Today we’d like to introduce you to Luke Kolbie.
Luke, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up, I spent a lot of time working on woodworking projects with my father. Working with my hands and learning new skills in working wood and metal became a passion. After being given some leather, I began to incorporate this into my projects as well. Eventually, I began making more complicated projects like quivers for arrows, saddlebags, and wallets. While shooting competition trap and skeet in 2013, I crafted a leather bag that would sit on my side and hold shotgun shells. Unlike other canvas cartridge bags it didn’t pinch, sag, or swing around. My innovation began to interest other sportsmen and so on, I was taking commissions to make more.
From there, I started sourcing our leather from one of the last and oldest American tanneries in the nation, Wickett and Craig. I ordered a saddle stitching machine and set up shop in my bedroom. Fast forward to today and our products can be found in the finest plantations, men’s outfitters, and private sporting clubs in the southeast. As a current sophomore at Mercer University I have an office at the Innovation Center where I work in between classes. We have expanded our line to include men’s and women’s belts, weekend bags wallets and other accessories in addition to our line of hunting and shooting gear. Our team of Amish craftsmen have taken my designs and added their unrivaled skill to help us produce heirloom quality goods. Each product is stamped with the craftsman’s initials and our company seal the Double K as a testament to its quality.
Has it been a smooth road?
Our road to our current position has been a bumpy one for sure. One of the most challenging parts has been a three years search for a manufacturing partner. During high school, I had realized that in order for my business to continue, I had to have a manufacturing partner so that I could work on the business side and school. This was incredibly draining both physically and mentally as I would often work with a partner for a year or more before having to break ties due to inconsistencies in the product quality, craftsmanship, and inaccurate communication. Each time I would start from scratch and wonder if I would ever find someone I could trust with my designs.
Finally, after calling everyone I knew in the industry a friend recommended an Amish family in Illinois that was in the harness business. I made a trip up to meet them and after seeing their operation firsthand I knew that these were the partners I had been waiting on. Having Merle, Raymond, and Joseph on the team has made running the business and filling orders so much more enjoyable. It has allowed my passion for design and business to once again flourish.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Kingfisher Leatherworks story. Tell us more about the business.
Kingfisher was founded on three core characteristics that guide our products: quality, innovation and craftsmanship. Quality to us means that what we produce is made with materials and design that maximizes the functionality of the product. As a small company, we want to focus on making the best products for our customers by innovating changes to make functional leather goods that are truly unique. Finally, craftsmanship is what marries the design and the materials together to make them timeless. Our artisans craft each piece individually from start to finish. There are no assembly lines or automated machinery. The small differences in each product are a testament to the hand made process.
Our specialty is belts and shooting bags for the sporting clays and wingshooting industry. The comfort, durability, and bespoke features of these products make them stand out in a crowd of floppy canvas bags. Using the techniques we developed for these products, we have started making wallets, dress belts, wine totes and weekend bags. These have become equally as popular as our sporting line and we plan to continue its expansion. One of the things that sets us apart is that we can customize our products in a variety of ways. Belts and bags come with a complimentary hand-engraved tag for initials. We work with wildlife artist George Harris to adorn our bags with a variety of cast pewter medallions from bulldogs to quail. In addition, we also can stamp a resort, plantation or business’s logo onto our products for a more exclusive feel.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The “Garden and Gun” market seems to be on an uptrend. During the last 30 years, our industry has gone mostly to poorly designed and cheap products made overseas. Today though we see people starting to come back to American made products like ours. We anticipate this trend to continue especially in the luxury market we cater to. By expanding our product offerings we hope to stabilize shifts in the sporting side.
Pricing:
- Drivers Wallet $60
- Mens and Womens dress belts $105
- Physician’s Weekender $899
- Plantation cut belt $105
- Dog Collars with name tag $45
- Wingshooter’s Cartridge bag $140
- Wine Tote $160
Contact Info:
- Address: 1501 Mercer University Drive, MU BOX 71691
Innovation Center - Website: kingfisherleatherworks.com
- Phone: 4786979403
- Email: luke@kingfisher leatherworks
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingfisherleatherworks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KingfisherLeatherworks/
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Denise Graham
February 4, 2021 at 3:14 am
Great interview! Love the products!