At Cladrite Designs, we meet many people who live with one foot in the past, one foot in the present, and an eye toward the future. That is to say, they love movies made back when they were still called "pictures," pop music of decades gone by, classic (and not-so-classic) fiction of the first half of the 20th century, and venerable restaurants that predate the chains, but not at the exclusion of the latest and greatest in movies, music, dining, and technology.

They are not so much nostalgic as they are intrigued by -- and appreciative of -- pop culture of the (relatively) recent past.

Film archivist Rick Prelinger said it nicely in a 2002 SF Weekly profile:

"I'm fascinated with the look of the past. I have an urgent need to form images of what a place looked like in the '40s or '50s. What did it smell like? What were people wearing? What [was] people's body language? Was it noisy or quiet? Was the air smoky?"

We’re glad to know we’re not the only ones who feel this way. And it's our sincere hope that Cladrite.com’s various and sundry offerings will keep the past alive in some small way for years to come.