Regular readers of this newspaper may have noticed in recent months that we’ve spent decidedly little time discussing the so-called “fiscal cliff” and related banter surrounding an alleged deadline that pundits repeatedly said was destined to plunge the nation into an economic death spiral. If we did broach the subject of this absurd apocalyptic tale, it was generally to mock the proponents of such preposterous terminology, which suggested a doomsday scenario on par with alleged end-of-the world Mayan prophecies, debunked when the world didn’t end on Dec. 21, 2012. Like the Y2K madness of 13 years ago, the fiscal cliff was and is an invented notion that never actually existed. No one could accurately define it or predict what would happen if we “went over” it. But mainstream media outlets repeated the politically-derived term so many times that they began to believe it was real.Perhaps most ridiculous about the notion of this impending financial suicide was the fact that expiring tax breaks would have created more revenue, allowing the country to start paying down its debts. As much as $4 trillion in new funds would have been made available to help tackle $16 trillion in debt. A sliding scale of increased taxes would have affected all Americans, with greater percentage increases for those making more money. If anything, the scenario represented a fiscal staircase.President Barack Obama and and members of the U.S. House and Senate went along with the “fiscal cliff” game of blackmail in recent weeks, offering increasingly heated rhetoric to help stir public fear and discontent. Predictably, a last-minute deal passed the House and Senate on Jan. 1, 2013, making tax cuts permanent for Americans making up to $450,000, including most Congressmen and the president. More importantly, it gave self-serving politicians a reason to give themselves a pat on the back.Constant yammering about the so-called fiscal cliff has turned out to be for naught, as real tax reform would have included increased taxes for the approximately 2 percent of Americans who make more than $250,000 per year. Continuous crying that this somehow would have ruined the economy was one of the biggest lies of 2012. Now that the “fiscal cliff” crack-of-doom predictions have subsided, politicians will have to find another subject with which to scare their constituents into believing they are powerless in the 21st century economy.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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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.
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