As quirky companies go, Seattle-based bag and briefcase manufacturer Tom Bihn would appear to have an abundance of qualifications for the title. The company motto in Latin, “Siquid mantica non capit, domi relinquendum est” (”If it doesn’t fit in your knapsack, leave it behind”); the unconventional colors and materials, such as cork, used in its products.
The quirkiest feature of Tom Bihn, though, may be this: It still actually makes its own products — and in this country.
How then does a small (18 employees, $1.5 million in projected sales for 2008) company like Tom Bihn survive, let alone stand out and grow?
One way is to stay away from price competition, which forces so many companies to send actual production work offshore. Tom Bihn isn’t the place to go shopping for an inexpensive messenger bag or soft-sided briefcase; bags can easily run up to $150 each.
Another is to handle your own retailing, which the Internet makes possible for a small company. Bihn sells only via the Web and in a small retail space, just down the hall from the sewing room, on the second floor of the Outdoor Research building on First Avenue in Sodo.
Photo by Scott Eklund.
Tommy on September 18th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Great post! I applaud the efforts of small manufacturers to compete on quality and function rather than price. I’m a bag-ficiando and have personally not tried Tom Bihn bags, but may take a look when my current backpack gives out. Honestly, $150 is not very much to spend on a quality pack made in the US.
Remember: don’t skimp on your backpack. I can cost you your back and your gear. Both bad things to mess up. Also, if you buy American made products, you’ll greatly reduce your chances of having contaminated products show up in your home.