The rise of the "Edgar" haircut!
This week we had to go deep undercover to get to the bottom of the popularity of the haircut so popular among Gen Z. Walk onto any high school or middle school campus today and you’re guaranteed to be flooded by a sea of children sporting the so called “Edgar” haircut. All generations seem to have their regrettable style choices like bowl cuts, mullets and beehive’s. The Google search trends for this hairstyle went from virtually nonexistent to spiking around 2019. Like most bad hairstyles of the past we certainly hope this one will die off sooner rather than later.
Real Estate Market:
On a more serious note, lets have a look at how the real estate market is doing. Interest rates are slowly declining falling at about 7.12 % for a 30 year fixed mortgage. Although we’re seeing falling rates we are not seeing an increase in demand. This is likely attributed to inflation still being so high and so many homeowners being priced out of the market restricting demand. We’re starting to see a slight decline in the median home price down to $389,000. A -1.4 % year over year reduction.
Weather:
News:
Old Mt. Vernon Florist Fire
The historic building which used to house Mt. Vernon Florist caught fire twice on Saturday. The fire was reported early Saturday morning and quickly engulfed the vacant building. Fire crews fought the fire for hours. Later that afternoon fire crews responded to the building again for reports of a second fire. This is another unfortunate ending to a vacant historic building which saw an unfortunate demise. This story is eerily similar to what we saw with the old Tina Marie’s restaurant downtown. It seems that these fires have become far too frequent as of the last few years.
Tumbler Frenzy!
We’re all seeing these Stanley Tumblers taking over our social media feeds as of late. And in all honesty we didn’t even know what a tumbler was until about a week ago. With all this virality we had to look into this story. And yes if you thought that the Stanley logo looked familiar you are correct. This is the same company that started in 1913 and manufactured that old green thermos that your grandpa always seemed to have with him. So why is this modern version of such an old thermos blowing up suddenly? It all started with a group of suburban moms. In 2017 a blog called the Buy Guide recommended Stanley’s 40-ounce Quencher cup which launched a huge spike in demand for one of Stanley’s lowest selling products. So much so that Stanley couldn’t keep up with the demand. Luckily the leadership team saw this opportunity and partnered with the Buying Guide to tailor their product to a thirsty audience. This caused the growth to skyrocket. Taking Stanley’s revenue from $70 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023. The moral of the story: never underestimate what a group of motivated moms can do.
Fun things to do:
Have you ever thought about flying? And no we’re not talking about boarding a commercial plane on a trip to visit your grandma in Idaho. Instead we’re talking about actually piloting a small plane. Most people would assume that this is a hobby reserved for the ultra wealthy. Luckily this isn’t the case at all. Recently I’ve been exposed to the vast world of general aviation which includes incredible people from all backgrounds and income levels.
I was introduced to aviation by taking a “discovery flight” which is basically a quick and easy way to get a taste of what being a pilot entails. I was referred to Bakersfield Flying Club by a colleague. My discovery flight started with arriving to the Meadows Field Airport on a chilly morning. I met with Todd who was going to be my flight instructor for the day. First we went over some basic operations in a classroom and Todd walked me through what to expect and what to do in case of an emergency. Then we walked out to the tarmac and per-flighted the airplane. This basically entailed checking fluids and mechanical components to ensure everything was in proper working condition.
Now we were ready to fly! The plane starting felt like being in an old school racecar. I could feel my bones shaking to my core. This was nerve racking at first but I quickly got over it. Todd made some radio calls to the tower and then we began taxiing onto the runway. Before I knew it we were picking up speed and racing down the runway. Todd advised me to slowly pull back on the yoke and suddenly I felt my stomach drop. We were airborne. It’s difficult for me to describe how thrilling of an experience this was. From flying over the Bluffs to seeing awe-inspiring views of Hart park, this was a truly incredible time. We were only flying for about an hour but in that short time I was hooked. This started an obsession with aviation. I highly recommend everyone take a discovery flight and experience this for themselves. We have some great options for doing so locally including Bakersfield Flying Club and Best Aviation Bakersfield.
Photos we love:
These pictures are from the “Kern County of Old” Facebook group
