Right?
1:00:10 Theo Von? Put some beef carrots in, put it on a low heat.
1:00:12 Speaker 01 It's not a classic Christmas meal, but what a, what a, I mean, the smell, man. When you walked into your house growing up and you smelled food, what is the smell you most remember?
1:00:22 Theo Von? I'll say maybe mom would make a little bit of a holiday jambalaya in there.
1:00:26 Speaker 01 Well, that's nice. See, that's festive and at the same time, demographically authentic to where you come from.
1:00:33 Theo Von? God, if I eat, I could have probably one egg out of that and it'd probably make me something good.
1:00:39 Speaker 01 You get a big, you get an ostrich egg. You ever seen an ostrich egg?
1:00:42 Theo Von? Nah. I'm no pervert, brother.
1:00:47 Theo Von? But I'll eat a nice egg out of that and go get out in the world, find me a job, find me a wife.
1:00:53 Theo Von? Made from 100% recycled American iron. Look at that. Look at them working on it right there. Building a handle at. Doing all the work so you don't have to. All you gotta do is cook you up something. Make your daddy something. Your daddy won't talk to you, make him something.
1:01:16 Theo Von? Grandma looking for a new hobby? Hey Grandma. Or do you have a creepy uncle who needs a woodsy cabin activity, huh? Who is it? Or maybe just a fun tradition for you and the kiddos. Heart Puzzles are gorgeous, American-made gifts right out of central Indiana.
1:01:34 Speaker 01 Puzzles will keep you sharp.
1:01:35 Theo Von? Yeah.
1:01:36 Speaker 01 I do love the puzzles. I can't get enough of them.
1:01:38 Theo Von? Oh, I love them, dude. I sit there. I'll sit there with my stepdad. He likes to make puzzles. He made a bunch and put them on the walls at home.
1:01:44 Speaker 01 Like you framed them?
1:01:44 Theo Von? Yeah, he framed them.
1:01:45 Speaker 01 Like a jigsaw puzzle?
1:01:46 Theo Von? Mm-hmm.
1:01:46 Speaker 01 And then you frame it, you put it up?
1:01:48 Theo Von? Yeah.
1:01:48 Speaker 01 Why not?
1:01:49 Theo Von? But he loves doing it. It's fun to sit there together. You know, he's like, hey, can you help me find the pieces? I can't find them. He's lying. He's just trying to spend time with me. But it's nice. It's beautiful. Shout out Rhett. I enjoy doing that with you. If you want to get somebody a puzzle, why just pick one up off the shelf from some company you don't even know? Get one that's made by one of your fellow Americans.
1:02:18 Theo Von? These are great little ornaments and gifts, Mike, right here. Prodigal Pottery.
1:02:23 Speaker 01 There's a ministry out of central Alabama called King's Home, who is doing the Lord's good work by serving women and children fleeing domestic violence, homelessness, and trafficking. That's heavy, but it's happening. Through custom-made mugs, bowls, and Christmas ornaments with their self-made business, Prodigal Pottery, these amazing women are turning ceramics into salvation. God bless us all, but especially these women at King's Home. Oh, come, all ye faithful, Theo. Great way to support everybody.
1:02:55 Theo Von? Well, they make things like this beautiful sheep right here. Look at this sheep, Mike.
1:02:59 Speaker 01 It's a good-looking lamb.
1:03:01 Theo Von? Yeah, I meant lamb.
1:03:03 Speaker 01 Well, I mean, I'm just thinking, you know, the lamb of God.
1:03:05 Theo Von? Oh, yeah. Is a lamb a sheep?
1:03:08 Speaker 01 Uh, yeah. Yeah.
1:03:10 Theo Von? They make Christmas ornaments, mugs, candles, soap dishes, and bowls. One thing that I think's pretty special is last night Jenna, who is the current director.
1:03:19 Theo Von? Drove three hours up here to bring us ornaments from them. And we have a video right now that she sent.
1:03:26 Speaker 07 Radical pottery is very personal for me as it gave me my life back. But this isn't just about me. It's about the hundreds of women who have walked through the door hopeless, beaten, and not sure if they were going to live to see another day. And I get the privilege to watch women find hope and the lights come back on in their eyes and watch them regain their lives back. I get to watch women get their children back to buy their first cars, to buy their first houses, things that we think we were never going to achieve. And only through the dignified work and the safety of Radical Pottery were these women able to just heal.
1:04:05 Theo Von? Well, thank you, Jenna. Thanks so much for bringing them. I'm glad that we could talk about them. And yeah, this is great. You can go in here, buy one item and tell the story when you give it away to somebody.
1:04:22 Theo Von? Yeah, thanks, Mike, so much for helping out and just for inspiring. I think this whole energy, just like in reminding us about America that it's a thing. We interviewed Ken Burns recently and he does a lot of the documentaries and he talked about the American Revolution. And he's like, it's not that America got started and it's just going to be that way forever. It's like you have to keep America, America. It's this malleable thing that's constantly evolving that can, it can come or go, you know? But the only thing that keeps it going is, is us.
1:04:52 Speaker 01 If we really want to celebrate the people who are making stuff here, whether it's an ornament or an axe, we got to support them.
1:05:01 Theo Von? Yeah, stuff like this is important to me, you know? I think some people think that, you know, America this or America that, but in the end, America is just us. It's us. And it's how we like operate and how we choose to operate. And if we can choose to buy something from our neighbor, then we win. Did I learn so many stories of so many different groups today? It was great. I mean, the guys chopping down trees that are bad and turning them into wood that we can use for products, you know? Knowing that Nakona Gloves sent their gloves over to people in World War II so that those guys could have a respite from the nightmare to throw a baseball back and forth for a few minutes.
1:05:35 Speaker 01 And do something that feels like home.
1:05:37 Theo Von? Yeah.
1:05:38 Speaker 01 When they're on the other side of the world.
1:05:40 Theo Von? There's a family that's challenging, like, you know, sure, you could buy fruit from some of these companies that have been doing it for hundreds of years and stuff, but you could also get it from a company that's been doing it for 15 or 20 years that that has five people working at it that can ship them out, you know, it's like, there's just different options out there. And sometimes some of those options don't get as much advertising or don't get the word out there. So, yeah, and if you see something that you guys like, just let us know in the comments. And if we couldn't feature one of your products and we'd spoken to you, we're really sorry about that. Some of it just became time. Like, we thought this would take a few hours and we've been here for probably 12 hours, which is, it's okay, you know, it's just, but it is a, it's a long day. And so we tried our best. And I know that you tried your best, too.
1:06:22 Speaker 01 Everybody we introduced you to, though, has a, has a spirit that we admire. That's Christmas.
1:06:30 Theo Von? Yeah. Oh, oh, oh. Happy holidays, Mike.
1:06:35 Speaker 01 Happy holidays, Theo.
Previous #626 - Baby Me Next #627 - Leanne Morgan Page updated October 31, 2026 · transcript and summary are machine-generated
