About

Hi there. I'm Eric. I'm a designer and wannabe renaissance man with eight-too-many hobbies.

Lock & Key has been a catch-all for the output of my hobbies for a while now. It started in 2013 as a home 'speakeasy' to entertain my friends and to learn mixology, but has since grown to encompass my homebrewing, hot sauce, and other "making" hobbies.

Every item you see on the store is proudly made in Pittsburgh, Pa. And a lot of it is grown right here in my garden. I grow every pepper (and most vegetables and herbs) that goes into my hot sauce. I'm working on maturing my orchard and hop plantings and before longer I'll be brewing with those.

I love learning new things and a lot of my hobbies are confluences of other hobbies, design, gardening, cooking, mixology, etc. They all intersect in these interesting areas which are begging for more exploration. I find it all very fulfilling.

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right and it's worth doing yourself.

While I'm not the "best" at anything, I have very high standards for myself and the things I produce, and while I do most of this for myself, I hope you enjoy some of the things I've made. What's the good in having all this if I don't share it with people?

 

The Garden

Our property had an empty lot that used to have a house on it. The previous owner had the house torn down. Over the past five years, I've slowly turned it into my ideal raised garden area. Including perennials, herbs, berries, a large enclosed compost pile and more.

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The Speakeasy

Or more accurately the "liquor library." It's been steadily growing since 2013, and last count put me at 330 unique bottles. The speakeasy is also a host to my invite only events, usually for family and friends (and friends of friends).

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