As one of the newest members to our staff, Greg Redelico (who also goes by G, Gweggy, and G-Money in some circles) brings the kind of unique skillset that our team's eccentricity and business requires. Since jumping on board, Greg has been able to help serve as a catalyst for so many elements of small business that have helped grow our footprint and allowed the shop to flourish.
Greg moved to NC in 2018 from Houston, Texas, where he managed Manready Mercantile, a small shop located in the heart of H-Town (but they have one in Austin now, too) that curates quality provisions and dry goods, produces their own in-house products, and, like us, has prioritized community as a pillar of their business.
Prior to his MRM tenure, Greg and some partners built a brand from scratch, Fortune Goods, that included a vintage-inspired clothing line, and custom made jewelry, all made in the USA. While the company has changed names, and owners, it was a great experience that allowed him to better learn the ins and outs of USA-made goods manufacturing.
Greg got his start in the clothing and apparel business through vintage "picking", something he still does today, with great success. It really takes a refined, keen eye, and the willingness to incessantly hunt, to yield the good goods, if you know what I mean. Greg has developed hundreds of contacts through the year, people who also pick, but know they can bring bulk or gems alike to Greg and he will pay them fairly, and be honest with them. For those of you who know the vintage industry, that is not always the case. In fact, one of my best friends, Scott Corey of Santa Fe Vintage, who passed in 2019, used to always laugh as he would tell me "there's no friends in vintage," even though we were friends. I knew what he meant. It's its own world, and Greg has substantiated a dyanmic place within it. He wholesales vintage to several high-end Japanese stores, West Coast and NYC showrooms, and to our good friend Matt, who owns Ragtime Vintage in Asheville, NC. Side Note: If you've never been to Matt's store, next time you're up that way you should definitely slide through. It's one of the few places left that's always packed back to front with beyond reasonably-priced, solid quality goods. A lot of them, in fact most come through Greg.
Before making the move to Texas, Greg spent most of his time in the big city of New York, buying and flipping vintage to the likes of Ralph Lauren for their RRL stores, high-end vintage shops in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and to several Japanese buyers, among others.
Since making the move, Greg has been instantly hands-on with every project thrown at him, from rebuilding a barn and pulling fenceline, to fabrication projects for Avery Dennison and Piedmont Hall at the Greensboro Coliseum, clearing out White Oak, building museum exhibits at Revolution Mill, and even getting some Draper X-3 looms cleaned up and back online producing cloth.
Did I mention Greg spent 20 hours a day for about 8 months during the onset of the pandemic in 2020 cutting and sewing medical-grade face masks, helping to keep our, now his, community safe?
Not only has Greg been instrumental for Hudson's Hill, he has been paramount to the success of another start-up some of our team is involved in, Proximity Manufacturing Company and parent organization W.O.L.F., short for White Oak Legacy Foundation.
Since January of 2021, Greg and Evan have worked together to get shuttle denim back online in Greensboro, successfully weaving the first yards in March of last year. Greg has learned to become a weaver and fixer for this marathon of a project that has now produced miles of deep blue selvage denim.
He's become a true local in just but a few years, so it made sense to ask a few questions for this team member spotlight:
"I'd say my full-time profession is a mix of vintage clothing dealer, man of the cloth with Proximity Manufacturing Company, some general maintenance at Revolution Mill and quite a bit of Tom Foolery."
"My favorite item in the store? I'm not a fan of the big hat society in the vintage scene, but the caps made for the store by Stockbridge Sewing Works are my favorite items in the shop. I can guarantee you will not find these vintage fabrics assembled in hat form, or anything else for that matter, anywhere else. These hats blend new and old together seamlessly, and offer year-round wearability."
"For a good local breakfast bite, my spot is Greenfield's. The everything bagel, toasted, with a schmear of veggie cream cheese."
"For lunch, I'd hit up Giacomo's, likely with Matt, where I would get a Dino sammy, but you really can't go wrong with anything from there."
"Ahh, and for dinnertime, I'm going Vito's at Golden Gate, and their eggplant rollatini. What can I say, I'm a classy guy."
This may be the most revealing article ever written about G, so why not reveal a little more? Something not everyone knows about him is that, when he was younger he used to dress up in matching tracksuits and attempt to breakdance.
His favorite sports team is the New York Knicks, pre-Allan Houston contract. "I'm still waiting for things to turn around." His favorite athlete is Larry Johnson, aka Grandmama.
Wanting to get away? One of Greg's favorite places to go on vacation is West Texas.
If he had to describe himself as a flavor of ice cream at Yum Yum's, he'd be pistachio. Why, you might ask? "Because I'm a nut for everybody."
And, if there's one thing Greg doesn't leave home without, it's himself.
We're glad you're a part of the HH team, Greg. Thanks for being you.