Ear to the

ground

“I need to get to church, God damn it!”

- A Bayfield man after

attempting to run the Mill Street closure for last Sunday’s Squawker Classic bike race

‘Indiana Jeans’

A Durangoan scored some pretty precious ink last week. Brit Eaton, owner of Carpe Diem and a local yard sale/flea market regular, landed a story in the March 9 edition of the New York Times. The title of the story was “Indians Jeans.”

The tale opened by saying that “heritage” and “authenticity” are dominating current fashion trends, and Eaton is the “closest thing we’ve got to a fashion archaeologist.”

“He’s the first domino in a chain that eventually tumbles into department stores,” the story stated. “The discarded, often filthy garments and fabric swatches that he deals in not only hold the secrets to the shapes, dyes, weaves and details of the styles of tomorrow, they also represent a forgotten time and place.”

Carpe Denim, Eaton’s College Avenue store, specializes in “pre-20th-century denim,” and his clients include some of the biggest names in the fashion industry as well as Hollywood icons.

“Eaton, 38, is the best in his field, and not just because he has a great eye for combing flea markets,” the story continues. “Equipped with old maps of ghost towns and abandoned mining camps, he has hit the road in search of denim 10 days of every month for the last 10 years. Since a great score can fetch more than $10,000, he’s pretty sanguine when he comes up empty.”

Following his “pirate nature,” Eaton and the author go hunting for priceless pants in Billings, Mont. Along the way, he explains, “Denim is like a canvas that paints itself through time. A 1950s jean bought secondhand will outlast a 2007 jean.”

The world’s greatest ...

Speaking of limelight, a Durango institution landed some technicolor and a lofty title this week. On March 17-19, the Rocky Mountain Institute of Healing Arts was featured on the television show, “The World’s Greatest … ,” as the world’s greatest massage school.

“We were impressed by the school’s holistic approach,” said Rob Ash, the show’s assistant producer. “They are dedicated to rigorous academics yet also focus on personal growth and creativity.”

Filming was done last September and the show aired last week on ION channel. The program features an interview with Rebecca Mauldin, director of the school, classroom action shots and views of Durango.

The Rocky Mountain Institute of Healing Arts started in Dolores in 2001 and has operated in Durango since 2002.