Hats, Longbows, Wood Surfboards

Cody Dumont, Longbows (website)

Tenbrook Archery Longbows, Santa Cruz, CA

Hailing from Santa Cruz, California, Cody Dumont took his passion for bow hunting to begin creating some of the finest custom longbows and recurve bows in demand today. Dumont uses the finest materials available to hand make bows that are as much a work of art as they are practical. Along with being “a very cool guy,” Customers tout Dumont’s attention to detail in constructing bows that have virtually no hand shock, are lightweight, powerful, speedy, and beautiful. When not working on custom orders or hunting in the northern California hills, Dumont enjoys time outdoors with his family.

Martijn Stiphout, Wooden Surfboards (website)

Ventana Surfboards & Supplies, Santa Cruz, CA

Master craftsman and surfboard designer, Martijn Stiphout was born in South Africa. The family moved to Germany when he was very young, then settled in Netherlands. As a boy, Stiphout learned to work with wood from his father, and over the years he built on those skills, honing his craft.

Stiphout started surfing while living in the Netherlands, so when he decided to relocate to the States in 1993, California was the ideal location. With a degree in Marine Biology from Monterey Bay State University, he is as passionate about ocean conservation as he is about riding the waves.

His dedication to conservation is what gave him the idea to try to lessen his impact on the environment by handcrafting lightweight, one-of-a-kind, wooden surfboards, and bodysurfing handplanes, focusing heavily on sustainable and recycled materials.

His company, Ventana Surfboards & Supplies sells beautifully designed hollow, reclaimed wooden surfboards that are high performance, usable works of art. Stiphout lives and works in Santa Cruz, California, where he tests their handmade boards on some of the most challenging waves in the world. Ventana donates at least 5% of profits to the ocean conservation efforts

Read Martijn’s “Meet the Artisan” Blog

John & Kate McLaughlin, Men’s & Women’s Hats (website)

The Brass Rooster, Milwaukee, WI

Five years ago, when John and Kate McLaughlin started their now award-winning hat shop, The Brass Rooster, they also purchased the 100-year-old equipment used to service and create custom hats—the wood blocks, hand tools, rounding jacks, crown irons, hatting boards and more.

Today John, Kate and their professional staff continue the fine art of designing and hand blocking dress hats the traditional way, paying the utmost attention to detail, using only the highest quality leathers, furs, ribbons and other accessories available to make all of their hats.  

Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, The Brass Rooster is as much a working museum as it is a contemporary hat shop.

Read Kate & John’s “Meet the Artisan” Blog