Samantha Brown's Places to Love | The Makers | Season 6

-This episode of "Places to Love" shines a bright light on the makers -- people who have dedicated their lives to create items that are one of a kind.

Makers are experts in paying attention to detail, being as respectful to their craft as the materials and tools they use.

And through their craft, we understand our own place in history -- what came before to something that has never before been done.

Ultimately, makers offer us an antidote to our high-speed world, something tangible that we can hold, wear, and hear, that directly connects us to the human spirit.

That is why, on this "Places to Love," we celebrate the makers.

[ Upbeat tune plays ] I'm Samantha Brown, and I've traveled all over this world.

And I'm always looking to find the destinations, the experiences, and, most importantly, the people who make us feel like we're really a part of a place.

That's why I have a love of travel and why these are my places to love.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" is made possible by... -Exploring the world for over 150 years.

Guests cruise to nearly 400 ports of call around the globe, exploring over 100 countries.

Live music at sea fills each evening.

Dining venues feature selections from a Culinary Council of chefs.

Offering mid-sized ship experiences with handcrafted itineraries, personal service, and connections to the destinations guests visit.

-The endless deserts, canyons, and stunning vistas between Denver and Moab deserve to be traveled.

Rocky Mountaineer.

Proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

-The world is full of breathtaking destinations and experiences.

AAA wants to help turn vacation dreams into reality.

Wherever you want to go, AAA has services to help you before, during, and after your trip.

Learn more at AAA.com/LIVETV.

♪ ♪ ♪ We begin in Boston, Massachusetts, a city where history was made, and it's well-known for its history of makers.

And located in a famous neighborhood where really tasty things are made, is a very special institution.

-I'm Sarah Turner.

I'm the president of the North Bennet Street School, and we're a craft and trade school located in Boston's North End.

We're 140 years old.

And we train in the areas of bookbinding and carpentry, jewelry making and repair, violin making and repair, preservation carpentry, cabinet and furniture making, locksmithing and security technology, and two piano programs.

-We were literally in a building filled with makers.

-Yes.

-And is there a certain focus?

And what is that focus?

-Yeah, it's a good question.

I think, you know, we really focus on craft and trade and the things that sort of intersect between those two.

It's like we're the actors behind the scenes.

You know, we make and repair the violins, we make and repair the jewelry, but we're like a supporting role to a lot of institutions that our people work for and a lot of the communities that we're part of.

So kind of a quieter role.

-Sarah, I love that right now I am in a room that is dedicated to the art of bookbinding.

Bookbinding?

Who knew?

-Yeah.

The students are learning to make books absolutely, completely.

-Mm-hmm.

-They go through a variety of book structures.

So, understanding how books have been made so that they can repair those and make them themselves.

-Mm-hmm.

-And so they are doing binding, they are doing gilding, they are making covers, they are stitching carefully the bindings by hand.

And it's amazing what they make.

It's so beautiful and useful.

We love books.

-Yeah.

-And the idea that this, what's happening here, isn't just about preserving a skill just for history's sake so we don't lose this.

A lot of times, there's this sense we're going to lose this art form if we don't keep moving forward.

Here it's because, you know, it's actually a really good career.

-Yeah, and it's needed.

-It's a love of the object.

It is someone who wants to be in service to other people in many ways... -Mm-hmm.

-...because it is supporting other institutions or other people's property or building someone's home or preserving something that has a legacy much longer than yourself.

So it's all of those things.

-All of those things.

You know, if something's broken, you don't throw it away.

We can fix it.

That's right.

We really honor that part of it, too.

Exactly what you said.

You kind of fix things and you preserve things and you don't just dispose of it.

-Mm-hmm.

[ Piano keys playing ] -Got better, right?

-I love that.

That's amazing.

-Tuning is the thing that people think of piano technicians doing the most.

-Mm-hmm.

-And it certainly is the main thrust of our program here.

We spend, by far, more time practicing aural tuning than anything else.

But there's this whole mechanical system inside there.

-Holy mackerel!

-And I'll just rest on your thigh right there.

-Oh, my gosh.

Wow.

Oh.

Oh.

[ Both laugh ] Well, that's just fun.

-Yeah.

-Just kind of seeing that, it really is like opening up a car and understanding.

I had no idea that's how the engine works, and just all the parts.

I mean, it's just -- The piano is gorgeous.

The sound that it makes, and then its mechanics, as well.

-Mm-hmm.

