W alking around his Upper East Side neighborhood, Harry Epstein has come to expect running into someone he recognizes. After working at a restaurant near his apartment as a server, bartender and social media manager over the past four years, he’s created a community of people who have come to know and care about him.
“I see them so often that I could put gel in my hair one day or go two days and be too busy to shave, and somebody will ask me, ‘Did you get a haircut?’ or ‘Oh, you're growing your beard out, aren't you?’ It cracks me up. They know stuff about my dating life and my family. It’s like I have 35 therapists.”
Epstein began waiting tables to supplement his life in New York while he ran Gracious MFG, a street wear apparel line he started in his parents’ basement during high school. Reflective of his love for signage and simple yet stately messaging, Epstein makes shirts with phrases like “NOT AN EXIT” and “WE DO NOT SELL CIGARETTES” splashed across the cotton, in a similar style to the way they appear on shop windows and street corners. He’s implemented designs inspired by conversations he’s had with neighbors, pavement markings he’s seen on Central Park runs, and sketches he’s done over the years. His artistic expression lies in paying attention to his surroundings and bringing to life parts of the city that people pass by every day but don’t necessarily see the creative potential of.
“I've always tried to create stuff that's exclusive, but only exclusive in the sense that it's elevated. If you know about it, you can join the club. I think in a lot of my life and in career, I’m always thinking about how I can catch somebody's attention. I think it helps me see, like, humor in the mundane.”
When COVID-19 forced everyone inside and consequentially online, Epstein left his day job he’d held in New York since graduating from the University of Michigan and dove into this brand full time. He’s since worked with professional athletes, established a production system based in Los Angeles, and worked with New York companies like Milano Market to develop brand merchandising campaigns. Over the course of Gracious’s life span, Epstein has learned not only how to run and push forward a successful company but has also watched his faith grow in himself to handle hiccups and see the good in a setback.
five more open.”
“I’ve become used to thinking on my feet and having to adapt, adapt, adapt. I've had to pivot a bunch of times. I've had to reevaluate certain processes. I’ve just come to know that when one door closes, five more open.”
Recently, Epstein founded Har33 Studio, a creative consulting company focusing on brand development and planning. After raising Gracious MFG, he now relishes in the process of helping others turn their own ideas into tangible realities. He doesn’t want to just help with one step, he wants to invest his confidence and knowledge in a project’s journey from its start to its finish. He’s along for the ride. So far, Harr33 has worked with brands like Third Eye Blind, Deux Moi and Checker Media, among others.
Slowly transitioning out of the food and beverage world and further into his new consulting work, Epstein looks back on his time as a server as heavily influential to not only his development as a community member of New York’s Upper East Side but also as a creative thinker and worker. He finds the adrenaline and quick-thinking elements of working a dinner rush grounding as he spends his time away from the restaurant deep in his own pursuits. He never takes a shift for granted, knowing the potential it has to advance other areas of his life.
“Even if I'm not feeling well and I'm tired because I was up all-night doing work and I don’t want to go in, I know I just might meet somebody that day who could be a connection. So, I always show up. Just showing up has opened incredible doors for me.”
Waiting tables has also strengthened Epstein’s idea of the kind of professional and creative collaborator he wants to be.
“I watch the way someone orders from me, talks to me about a problem they might have with their order, and moves through dinner in terms of their interaction with me. They’re all reminders of how I want to treat people and run a business. I want to make sure I’m not handling a problem the way that table five just handled the fact that their salad came out with dressing on it.”
For Epstein, using his present environment for knowledge and inspiration has always been a creative tool. His community of intimate strangers he both knows the drink orders of and sees while walking his dog gives him a connection to New York that closely impacts his own personal pursuits. Regardless of whether he currently spends more time working on Gracious or Har33 Studio, elements of Epstein’s creative process remain. He’s constantly paying attention to sights and sounds around him, keeping his finger on the pulse, and searching for the next company or individual to work with. Regardless of the project, apparel design or shift at hand, he keeps his eyes and ears open for the next lesson the city has in store for him.
“It's so incredibly inspiring and there's so much opportunity in this city, if you remain open. I'm nowhere near where I want to be, and there's so much I need to do to get there. But it's New York, and somebody's done it for five times as long and that much better, and hopefully you can find them and learn from them. That’s all I’m trying to do.” ∎
