ODD JOBS: Going full kilt
Thistle & Clover offers authentic Scottish attire
 |
| Roy Sykes photo Rhonda and Jerry Dyer display a kilt in the Thistle & Clover shop on Main Street in St. Charles. |
"What you'll find is they're chick magnets," he said, making air quotes with his fingers around the words "chick magnets."
Dyer and his wife, Rhonda, own Thistle & Clover on Main Street in St. Charles. It is the only place in St. Charles County where one can buy a traditional kilt made to measure by crafts people in Scotland.It is also a place where customers can rent this woolen aphrodisiac for a prom or wedding if they don't want to make the commitment of going full kilt.
The store sells authentic Welsh and Irish goods, as well as having the exclusive rights to produce the University of Missouri tartan, which is the name for Scottish plaid.
The kilts the Dyers sell are imported and can cost as much as a tailored suit. A washable "starter" kilt for the fellow who wants to wade into kilt ownership will start at $125. A fine, handmade one could cost up to $560.
Thistle & Clover also sells the accessories that make the man, like a sporran, which is a decorated bag on a long strap. "A place to keep your keys, your cell phone and your flask," Dyer said.
There are close-fitting jackets worn with the kilts and crisp, pointed hats that resemble military uniforms.
Some of the items are a bit flashier.
The formal dress shoes lace up the calf like a pair of Roman sandals, and men can wear elaborate jeweled broaches to hold their sashes in place. These sashes are long, tartan scarves, not the kind of a sash one normally associates with beauty contestants.
"You will find Scottish men are peacocks," Dyer said.
Perhaps this exotic adornment so lacking in commonplace male attire is what drives women wild, and Dyer had a warning for men who might be wearing a kilt for the first time. "It's not unusual for (women) to flip it up," he said, knowingly.
Apparently, the sight of a sporran tassel spinning sends some women into a frenzy.
"Truthfully, a guy would go to jail," Rhonda Dyer said.
Before getting into the tartan trade, Dyer worked for McDonnell Douglas Corp. before retiring to work full time with Rhonda at the Bear Factory, a store they owned in St. Charles. In 2001, they decided to sell the Bear Factory with the intention of retiring together.
"She and I were gonna travel," Dyer said.
That lasted about three months.
Rhonda saw a coat of arms at a trade show, and knew her husband had an interest in heraldry.
That interest, combined with experiences with friends who couldn't find authentic Scottish merchandise in the area, led them to open Thistle & Clover.
Dyer said he is interested in learning more about his Scottish and Irish roots but hasn't had time to look into the genealogy.
"Maybe if I retire a third time, I'll have time to do that," he said.
