News

Notes from the Studio: On Buying for Men

I’ve been thinking about why it’s so hard to buy gifts for men.

Every season it comes up again. Birthdays. Holidays. Father’s Day. And the same frustration.

So much of what’s marketed toward men feels like it was approved by committee.

“Ultimate.”
“Extreme.”
“Sport.”

It’s strange how quickly something becomes generic when it tries too hard to be specific.

There has to be something more thoughtful than this.

I started Present Day Goods because I was tired of everyday products feeling impersonal — including the ones in my own home.

Grooming. Candles. Room sprays.

They’d all been flattened into categories instead of experiences. 

Daily rituals shouldn’t feel corporate.

They should feel like yours.

A Small Shift 

I’ve noticed — both as a maker and just as a person paying attention — that most men don’t want more stuff.

They want fewer things that feel right: useful, grounded, quietly personal.

The marketing world tells us gifts need to be flashy. But the gifts people remember are the ones that feel like personal preferences and favorites.

On Making Redwood + Tobacco

When I created Redwood + Tobacco Hair & Beard Oil, I wasn’t thinking about masculinity.

I was thinking about standing in Northern California under tall trees.

Warm wood. Earth. A faint smokiness in the distance.

I wanted something that felt grounding but not performative.

It conditions hair. It softens skin. It does what it’s supposed to do. But it also slows you down for a second, and our scent blends are the real difference.

The same thinking shaped the Redwood + Tobacco Body Lotion. And the candles in both 3 oz. and 6 oz. sizes.

Nearly 40% of our candle customers are men.. The idea that men don’t care about scent or atmosphere has never felt accurate to me — just convenient for marketing departments.

19

The 19 Body Oil Spray and 19 Body Spray came from a similar place.

I wanted something that could layer, that stayed close to the skin instead of announcing itself from across the room.

There’s something deeply personal about scent when it’s worn this way. Not a cloud. More like a quiet signature.

Fragrance as Material

As a sculptor and printmaker, I’m always thinking about material. Paper weight. Surface tension. Light across a form.

Fragrance is material too.

The California Redwood candle shifts a room. The California Redwood room spray opens the air in a car or studio without that sharp synthetic edge.

These things are atmosphere, small interventions in ordinary life.

Lip Balm for Men

I think about this a lot — how the smallest things shape our day.

Chai. Peppermint. Vanilla lip balm.

Not flashy. Just steady. Made with nature-based ingredients.

Taking care of your lips before heading into cold air might seem insignificant. But it’s a small kindness. And I believe in building a life out of small kindnesses.

Cutting Back

Maybe that’s really what this is about.

Cutting back on corporate thinking. On identical bottles and vague ingredient lists and scents designed for the broadest possible approval.

I’m more interested in:

Small-batch candles.
Natural beard oil.
Thoughtful home fragrance.
Fewer, better options.
Products made by someone who is paying attention.

If You’re Trying to Buy Something for Him

Here’s what I would say, as a friend: Don’t buy the obvious thing.

Buy the thing that makes an ordinary moment better.

A beard oil that smells like forest instead of cologne.
A candle that marks the end of the workday.
A body oil that makes post-shower feel intentional.
A room spray that resets the air after a long afternoon.

That’s what thoughtful gifts really are.

Just present.

That’s what I’m trying to make.