Gentlemen,

I may have landed a custom-designed straight razor rack as a result of a simple inquiry at a local hardware store.

Last week my wife and I were out an about when we stopped at a local hardware store for some furnace filters. On a whim, I flashed a smile and asked one of the clerks with an old Marine's rugged face if he knew of such a product I could use for a straight razor stand.

Of course, the store carried no such products. After explaining what precisely I was looking for, he said, "I'll tell you what, I'll make one for you?"

He explained he had a huge bundle of various woods in his workshop at home and could come up with something for me. "Bring me the dimensions of what you're looking for," he added.

I asked how much he would charge for something like that. "Nothing," he said. "I'll make you one. I like working with wood."

What more can I say, gentlemen? In two weeks, when he returns from vacation, I will set up a time to see him, show him a straight razor, and let the artist in him soar with a wooden rack that will hold a dozen razors.

I am delighted I discovered a genuine artist. When he finishes my straight razor rack, I will offer him, as a token of my appreciation, one of my wife's signature banana cakes.

So here is to the old Marines with the artist's heart.

Regards,

Obie