The Philly
Mag article, which can be found here "The Mad Man's Next Act"
speaks of how Steven Grasse’s successful career and company has progressed over
the years. Steve’s company, Quaker City
Mercantile (previously Gyro Worldwide) is a premier advertising company
representing big names including Coca Cola, Budweiser, Philly Car Share, Ecco,
Rock Band, Wawa, Virgin Records, and the list goes on.
While still
successfully promoting others, Mr. Grasse decided to start making his own
products and lines. He wants something
that is pure, genuine, and untainted from so many influences. He began to do so with Sailor Jerry; a store,
clothing line, and rum based on the late great tattoo artist Norman Collins,
aka Sailor Jerry. It quickly gained
national acclaim selling $16 million in merchandise in 2007.
In 2008,
Grasse sold Sailor Jerry to William Grant & Sons, the 122 year old Scottish
distiller, who actually produced the Sailor Jerry Rum for Grasse. Grasse still continues to do the advertising
for the line. When William Grant &
Sons were creating a new product, they once again turned to Grasse to create
the entire brand image for Hendrick’s Gin.
With the
profits from sailing Sailor Jerry, Grasse started Art in the Age of Mechanical
Reproduction, based on the article by Walter Bejamin. The store Rissay designed and built emits
homemade authenticity, just as the products it houses. Steve wishes to continually offer genuine
goods that you can trace to their roots.
With the store and that concept, he created Root, a liquor of its own
kind based on a drink made by Pennsylvania’s indigenous people. The drink itself, which is quite good if I
may say, is a huge success as sales keep climbing. It is produced by an organic distillery in California,
which is producing a new liquor for him called Snap, base on gingersnap cookies,
which should be available this spring.
Steven Grasse isn’t stopping there. He has bought an old general store in Tamworth, NH, and has plans to create a micro-distillery. After much success with the Art in the Age store, and work done by us at his personal residence, Steve has commissioned Rissay to design and coordinate the construction of the new micro-distillery. After a trip up to his personal farm house in Tamworth, we were excited to begin surveying and designing the distillery. As with all things involving Steven Grasse, big things are in the works.
You can see more of Art in the Age here, "AITA by Rissay Ltd. on ABC 6" (approx. 3:25 into the video), as Steve personally gives a tour to ABC 6 of the store. Although the video walks you through the store, nothing can beat visiting 116 N. 3rd Street and experiencing it in person.
