The 1906 Gents began with a birthday gift.
For his 30th birthday, Dante LaCivita was given his Grandfather’s shave set, consisting of a straight razor, a lather mug and his Grandfather’s shave brush. A WWII Veteran his grandfather had more than a few rough edges, yet this Vet still invested time to teach a 12 year old boy “how to shave like a man”.
The memory lasted and the idea of tradition being Passed Down invoked something purposeful that Dante wanted to share. Mike Mardis, a designer and architect by trade; saw a trend in design that was leading away from function and quality.
He had been looking to be part of something that was focused on creating Everyday Tools with Intention - Designed with a Purpose. Today Owners Dante LaCivita and Mike Mardis are set on designing and handcrafting “Products for you to make memories around”.
The two took a small woodshop and re-designed it to be The 1906 Gents: A Men’s Grooming and Lifestyle Company. Focused on one mission: Stand for Generations to Come. Everything we make has a story, built for you to make your own story around. Enjoy.
WHAT OUR NAME 'THE 1906 GENTS' MEANS
It all started in 2011 when my family took a cross country vacation...
We took a 14 day cross country camping trip visiting Yellowstone National Park, The Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and lastly Devil’s Tower National Monument. We just started the first fledgling phases of our business and were in need of some family time, time to shake off the dust and get out there.
The 6 months prior we had developed a business plan, bought the first run of machines for woodworking and begun delving into making all the prototypes of products we wanted to sell, but we were seriously struggling with a name for our venture. We were having an unforgettable time camping and seeing the country; our last stop on vacation was Devil’s Tower.
I’d done a lot of research into this stop and was so excited to visit a location so rich in national history and meaning. We pulled up to the gate and hanging on the entry gate was a sign; one I took literally as a sign. “Devil’s Tower National Monument: 1906 -2006 100 years of Heritage”. It first got my attention because our daughter, Gianna, was born in 2006 the 100 year anniversary, as well the word ‘Heritage’ stirred inside me as it had been the focus of what we wanted to bring to life; products that would be heritage items.
I remember very vividly saying out loud to my wife “1906!” Her Response: “that’s a great name for your business”. It was like the dam broke!
The next half hour my wife and I developed the idea over and over until we landed on ‘The 1906 Gentlemen’ several months later that was trimmed down to The 1906 Gents.
I wasn't prepared for the history we found visiting the monument. In September of 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated Devil’s Tower as the nation's first National Monument. This was done under the Antiquities Act of the same year; the purpose of the act was to preserve large sections of land as monuments and parks to Stand for Generations to Come.
Wyoming Senator Francis E. Warren, Sen. Frank W. Mondell paved the way for this preservation years before Roosevelt; until ultimately The Antiquities Act of 1906 finalized the deal. Paving the future way for the National Park System and more.
So there it was, in the last leg of our family vacation road trip; we found both our name and business philosophy: “The 1906 Gents; Stand for Generations to Come!” In all honesty the name found us. We are proud to dorn this moniker, rich in meaning and purposeful in focus and we hope to live up to every bit of its calling.