At the Women 2.0 co-working afternoon last weekend Willo O’Brien introduced me to Vince Pacheco’s work, and it’s been a challenge to remove it from my browser ever since. The local collector’s stack of cheesecake, kitsch and classic country records were becoming too much to deal with when, along with his crafty girlfriend/handbag designer Nicole Vasbinder, he started turning them into spiral journals. After receiving positive feedback during his first craft season, Pacheco, who sells his wares on Etsy’s Vinyl Frontier, now searches thrift stores for materials after burning through his personal collection.
Journals featuring popular artists and musicals go quickly (including Dolly Parton, Sound of Music, and the Beatles), although there are requests of all kinds (Steely Dan and Barbara Mandrell among them). The frontier man doesn’t only rescue and reuse board games and library books—many of his journals contain recycled paper and all can be sent back and refilled for a small fee.