We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Bard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

Taking the idea to execution is my favorite part! I’ve been a Creative Director for over 12 years, working with various brands including Good Dye Young, The Four Seasons and Disney. I love taking a brand from the ground up, planning the idea and bringing it to life.

After Denton and I married, we knew wanted to take our business to the next level. Our brand was previously known as Hunker Bag Co, but we felt pigeonholed into just making bags. Our ideas of making vintingae-inspired apparel and home goods just didn’t seem to fit — so we made a change.

We changed the name to Hunker Goods, started creating products, and redesigned the entire brand to fit our new aesthetic. We first planned out what we knew the look would be by storyboarding our photoshoots, planning out our social content and launch plan, and working with our designer on a new logo.

Once we launched, the momentum was a little slower than we planned. It took a while for our current customer based to understand the change. Within the first six months, we gained new customers that really loved the new look, and we’ve never turned back! Hunker Goods is really an extension of our adventurous lifestyle, always on the road finding inspiration wherever we go.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My background has been in fashion and beauty for over a decade. So when my husband Denton (co-founder of Hunker Goods) met, it was a harmonious union indeed. We took his passion for sewing and my creative diretion experience to create something that is truly uniquely us.

We specialize in handmade leather and canvas bags, vintage-inspired apparel, and home goods all inspired by old Americana.

Our designs are all inspired by old designs from the past 100 years. We want to withhold the old-world craftsmanship of bag-making, clothing, and more. We hand-cut, rivet, and sew each bag, which gives it unique characteristics to each product.

Just like your grandfather’s old work bag that’s lasted generations – our goods will do the same. When you buy from us, it not only supports small businesses, you’re taking something home you can pass down for generations to come. That’s what old Americana goods are all about.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Doing shows! We packed up our vintage 1966 Frolic Camper and brought our brand on the road. We started doing shows all over the country, from Austin, Tx to Grand Rapids Michigan. We’ve not only loved meeting everyone at the markets but it’s really helped our business grow.

This is key for us, as we don’t have a brick-and-mortar store. We sell online, and at some retailers. The only chance we get to meet customers is at these markets, so it’s a must for us at this point in our business. We can better understand our target audience, and get direct feedback on what products customers like best. We also make lots of friends along the way!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Sure! A couple of years ago, I had a full-time job as a Marketing Director for a big beauty brand. We had just started Hunker Goods, and we knew we wanted to take our brand to the next level. This involved lots of traveling and dedicating more time to marketing for us, instead of someone else. I took the leap and left my full-time job to work full-time with my husband.

It was for sure a leap, but one I was willing to take. It wasn’t the first time I had left a job to start my own business. I did this years ago when I started my marketing agency, Social Bard. So, I knew how to prepare for this change. My biggest piece of advice? Have a good amount of money saved up before you do it. Things always take longer to blossom than you think, so having that extra padding is so helpful when slow months – or seasons happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: hunkergoods.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/hunkergoods
• Facebook: facebook.com/hunkergoods
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/lostandremote
• Other: You can visit our Youtube channel Lost & Remote, to follow along on our travels! This is my personal travel project I started years ago, but it’s become part of Hunker Goods as well!