This year marks the 10th
anniversary of my funky handmade shop for crossbody hobo bags and
upcycled clothing: The Hobo Train. Wow! It has been a helluva ride
aboard The Hobo Train and I look forward to many more years of riding
the rails! If you want to check out the shop, head on over: www.thehobotrain.com .
Over the years I've had countless conversations with curious customers about my business and about the unique way in which I live. In particular I often get asked about my shop name and I'm always
thrilled to indulge. Read on to hear about it.
At a life-changing music festival in
the hot summer of 2006 I decided to start making large over shoulder
bags and selling them at craft shows. They are commonly called hobo
bags or crossbody hobo bags. Funnily enough I connected immediately
with the word hobo. The original hobos were free-spirited wanderers
who thirsted for new horizons and adventures and traveled the countryside by hopping trains. I am a love-filled
free-spirit who thrives on learning new things and expanding my realm
of experience. So it was an instant match.
But what do hobo bags have to do with
hobos, you may ask? Well, today's hobo bag is an updated version of
the bindle, the fabric sack that the hobo would commonly carry on the
end of his stick that he propped over his shoulder. The bindle was
the original hobo bag and it was a precious carryall for his worldly
possessions and a witness to his many adventures, too.
The crossbody hobo bags that I lovingly
make have a similar purpose in mind. They are not just any old over
shoulder bag. They are a loyal and ever-ready companion for any
journey, pilgrimage, trek, venture, march, or migration you might
take or be swept into. They are up to the task for going to the
grocery store at midnight, totally game for a chicken bus ride
through Guatemala, and ready to jump in with both feet to any hippie
happening there is. They will happily accompany you on your
adventures and surely lead you on some too. They can carry your
stuff to work, can chill on the beach, and they can rock out at a
music festival.
Now what's behind all this sweet soul
adventuring? Is it running away? Is it futile wandering? It might
appear to be so at times. But the word hobo itself holds the key.
It actually contains the answer within it. Hobo is a contraction of
the two words 'HOmeward BOund'. The hobo is always searching for his
or her home, the place that feels right, the place that belongs to
him or her. This isn't something that can just be picked off a map
or decided at random. It is something that must be discovered, felt,
and experienced. And not everyone finds that place. But all the
adventures, all the wildness, all the novelty, all the risk and all
the rewards lead to the same place...
They all the lead home.
So when you're carrying your crossbody
hobo bag you are in fact ready for any adventure, big or small, and
you are part of a decades-old tradition of soul exploration that will
also find you going in the right direction. Home.
To take a peek at my adventure-filled crossbody hobo bags,
hop aboard The Hobo Train for a soul-sizzling ride!!
