May 5, 2026 Field Reports: The Ghost of Big Bear and The First Crown Jewel

There is a distinct beauty in the things that cannot be found via a simple Google search. In an era dominated by instant connectivity, hyper-available social feeds, and deep digital footprints, some of the finest craftsmanship out there still lives completely off the grid.

We learned this firsthand while finalizing the high-stakes timelines for our upcoming Summer launch.

We had an incredible initial conversation with Kirby, a masterful local artisan whose work perfectly captured the raw, organic aesthetic we wanted to bring into your homes. But shortly after that first meeting, Kirby went dark. Trying to get a hold of him digitally is an exercise in futility. There is no website. There is no social media profile. There isn’t even an email address to ping. When you want to collaborate with a maker who relies entirely on a handshake and old-school word of mouth, you don’t send a follow-up email—you pack up the truck and go find them.

So, we made a family road trip out of it, driving up into the crisp mountain air of Big Bear Lake to track down our elusive maker.

Searching for a ghost in a mountain town means embracing a slower pace. We spent the morning exploring the local brick-and-mortars, talking to shopkeepers, and immersing ourselves in what Big Bear has to offer. We watched the kids fly down the Mineshaft Coaster, sampled raw, artisanal honeys at Queen Bee, and ducked into incredible local mainstays like Chirp Nature Center, The Bath Workshop, and Mountain Mod.

But as the afternoon wore on, the business reality set in. We tried giving Kirby a call—no answer. After waiting it out for a bit, we decided to drive straight to his workshop to see if he was simply buried in his work. When we arrived, the gates were locked tight. Another phone call went straight to voicemail. Standing outside those locked gates, a real sense of worry started to hit me. Our summer timelines were riding on this.

Then, just as we were giving up and packing back into the car, my phone rang. It was Kirby.

I told him right then and there that he was a hard man to get a hold of. Kirby paused, then responded with a dry, "That’s how I like it." I couldn’t help but crack a smile. The ice was broken, and we immediately jumped into talking about the custom pieces we wanted to create, the vision for our premier "Crown Jewel" slots, and capturing some great footage of his process.

We asked if we could take some video of him in his element, and he welcomed us in. Right before our eyes, Kirby pulled out a massive, raw timber log and fired up his chainsaw. Esmé and Onyx looked on in absolute, wide-eyed amazement as woodchips flew through the mountain air. With incredible precision, Kirby carved a beautiful log bear right out of the raw wood in a matter of minutes. Then, out of nowhere, he wiped off the sawdust and gifted the freshly carved bear directly to Esmé. It was a deeply touching, spontaneous moment that the kids won't ever forget.

By the time the sun began to dip behind the pines, we had officially secured Kirby’s inclusion in the launch and finalized our 5 exclusive Crown Jewel designs. We headed back down the mountain for the night, tired but triumphant, carrying a little piece of the mountain—and an unforgettable story—home with us.