[ Electronic music plays ] ♪ -Well, actually, let's just start with what did your dad create?

-Bob Moog invented the Moog synthesizer in 1964.

[ Electronic fanfare ] -And in Asheville, North Carolina, there's an entire interactive museum dedicated to a man who was a pioneer in the making of new sounds.

In 1980, Bob Moog moved his family to Asheville, a town that's always been welcoming to creative people, whether it's customizing handmade fishing rods or distilling uniquely Appalachian spirits.

So a man who helped redefine the very idea of music fit right in.

-When I explain the magnitude of the Moog synthesizer to little kids, you know, I say to them, "Imagine that you went out on a playground one day, and there was this huge box of crayons that had 250,000 different new colors that you had never seen before."

-Uh-huh.

-"Imagine the new art that you would make, the new art that everyone around you would be making.

That's how the Moog synthesizer changed music."

-And the Moogseum represents a moment that quite literally revolutionized music.

-We really felt like it was important to bring his legacy, his life, and work alive for people of all walks of life to be able to understand, because it's not just that he revolutionized the face of music, but it's also a story and history of American invention.

-And it takes a pretty significant.

level of technology to create another significant level of technology.

-So, was this one of the first Moog synthesizers?

-Yes.

This one was built in the mid-'60s.

-Uh-huh.

-This is the one that was built after the one that Micky Dolenz bought.

-Micky Dolenz of the Monkees?

-Of the Monkees.

The Monkees were one of the first pop groups to use a Moog synthesizer.

-I love the Monkees.

-Oh, yeah, yeah.

-So they weren't monkeying around?

-No, they weren't.

Yeah.

-[ Chuckles ] -So here's the triangle wave.

[ Note plays ] As you can see, it's ingeniously called the triangle wave because it looks like a triangle.

-I love when it's simple.

I love when it's simple, August.

Now turn that knob -- the waveform knob -- and get a sawtooth.

[ Note plays ] There we go.

-Ah, nice.

Uh-huh.

-And now we go to the next, which is a square wave.

[ Note plays ] And you can tell that they all have a different quality to the sound.

-Mm-hmm.

So, this is the classic Minimoog sound.

-Yeah, the classic Minimoog.

-And that was important because then musicians could actually play it onstage, where before they were just in recording studios and universities.

-Yeah.

-People could see it in action.

-And you could dial up the sound and... [ Music plays ] [ Chuckles ] -That is just like the '80s are calling.

right there.

Is my home perm back?

[ Both laugh ] -Right, the big hair.

-Oh, my gosh.

I mean, for me, this was just music.

I didn't realize all the technology behind this and just being able to change sound.

I guess it really brought up the question, "What is music?"

-Oh, absolutely.

I like what Frank Zappa said.

He said, anything that could be presented as music can be consumed as music, like, whatever it is.

If you say, "This is my music," you're right.

[ Electronic music plays ] -From creating something totally new to the special care of the old.

We go to Bozeman, Montana, a beautiful city in the Rocky Mountains, where this type of footwear has always been important.

But these hardworking boots need nurturing.

And in Bozeman, this is where they come to "heel."

I'm Garrett Carter, and I'm a head cobbler at Carter's Boots and Repair in Bozeman, Montana.

I grew up in the shop, and then 18 years old, I started working here.

And I found a passion for what I was doing here.

And now I'm here and, I'm taking over the business.

-So, this is our patient, right here?

-Yeah.

So we got some nice Lucchese boots of a customer of ours.

And as you can see, he's worn down the heel back over here.

We just need to replace that heel everybody kicks through.

-"Kicks through" -- what does that mean?

-So, like, when you're walking, you tend to strike your heel.

-Yeah.

Okay.

-Through your stride.

Everybody does it.

I'm the youngest person I know of that is a cobbler and plans to be a cobbler in the future.

The art form is fading just 'cause people don't think of a cobbler to bring their shoes or boots to anymore.

They just throw them away.

Now, the heel base is pretty level, but I'll have to sand it and get it level.

[ Sander scraping heel ] -This repair shop is just incredible.

There's so many layers of tools and materials and machines.

Can you repair any type of shoe?

-We repair boots and shoes, but I also repair jackets, belts, luggage.

We've done a hot air balloon once.

Had to pull the sewing machine out into the parking lot to do that.

♪ And then I'll send that all the way off.

-So, you can sand rubber?

-Yeah.

-Oh, okay, 'cause I was gonna say, it feels like it's sticking out from the actual... -Yeah.

