I just experienced the 1st direct, explicit impact on my life by the Trump Tariffs, albeit a minor one in the grander scheme of things. (I imagine I’ve experienced a lot of indirect effects too.)
Every now and then I buy something from a store in London called Farlows. (They seem to be an Orvis-like thing.) I was trying to buy something online, but it wouldn’t let me pay. So, I called.
A very friendly and helpful guy explained they had suspended sales and shipments to US customers.
Why? Because many US customers were appalled by the tariff add-on and were returning their purchases. Farlows had to eat shipping and re-stocking costs. It just wasn’t worth it to them.
How I found Farlows in the 1st place is one of those typically long-winded Harrison stories.
Part 1.
My Dad had a flat cap which I really liked. He bought them from a store in Middleburg, VA, which is affluent horse country. I inherited one but eventually wore it out. Over the years, I drove to Middleburg and scoured all the stores several times. No luck.
Part 2.
We’re watching season 1 of Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen series on Netflix. (It’s a fantastic series, by the way. Season 2 might come out in 2026.) One of the characters, Geoff, is gamekeeper and fixer for the estate of a modern-day Duke in England. And lo and behold, Geoff is wearing the cap. Or something very close to it.
Part 3.
I say, what the hell. I find the costume designer for the series and send her an email.
Amazingly, she responds the same day:
“Good afternoon, Reed, Geoff wore an 8 panel Baker Boy style flap cap. I vaguely remember this came from Farlows on Pall Mall in central London. I hope that helps! Best wishes.”
According to the signature block on her email, her nickname is “Buttercup.”
Buttercup is the hero of this story.
Part 4.
I go to Farlows’ website and buy 2 of them.
Isn’t life wonderful? From people willing to help a total stranger with a weirdo request … to the technology that allowed the whole thing to happen.
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Ha – what a great story, thank you for sharing – and please post us a picture!
Come on Reed. You can always fly to London and get one( make it 2, one for me)
Hi Val, Thought of using Bunny’s sister who lives in Devon as an intermediary but don’t want to get her arrested. 🙂 It’s 29 here. Go take a swim and play golf for me.
I haven’t played much(relatively speaking). Been swimming more though. I started taking another set of golf lessons- just want to know if there is any hope…