“I think a lot of people maybe aren’t so keen on the baby boomer vibe,” Katie said. “We’re just trying to bring back the best parts of the past.”

An early article was on straight-razor shaving, a barbershop throwback that devotees swear offers a closer cut. It went viral on social news sites and established The Art of Manliness in the men’s interest world online, Brett said.

The site offered an independent take on a men’s lifestyle magazine, which filled a void between niche forums and “the big guys” in men’s lifestyle such as Esquire, AskMen and Men’s Health.

Visitors to the site are just as likely to stumble onto an article about style as they are about social skills. Many pieces are informational. Some articles are light-hearted, such as the one about walking like a ninja, and others are candid and sincere.

Wearing a chambray shirt with sleek leather Wolverine boots and crisp, cuffed selvedge denim that looks as if it could stand upright without the wearer, Brett is 5-foot-11 (6 foot in boots) with an athletic build consistent with his high school football background.

In keeping with the aesthetic of the site, he’s kept his upper lip hirsute since a “Movember” mustache month years ago.