Skip to main content
Mike Lindell, the My Pillow guy, is an asshole. Chi Moore, who sells eye pillows, neck pillows, meditation cushions, and sleep masks at the Saturday Market, is the polar opposite.
Just talking to Moore, 69, at his stall is relaxing, and the scents coming from his wares add to the calm. Few people have thought as much about pillows as Moore. He started making eye pillows as gifts.
“People liked them so much that they kept asking me to make more,” Moore says.
After some trial and error, he landed on using millet hulls to stuff his meditation cushions. The hulls, he says, are firm enough for support, but they yield just enough to mold to one’s seat. Moore sews a zipper into the cushions so more millet hulls can be added or subtracted.
His eye pillows are just as well made. He stitches them out of silk that he marbles himself. Look for “water marbling silk” videos on the internet to see the basic technique, and then keep in mind that Moore takes it to another level. He scents them with herbs, oils and resins from India.
Even before the pandemic, people were turning to eye pillows to help them sleep, cushions to help them meditate, and special pillows to ease tension in their necks. Since then, many of us have turned to harder remedies, like Xanax and high-potency dope.
If you need something that harks back to the safety and comfort of your baby blanket, or a favorite stuffed animal, go see Chi Moore at Saturday Market. Look for the sign that says Dream Pillows. Be sure to talk to Moore for a while. Then, every time you drape a pillow over your eyes or take a seat to meditate, you’ll think of the Buddha-like man who crafted the thing, and you’ll relax even more.