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Visit the ReInvented Vinyl website at www.reinventedvinyl.etsy.com or email reinventedvinyl@aol.com
There are times when I think, “God, why couldn’t I have been born a woman?”
Then I usually just get mad and shake my fist at society for dictating that men shouldn’t carry purses.
What changed?
In their day, Comanche warriors proudly wore purses.
Oh, yes — frilly, beaded pouches.
Maybe you could’ve questioned the sexuality of a war chief named Buffalo Hump, but, personally, I wouldn’t.
Apparently, Tracey Hanlin Rohr meets a lot of men these days, just like me, who want to give in to their feminine sides.
As the founder of a year-old small business called ReInvented Vinyl, the Springfield resident makes purses out of old vinyl records — and they’re super cool.
So cool, in fact, that dudes act like ladies around them.
“It takes people a second to figure out what they’re looking at,” Rohr explained recently. “When they figure out what it is they’re looking at, they smile. Then they pick it up and go, ‘Oh my God, this is awesome.’
“Men especially. Men love this product.”
Retailing for $75, half of her orders are custom jobs, meaning someone either requests a certain album or gives her a record to be cut, glued and riveted by hand in her basement into a unique accessory.
“It’s not for everyone,” she confessed.
She’s shipped purses to destinations as far away as the U.K. and Dubai.
But, frankly, it’s probably a good thing I won’t confuse my son by carrying one of Rohr’s creations — ’cause I’d have an impossible time picking that one album for my purse.
Think of all the worthy covers.
The first Hendrix album, “Are You Experienced.”
“The Who Sell Out.”
“Their Satanic Majesties Request” by the Stones — complete with psychedelic, holographic, 3-D photo.
The Louvin Brothers’ “Satan is Real.”
“The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein” by Parliament.
Kiss. Anything Kiss did in the ’70s. Like “Destroyer.” Totally “Destroyer.”
“Weasels Ripped My Flesh” by Zappa and the Mothers.
Ooh, yeah — that Herb Alpert album, “Whipped Cream and Other Delights.”
The list is endless, really.
Earlier this fall, a neurosurgeon in Columbus had Rohr make a purse using the Ramones’ “Subterranean Jungle” for him.
Yes. Him.
Well, she assumes he had it made for his wife — but who knows.
It’s been more than a decade since Rohr, now 48, found herself unemployed after being laid off from the Vandalia printing company where she worked in marketing.
“I majored in journalism, too,” she told me, “which is why I now make purses out of old records.”
(Insert my nervous laughter here.)
She initially rebounded by turning a hobby into a full-time business with Earthborn Jewelry Co., crafting jewelry out of gemstones and sterling silver.
While jewelry remains her focus, the local artisan launched ReInvented Vinyl as a second business last fall after seeing what she felt was a boxy, poorly made tote out of an old Janis Joplin LP.
So she set out to make the better vinyl record purse, and her wares are now carried by the Canton Museum of Art in its gift shop.
One of her purses was a featured accessory this year in Seattle’s 10th annual Recycled Arts and Fashion Show.
Rohr also won Best of Show in September at the inaugural Cyclops Fest — a celebration of DIY culture — in Yellow Springs.
Her choice of record to initially experiment on?
“Air Supply,” she said. “I wrecked it.”
Oh. Darn.
Using the front and back sleeves, in addition to the actual vinyl itself, she eventually began taking her purses to art fairs, a once-booming marketplace that’s admittedly been pounded by the terrible economy.
“I got bored during a show,” Rohr said, “so I started counting the number of times people said, ‘Awesome.’
“Thirty-one, if you’re wondering. But that doesn’t necessarily translate into sales.”
After a year, she now has a feel for what people like — anything Madonna, Beatles or Michael Jackson.
“Elvis has really (expletive) album covers,” she complained. “And you know who else has bad album covers? Elton John. Why is that?”
People love the Monkees.
And they really, really like the butt shots on Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” and Loverboy’s “Get Lucky.”
During a visit to her basement workshop, I personally expressed probably a little too much interest in an old kids record she was planning to carve up, “Casper the Friendly Ghost in a Musical Adventure in Make-Believe.”
“Did you really just say awesome?” she asked. “I can’t believe you said awesome.”
What?
“It is true,” she smiled knowingly.
Contact this reporter at amcginn@coxohio.com.
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