Story

My Journey

I’ve always been drawn to making things.

Over the years, I’ve worked practical jobs in manufacturing, warehousing, hospitality, and production. While the industries differed, they all had one thing in common: I enjoyed working with my hands and seeing tangible results from a day’s work.

At the same time, I’ve always been interested in design and entrepreneurship. As a teenager, I tried starting online businesses. Looking back, I was mostly chasing money rather than building something I truly cared about. The motivation wasn’t there, and neither was the fulfillment.

Later, I discovered CAD design and 3D printing. I became fascinated by everyday carry gear, pens, and tools, and spent countless hours designing ideas and prototypes. But turning those ideas into products required money I didn’t have

What I was really searching for wasn’t a specific product. It was a craft.

I’ve always admired woodworking and traditional trades. The idea of taking raw materials and turning them into something useful and lasting. Leatherwork felt like a natural extension of that philosophy. It allowed me to combine design, craftsmanship, and entrepreneurship in a way that felt meaningful.

The first projects weren’t perfect. Most weren’t even good. But every mistake taught me something, and every finished piece carried a sense of satisfaction that I’d never found in my earlier ventures.

Hartvig grew from that process.

Today, every product begins as an idea, becomes a pattern, and is shaped by hand into something intended to accompany its owner for years. In a world increasingly dominated by mass production, I find something deeply rewarding in creating products one piece at a time.

Hartvig isn’t just a business to me. It’s the result of years spent searching for a craft worth pursuing and products worth putting my name on.