Business wants to grow. The problem facing business in this century is that, already, the 7 billion people on this planet are consuming 140 percent of the renewable resources of the planet. And the forecast is that there will be another 2 billion people within 40 years.Forward-thinking business leaders, many of them at the head of multinational big business, have begun to plan for a more sustainable future, one in which we consume a lower proportion of the resources of the planet yet maintain the profitability of their businesses. Remember that capitalism business is built on the premise that we must not, individually, become the master of our self-urges, our desires. Forward-thinking big business has begun to realize that there does not need to be a conflict between good business and good planet husbandry — that there can be a middle way to maintain profitability, maintain customers and grow the business bottom line. They have begun to realize — as a model for their sustainability as businesses — that we must do more with less, we have to get significantly more efficient in how we manufacture, transport, retail and handle product. Business is, for example, pushing banking systems to allow wages to be paid directly into workers’ accounts. Less paperwork, less travel to and from banks to deposit checks and, in much of the underdeveloped countries like India, preventing wage earners losing up to 30 percent of their earnings as they seek to cash paychecks.And there is a growing realization in big business (not yet Wall Street or banking) that you cannot be a paradise island of prosperity in a sea of poverty. There are multi-nationals who have even changed their buying policy, switching from huge farming companies and wholesalers, to using 50,000 small farm holdings. And they are working with those small farms to get them to increase crop yields and use fewer pesticides or go organic. Walmart is outselling organic produce more than most supermarkets. How? Why? Because to sustain their buyer base requires their responsibility towards the health of the produce they sell and, in the process, the health of the community in which they trade. In short, like Henry Ford paying a wage three times higher than his competitors, if the local economy is solid, people will buy more and become customers for life. If the people also stay healthier, they will be customers longer.A perfect example of a company seeing the way forward is Patagonia, a clothing retailer. Their current slogan is “Do not buy our clothes.” What they go on to explain is that you should repair, reuse and enjoy the longevity of their clothing, rather than bowing to trend or being wasteful. It builds customer loyalty, brands the product as being long lasting and economical and treats the consumer with respect. Ask any patron of Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hermes — ask them how long and how economical their suitcase is. We have a suitcase that my parents bought in 1955, repaired, beaten leather, still elegant and strong as new. What Patagonia is doing is planning for a sustainable business future for their company, one that allows a more resource economical use of the planet’s finite product, and yet one that builds customer base.Look, this is simple: would you buy a forged shovel with an ash handle made the way they did in the 1960s, built to last for $50 or do you want to buy a new one for $28 with a cheap wood handle and stamped blade that will probably only last 5 years? Yes, you do need to invest, you do need to get control of your urges to have it now, right now, can’t wait to save for the good one. But in doing so you could be doing the planet some good and, in the process, allowing business to get onto the bandwagon for a more sustainable future. Forward-thinking businesses may soon lead the way. It is, however, also up to the individual to make a difference. As a consumer you do not have to go without a shovel or coat — just make sure you are buying one that will serve your best interests, long term. Your long term is the same as the planet’s: sustainability. Peter Riva, a former resident of Amenia Union, now lives in New Mexico.
Latest News
Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
Provided
Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
