Sips and Clips

Some men just want to see the world burn. Others just want to kill fast fashion. That’s exactly what friendly neighborhood Frenchman Vincent Tallec is all about. Through his store L’Usine Bleue, he strives to see high quality clothing and workwear once again become the standard. Sourcing and finding all his goods primarily from small factories and brands in France that have been creating quality clothing for generations, his shop feels like a step into another era.  Full of French tongue twisters, this episode everything you're looking for.  Pull out you're favorite striped fisherman's sweater and prepare to go to fashion school, baby. Find L'Usine Bleue at www.lusinebleue.com.

This episode is NSFV (Not safe for Vegans), sorry about that.  For some people, Kebab is a just a quick lunch. For some of us, it’s a lifestyle, but for Jiray Seropian, it’s everything. After travelling the globe in search of the greatest kebab in existence and noticing a severe lack of quality meat in his home country, Jiray knew what he had to do. In this episode, hear how one man with no culinary background transformed his love for street food into a restaurant and movement that would change the Stockholm kebab scene forever.     Follow Jiray's worldwide food reviewing adventures on Instagram @kebabspotting, and find M.O.A.S. at meatonastick.se

Mjuk Mjuk ain’t your momma's ice cream shop. In fact, it ain’t an ice cream shop at all. It’s a soft gelato parlor straight from heaven.   Jeremy Dipaolo dreamed of working with something he was passionate about after relocating to Stockholm, so he took a trip to Italy to be trained by the ancient Wizards of Gelato and returned to change one city forever. Intentionally different than any other ice cream shop in town, Mjuk Mjuk has become a meeting hub and key business in the community it’s settled in. The story of its conception is just as interesting as the storefront and desserts they curate within.   Find Mjuk Mjuk at mjukmjuk.se.

Hailing originally from Detroit, local legend Larry Farber moved to Sweden over 30 years ago and eventually ended up in Stockholm running his own storefront called Larry’s Corner. Google calls it a cultural center, some may come to the conclusion it’s a concert venue or rare music / movie shop after their first visit, we originally heard it was a coffee and bookshop. Larry can’t even describe it exactly, and that’s part of the charm. With an interest in offbeat culture all his life, he can only sum up his shop as the best and worst parts of his brain.

‘Blivande’ means ‘becoming’, and that’s exactly what this experimental community center is constantly doing. A creative hub subtly placed in the suburb of Frihamnen, Blivande is comprised of two essential parts... A large house serving as a coworking, workshop and event space; yet more interestingly, a plethora of worn in shipping containers refurbished and turned into art galleries, venues, and a self described “secret experience” among more in the square outside. At the same time, it's so much more.   All I know is I can promise you’ve never seen something quite like this concept, and that’s simply because there is nothing else out there like it. To say more would be spoiling the story, so we'll just let Hampus and Hugi tell it in this episode!   Find Blivande at blivande.com.

Throughout the decades, skateboard culture remains. PUSH is an indoor skatepark near the center of Stockholm that’s serves as a creative hub and community center for people of all ages and backgrounds. It's skate or die with a side of kick flips and beard trim in this sweet episode. Life is boring without a little bit of skateboarding.-Find PUSH at pushsthlm.com. Now, dust off the old board and hit the pavement. 

At the surface, Snask is a design, branding, and film agency - though that label does what they truly are no justice. We got founders Fredrik and Erik in the shop to tell about their colorful and provocative journey of merging work and play while creating their own snasky world. I can confidently say you’ve never heard a story quite like theirs.-What is a pink lie? How do you turn work into a means to have fun? How does one stay pink? Find out the answers while chugging a good cup of joe while listening to this episode. -Find Snask @snasksthlm or at snask.com.

This family bleeds rhythm. Once known as THE drum tuner for all of Stockholm, Urban Näsvall started one of Europe’s biggest drum shops, Slagverket, when he was just twenty years old. Now he is the production manager for massive festivals like Sweden Rock and works with DW Drums all over the Northern Hemisphere… His son Ludwig has taken up the drum tuning mantle in his place while working as a studio musician and for the Swedish drumstick brand Wincent after kicking off his music career by playing harmonica for the Blues Brothers when he was only eight.-Musician or not, you’ll have an unforgettable time hanging out in the shop and drinking some coffee with the Näsvalls in this episiode! - 

When you have weird friends, anything is possible, thus is the story of Södermalm’s very own Bottle Shop...-A small white sign hanging above the front door boasting “Food and Laundry” is what first peaks your curiosity. Waiting within is part bar, laundromat (you read that correct), knäckebröd pizzeria, and Underjord, a microbrewery hidden in the basement from the early 1900s. You could spend a week inside Bottle Shop and not have discovered it all. If I said much more I’d be spoiling the episode, find out for yourself!-Find Bottle Shop at bottleshop.se & Underjord at underjord.eu. Sips and Clips is released bi-weekly on Saturdays. Keep up and interact with us in between episodes @sipsandclips on Instagram!

Jesper Levin is something of a local legend here in Stockholm. For fair reason, after plenty of years in the game slinging regular hot dogs from a food cart, Jesper wanted to do something different. He set out to create the WORLDS HOTTEST HOT DOG, (you read that right) while revamping his menu with American dishes both mild and spicy and rebranding as the unmissable “Helldog.”-Most Stockholmers who have been around and countless tourists alike know the story of Helldog and have lined up to visit the “Harakiri Man.” Harakiri means “suicide” in Japanese, and was a tradition in ancient Japan where the individual stabs a sword through their stomach. Cozy huh? Sets the tone for what’s to be experienced for those attempting his hot dog challenge.-Find Helldog at http://helldog.se. Sips and Clips is released bi-weekly on Saturdays. Keep up and interact with us in between episodes @sipsandclips on Instagram! 

