Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/883962
2 2 S T U F F • F a l l 2 0 1 7 C O O L S T U F F brewing company," he says. At the time, Simoncini had a day job he wasn't too fond of and was brewing beer as a hobby. His partner Precious Putnam and his mother bought him his first home brew kits and a kettle. Simoncini and Putnam put together some creative financing to start the brewery. "We wanted to avoid bank loans so we created a Founders Club Membership," says Putnam. David Mullany's grandfather was 45 and out of work when he came up with the idea for the Wiffle Ball. "He saw my dad and his buddies in the backyard playing a game with a little plastic golf ball and a broomstick," he says. Trying to make a ball that would curve easily, the two Mullanys started experimenting with different designs using plastic spheres that came from perfume packaging made by a Connecticut company. Mullany's grandfather took a mortgage out on the house, borrowed some money from family and friends, and started the company. Neighborhood kids called a strikeout a "wiff" which led to the "Wiffle" brand name. Hartford Denim Company's three founders, Luke Davis, Marshall Deming and Dave Marcoux, grew up shopping in thrift stores and going to tag sales. Most of the clothes they wore in high school were vintage or Carhartt work pants. Each pair of Hartford Denim jeans is hand-sewn on vintage industrial sewing machines. The fabric comes from Cone Denim in North Carolina. "The salvaged denim is woven on antique shuttle looms," says Marcoux. "They are the only mill left in America producing selvedge denim." Hartford Denim's mission is to preserve American craft and manufacturing traditions that would otherwise be lost. "We're making the vintage jeans of the future," says Marcoux. COOL STUFF Wiffle Balls Who makes it: The Wiffle Ball, Inc. Where: Shelton Founded: 1954 Employees: 15-20 How they make it: Polyethylene pellets are fed into an injection molder that makes the finished halves of the ball. Sealing equipment puts the two halves together. How much it costs: Under $2 for a single Wiffle Ball Who uses the product: Kids and anyone who is a kid at heart A yellow plastic bat was added to the line in 1972. Otherwise, the product has remained largely unchanged. COOL STUFF Jeans Who builds it: Hartford Denim Company Where: Hartford Founded: 2010 Employees: 4 How they make it: It takes nearly 50 steps to make one pair of handmade jeans. Cloth is cut, then sewn on vintage industrial sewing machines. Rivets and buttons are attached with an old press from Scovill Manufacturing in Waterbury. How much it costs: About $285 off the rack Who uses the product: Tradespeople, vintage lovers and anyone who gives a damn. Many repeat customers are tradespeople. Co-founder Dave Marcoux says they view their jeans as tools because repairs are guaranteed for life. "You appreciate the product when you've worn the same pair of jeans for a month and have been beating them up every day," says Marcoux. "We've got one customer who repairs bridges and he swears by them. He's probably got four pairs."