You don't want it to be sticking out.

You want to be nice and flush up against there.

-Yeah, yeah.

[ Sander whirring ] ♪ -So you sanded all of this color away, as well?

Yeah.

So then I'll refinish that edge.

-Okay.

Does that just take a stain?

-Yeah.

-You make that look very easy.

But I bet you that took years of practice just to get it right, so it didn't go all over the boot.

-Takes a little bit of practice.

Not a lot.

This is usually where all of our new employees start.

-Is that right?

-Yeah.

That way, they're finishing it up, they see the finished product, and then they have appreciation for that.

-Yeah.

Sense of accomplishment.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-In Montana, I would imagine people, men and women, have more than one pair of cowboy boots.

Is that true?

-Yes.

For some people, they're a tool.

Some people, they're casual.

Some people, they're both.

-Just thinking as a lady, if I saw a man walk in with a really well-worn pair of cowboy boots, I'd be like, "Hmm.

Hi."

-Yeah.

[ Both laugh ] Personally, I would much rather have a nice pair of shoes to show that I can maintain myself, and I'm not, you know, dirty, grimy all the time.

-Okay, so, a woman is also looking for that.

-Is he brushing his teeth, is he doing his daily hygiene, or is he just going to work and coming back inside?

-And the cowboy boot tells all.

-Yeah.

Well, not all, but... -Whoo!

That is sharp.

Gorgeous.

He is gonna have a great Saturday night.

-Yes.

-And what else will the well-dressed gentleman need to complete his ensemble?

Well, in San Antonio, Texas, there's a shop that offers beautifully tailored shirts that you can take with you today.

But if you really want to up your game for that Saturday night, you have Dos Carolinas customize one for you.

And I found out that this is much more complex than it seems.

So, how many different steps of customization does a man deciding what he wants his shirt to look like have to go through?

-Well, the very first thing is, you have to decide what style you want.

Do you want it with embroidery?

Do you want it with just the pleating?

Four pockets, you want two pockets?

A special collar?

Do you want long sleeve, short sleeve, French cuffs?

What style do you want your monogram in, and where do you want it placed?

-Men go through this?

-I'm Caroline Matthews, and this is my company, Dos Carolinas, that I started in 1987.

We design custom guayaberas, which are an ethnic shirt with pleats, pockets, and embroidery.

They exist in every country the Spanish invaded in the 1600s.

-This shirt is synonymous with that Texas look, right?

As much as we associate the cowboy hat, cowgirl boots, you've got the guayabera.

-Everybody thinks that only Hispanics wear this shirt.

And I can assure you that is not the case.

-Texans wear this shirt.

-Texans wear this shirt.

It's worn with jeans and boots.

-Mm-hmm.

And then you see it with black dress pants.

And we've made it in silk.

And they wear it for weddings and special occasions.

And every single shirt step is really a customization to that customer's desire.

-So, this is the thread color?

-Those are the embroidery.

-These are the embroidery patterns?

-Mm-hmm.

This is the fabric.

-These are thousands of choices -- combinations that I could pick to truly customize.

-And you can have a one of a kind.

-This isn't the simple shirt I thought it was going to be.

There's a lot that goes into this.

-Yes.

The very first thing is to think about what shirt you want, because then it dictates what fabrics work, because some fabrics work better on some shirts than others.

-Mm-hmm.

-This is a four-pocket style.

Most of the ones you'll see here are four-pockets, because that is our, you know, what most people want.

-That is the most traditional look.

What do you put in for pockets?

-Well, some guys have us stitch it so they can carry their cigar.

-Okay.

-Then, some people want it with an extra pocket inside so that their iPhone doesn't slip out when they bend over.

-Oh, my gosh, -There are all kinds of options for pocket.

-Can of worms here.

Are these all basically yours?

-Yeah, they're all my design.

And then we just change them up.

I mean, these are all basically the same shirt, but they hardly look the same.

-No, not at all.

-That's the bespoke.

I mean, we make it in wool.

-Wow.

-I mean, it's a lightweight tropical-weight wool.

Guayabera is a Texas winter-weight jacket.

-Sorry, being from New England, tropical-weight wool, I've never heard of.

-Believe me, we live in tropical.

If we're gonna wear wool down here, it better be tropical-weight.

-Tropical-weight wool.

You learn something new every day.

But what you're kind of, like, awakening me to is the fact that men can get very specific.

That's not really how we think of men when they're choosing.

