Farm and Fleet

I'm not sure what the demographic profile of this blog is specifically, so those of you who read this may not be familiar with Farm and Fleet. You see there is a particular culture that exists in the northern reaches of Illinois and extends through Wisconsin. That is the dairy farm/deer hunting culture. And while this has not been profiled by literary giants, it is a palpable culture. And an enterprising family, the Blain's, conceived of a retail emporium to meet their specific needs: Farm and Fleet.

How did I find out about F&F? Well you see a while back I was brunching at the Center on Halsted and some 'mo walked through with stylin' winter boots. I asked where he procured them? He said- you guessed it- Farm and Fleet. I could just feel the trip coming on!

From December 2009

It was the day after Thanksgiving that I dragged the sisters to the F&F outpost in Woodstock, IL. Woodstock is a charming town with a lovely town square that is really another blog entry in itself. One can find all the Teat Cream they could possibly desire:

From December 2009

Not to mention very life-like toy fire arms:

From December 2009

I'm not altogether sure what I think of toy fire arms. I am not one who seeks to rain on other's parades, but something about that strikes me as a wee bit inappropriate. Or at the very least photo worthy. Again, the distinct culture of the Northern Dairy Rustics. And speaking of that culture, you'll see that there is a pride that comes from this way of life. As evidenced by this tribute to F&F's employees and customers:

From December 2009

I did manage to procure the boots in question, as well as some woolly socks and a long sought studded belt. Rock Star, baby! After our adventure at F&F we headed off for a wee nosh at the square. But as I mentioned, you'll have to wait for the next post for that.