You thought you new everything there was to know about soda.. but you clearly haven’t met David Gray. Proudly the owner of Stockholm’s sole soda shop, “Soda Nation”, David thrives in the soda trade small scale and whole sale worldwide. When I first met him at his storefront, he said he “Just wanted to make soda fun again,” and I can truly say I’ve never met someone so knowledgeable about all things fizzy.-Though not the biggest storefront, hundreds and hundreds of unique drinks from around the globe line the towering shelves of it, updated regularly in and out of season. Much of what you find within will be impossible to find anywhere else in town.-Find Soda Nation at sodanation.se-Sips and Clips is released bi-weekly on Saturdays. Keep up and interact with us in between episodes @sipsandclips on Instagram!

Hand-painting. An art form seemingly lost in a digital age of graphic design and technology... but not for Pontus Bergman and Henrik Linquist! The duo picked up sign painting as a hobby in 2015 and quickly recognized the need for their craft in the Stockholm area, creating more of a demand for what they do by starting their company Sthlm Signs the following year.-Many of the massive murals spread throughout the streets of the Sodermalm area near to where the barber shop is are curated by the gents at Sthlm Signs, though it was really when I saw their smaller, incredibly detailed work close up that I was taken away. I'm convinced that hand-painting is the only way, and I think that after listening to this episode, so will you!-This episode makes Sips and Clips history as being the first to feature two guests at once. Alongside my coworker / cohost Robin, it's double the cuts, double the coffee, and double the creative conversation with some hand-painting heroes!-Visit Sthlm Signs at http://www.sthlmsigns.se/. Sips and Clips is released bi-weekly on Saturdays. Keep up and interact with us in between episodes @sipsandclips on Instagram!

The art of motorcycling. There’s simply something about them that provokes response. To some they scream freedom, and others, danger... or something beautiful in between. For Micke Fritz, it’s a lifestyle. After running a web shop and realizing a serious lack of any motorcycle good and supply stores in town, Micke took a leap of faith and opened his very own; dubbing it “The Occasional Rider.” If you fit that description or not, you’ll feel right at home in Micke’s shop and listening to this episode!-Sips and Clips is released bi-weekly on Saturdays. Keep up and interact with us in between episodes @sipsandclips on Instagram!

PIZZZZZAAA! If you love it or hate it, its a big deal. Anyone who lives in Stockholm and has a true love for the ancient Italian delicacy has likely heard the legend of a place called 800 Grader Pizza. (In English, 800 Degrees.) Having two locations downtown, mastermind and founder Oskar Montano joins us in the shop to take us on a delicious adventure. Find out how two friends without a background in cooking set out on a journey to discover and create the best pizza experience they could. What makes pizza the most nostalgic food? How is it opening your own small business in a place where there is so much competition? What pizza topping should be illegal? There’s something for everyone on this episode of Sips and Clips!-Sips and Clips is released bi-weekly on Saturdays. Keep up and interact with us in between episodes @sipsandclips on Instagram!

Through a contact made by my boss Oskar, this time we had the honor to be joined in the shop by Christian Lindskog, lead singer of Swedish post hardcore band Blindside! From tour van crashes while in Oklahoma with Mewithoutyou, secret singing and recording techniques hidden away for generations that involve lying on the floor, ASMR, and a respectable amount of conversation about the earth being flat or not, you get it all here in this one!-Sips and Clips is released bi-weekly on Saturdays. Keep up and interact with us in between episodes @sipsandclips on Instagram. 

Right out of Södermalm this week we have our eclectic guest Gurgin! Originally finding his "Minimalism on Wheels" page / podcast on Instagram, I reached out to him to chat about his life on the road and projects; but as I tamed his mane I realized Gurgin’s story had many more layers to peel back. Leaving behind a successful life as a radio host lead our friend down the road to van life, running Sweden's most successful podcast about dogs, and one heck of a creative adventure.

The episode we didn’t know we needed, but all saw coming. I figured it wouldn’t be fair to not have on my boss and one of the guys behind MacLaren Barbers here in Stockholm.. Oskar Freiman! Barbering only scratches the surface though - With a handful of coworkers I invited to join, listen as we drive through Oskar’s journey in the coffee world, how someone who isn’t a barber runs a barber shop, and the fact that scissor wielding robots may be taking over in the near future?

The summer heat is blazing on here in Stockholm, and today in the shop we find ourselves in conversation with Paolo Guevara. Taking us through a legacy of leather, Paolo tells about his local brand Handcrafted In Sweden; all the while sowing tales of cowhide, custom creations, and leathery glory. Sit back, listen up, and imagine how much better your life would be if everything you owned was made of high quality leather. 

Welcome to the pilot of Sips And Clips! Lifting off from MacLaren Barbers in Stockholm, Sweden  - we meet Benjamin Andersen. A Norwegian hero behind the heritage brand "Red Hat Factory," among many other creative endeavours. After nearly forgetting to serve my guest the coffee, we come in hot with topics such as generating orcs while learning how to play guitar and starting a brand from scratch. Grab yourself something freshly brewed and take in the sounds of the shop.