"Just pick me that shirt and get 10 of the same color."

They get pretty fastidious.

-Yes.

I once had a customer tell me that shopping at Dos Carolinas is as much fun as shopping at the liquor store.

[ Both laugh ] -From San Antonio.

We're now going to skip across the Lone Star State, over to Houston.

And -- truth in advertising -- it also has an inspired, fashion-forward design house.

But this one creates custom clothing from very unexpected sources.

-I'm Sarah-Jayne Smith.

In 2011, I founded a company called Magpies & Peacocks, here in Houston.

We collect old fabrics, clothing scraps, bolts, sample fabrics, anything we can get our hands on, and turn them into brand-new products.

-You have a lot of fabric.

-Lots of fabric.

Since we started, we've probably diverted about 167 tons of textiles from landfill, mainly fabric.

So, in the interior-design community, when they do a custom sofa for you, a chair, they're always left with anywhere from 20 to 5 yards.

You can't do much with custom furniture, but for a designer that is Candy Land.

The shirt I have on comes from an end of bolt.

And if you see on here, our elite designers, when they're making collections, they put their name on it.

So, Clarence is gonna turn this into some upcycled fabulous.

-Oh.

-It could be a shirt, it could be a coat, a skirt, something for you and I.

Hint, hint, Clarence, if you're watching.

Samantha and I would like something.

But this is where they pull from.

[ Sewing machine whirring ] -So, this is where the magic happens.

-This is where the magic happens.

So, this is production.

So you'll see someone cutting, measuring, pinning things together here.

So this is the making of a gorgeous cape that's coming to life.

And then we're over here.

There's pattern making, pattern grading.

And we have, like, our rising-star designer.

She's pulling fabrics for her collection.

So when I talked about them actually pulling, that's what she's doing.

She's gonna put a name on it and then it's gonna be.

-Does she know that Clarence took that whole -- Yeah, the barrel over there.

It's, like, cool.

-And then we have -- Everybody's, like, in their own zone, but then they're also working together.

No one owns anything.

It's the tribe, we call ourselves.

The tribe owns everything.

And garment workers in some countries make under $3 a day.

Mainly female.

-Historically, right?

-Historically.

We pay double the minimum wage because they need to have a living wage and a great social life, home life, personal life.

And we encourage them to start their own businesses.

-That's an incredible business model.

So you're not only dealing with fabrics that were bound for trash heaps and just filling up landfills.

It's all about treating people humanely, giving them a fair wage so we can have good lives and just kind of all be in it together.

-Exactly.

We say, with that sewing machine, you can do wonders.

Once you learn that skill, no one can take that away from you.

It just opens up the doors.

And that's really giving someone a sense of purpose.

And that's what it's about for us.

Magpies & Peacocks also has a small retail outlet on site, and it truly is gratifying to know that what you're buying and enjoying is out in the world and not in a landfill.

And I like this outfit so much that I wore it the next day for our episode in Houston.

And guess who designed it?

[ Chord plays ] Many of the makers we visited have something in common.

They renew, they restore, they repurpose.

Materials aren't just casually disposed of.

They're reinvented.

This really hit home during our visit to Louisville.

Throughout the state of Kentucky, there are millions of oak barrels being used to age and add flavor to bourbon.

Once the bourbon is bottled, what's gonna happen to all those barrels?

Here's one innovative possibility.

So, this is white oak.

-Yes.

-And this is the wood that we see in the forests here.

They turn it into bourbon barrels.

They're used for, what, a minimum of four years?

-Minimum four years, yeah.

-Can't be used again for bourbon.

-No, they can't.

-So we break them apart, and then you get them.

-We use them.

-And what Matt Jamie uses them for is to influence the flavors of over 75 food products that he makes here at Bourbon Barrel Foods.

Take, for example, Bourbon Barrel smoked salt.

Ohh.

[ Chuckling ] Whoa.

-This is actually a domestically harvested sea salt.

So it's Pacific Ocean sea salt.

-Okay.

-And everyone loves salt.

-They know how to use it, right?

But you put "bourbon smoked" in front of something, and suddenly it complicates everything.

So this adds a layer of flavor.

What do you think, out of your 75 products, is the one that raises the most eyebrows, like, "You're doing what?"

-The soy sauce is kind of what started it all.

-That's right.

Bourbon Barrel aged soy sauce.

Matt makes four different varieties.

His signature Bluegrass Soy Sauce is even exported to Japan.

