Happy Birthday, Ian! My "baby brother" turns 48 years old today. I've watched this great kid grow into a great man. Shown here, a photo I took of him when he was eight years old.
I am the oldest of four sons—15 years older than Ian. By the time he was born, I had already left our home on Kauai for high school (then college) on another island. When he was only five years old, I transferred to the University of Massachusetts in Amherst (more than 5,000 miles away). Despite our age difference (and the mileage between us), we have always enjoyed a close and friendly relationship.
In 1995, on the day I received the key to my first LEO Design shop on Bleecker Street, Ian (and my father and step-mother) happened to be visiting us in New York. Though it hadn't been the plan, the three of them spent that weekend (with me) scrubbing and cleaning-out the (filthy) store space. Years of shop dust and grime left Ian blackened on our nightly walks home. He looked like a 16 year old chimney sweep. But he was so hard-working and so willing to pitch-in. Even as a high schooler, Ian already was showing the fastidiousness and neatness which would come to define him. (Ian was the only four year old who would complain when the ice cream man made his cone too big; he hated when the ice cream would drip on his hands and clothes.)
Ian's next brush with LEO Design was after he graduated from college. He came to stay with us in Chelsea in the Autumn of 2000, while he studied for his LSAT exams. It was the Holiday Season and I loved having him in the shop. Every evening he would come down to the store from 4:00 pm until 10:00 pm. At 22 years old, he had already mastered the art of charming the clientele (and his fellow staffers). Ian spent his daylight hours studying for the exam. Each day, at 7:00 am, he'd roll-up his futon in the living room and run the vacuum. He'd have hit-the-books even before I left for the gym. And every night, after closing the shop and eating dinner with us, he'd unroll his futon, set-up his reading lamp, and spend his last waking hour writing a daily letter to his girlfriend back in Hawaii. On a couple of occasions, I asked Ian if he had any desire to date while he was in New York—to meet other women before settling-down with his then-girlfriend. After all, he was young, handsome, straight and spending a few months in Manhattan. "No," was his absolute and final answer. He was devotedly faithful to his girl. (Eventually, she would break-up with Ian. In time, he found a wonderful woman who would become his wife, partner and mother of his three exceptional children—whom I adore.)
At 48, Ian is now a partner in a Kauai law firm. His work in real estate law allows him to serve his clients while delicately guiding them through the nuances of mindful environmental preservation and respectful social expectations (such as they are on a small island). He is a wonderful father, too. Despite his busy work life, he is always present for his kids' activities. They truly love and respect him. And he has proved to be a caring and diligent husband—doing his fair share of cooking, cleaning and other household duties.
Happy birthday, Ian! You are a blessing to all fortunate enough to know you! And I'm so proud of you!
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.