-When we do our tastings, the sugar in the strawberry will help cut through some of that salinity and allow you to taste some of those underlying notes.

-Wow.

-Soy sauce typically has five ingredients, so soybeans, wheat, salt, water, yeast.

Our sixth ingredient is the bourbon barrel, right?

-Mm-hmm.

And although this traditional procedure of making soy sauce is similar to the way it's done in Japan, it's Matt's final step, the 12-month process of aging and fermenting inside charred bourbon barrels, that gives his products their unique flavors.

One of Matt's varieties, which is placed in the same smoker as the salt, is so potent that you need an eye dropper to add it to foods.

-I mean, it tastes like country ham.

-Ohhh.

-Yeah.

I mean, it's my understanding of being from Kentucky that allowed me to think that soy sauce could be sold here.

You know, I mean, it's -- it's fun.

I mean, that's the best part about it, is that this doesn't really feel like work.

[ Guitar plays soft jazz ] This is Howard Paul.

In addition to being a very busy professional jazz musician, he's the president and CEO of Benedetto Guitars, which is based here in the city of Savannah, Georgia.

Savannah has a deserved reputation as one of the most beautiful cities in the United States, so it makes perfect sense that a musical instrument this gorgeous would be made from scratch here.

♪ That was beautiful.

-Thank you.

That is so beautiful.

And that is the sound that everyone wants to have when they're playing.

-That's kind of what a jazz guitar is supposed to be.

-Mm-hmm.

So I've heard of a jazz guitar, but I really don't know what makes them different from any other guitar.

-Right.

So, jazz guitars are identifiable because they have these F holes, That's the first giveaway.

Originally, they were designed to project through a big band.

So, when you pluck a note... [ Note plays ] ...how long does it sustain a level of projection?

[ Chord plays ] How loud can you make it?

So if you're playing in a big band, you can... [ Chords play ] ...comp chords and propel the band with the bass and drums.

And then how balanced they are when you play individual melodies.

[ Melody plays ] -When you have your solo.

-When you have a solo.

-You got to get a shine.

-Exactly.

-And it's amazing, as I'm holding this right here, they are made right there.

-That's right.

-[ Chuckles ] [ Sander whirring ] Every element in a Benedetto guitar is handcrafted in this building.

These artisans produce only around 120 instruments a year, many of them commissioned and custom designed, which means they can range in price from about $5,000 to upwards of $50,000.

What makes a guitar $50,000?

-It's a combination of the quality of the materials that we're buying.

The tops and the backs are all European tone woods mostly.

They have to be cured for many years so that they're dry enough to be able to sculpt.

And then the act of actually sculpting these into a fine instrument that's completely balanced, every note you play, 'cause you don't know, when you're working with a raw piece of material.

That takes a really, really highly skilled and very experienced artisan.

[ Sander scraping wood ] Damon Mailand was personally mentored by company founder Bob Benedetto for several years before becoming Howard's master luthier.

And he knows these instruments from their beginnings.

From before their beginnings.

-I love all the parts of the process, really, right from sourcing the wood and examining the lumber.

You start to read it at that point, really, how to feel that wood and know when you've carved it thinly enough.

You flex it, you start to get a feel for how it's going to respond to the string tension and you can start to hear it resonate and ring.

[ Finger thumping guitar back ] -Mm-hmm.

[ Guitar plays soft jazz ] -When you travel, always connect to the makers.

Reserve time to marvel at a technical and creative process that is always growing, because in the end, what you hear, taste, or hold is never a final product, but a reminder to ourselves what it means to be our own curious works in progress, that deep within us, all lies a place to love.

♪ For more information about this and other episodes, destination guides, or links to follow me on social media, log on to placestolove.com.

Samantha Brown's "Places to Love" was made possible by... ♪ ♪ ♪ -The world is full of breathtaking destinations and experiences.

AAA wants to help turn vacation dreams into reality.

Wherever you want to go, AAA has services to help you before, during, and after your trip.

Learn more at AAA.com/LIVETV.

-The endless deserts, canyons, and stunning vistas between Denver and Moab deserve to be traveled.

Rocky Mountaineer.

Proud sponsor of "Places to Love."

-Exploring the world for over 150 years.

Guests cruise to nearly 400 ports of call around the globe, exploring over 100 countries.

Live music at sea fills each evening.

Dining venues feature selections from a Culinary Council of chefs.

Offering mid-sized ship experiences with handcrafted itineraries, personal service, and connections to the destinations guests visit.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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