Origin Story
Fontenelle Supply Co. is an idea originally born out of necessity.
Its foundation was built on tradition.
It started in a basement in Omaha, Nebraska. Adam, Asher, and I would spend every Tuesday night drinking cheap beer and playing pool. We would sit around and discuss the hobbies that we had been tinkering around with. Every week, someone would have a new idea or project. We would plan our entire week around what would come to be known as “Bro Night”.
It was our sabbath day. It was sacred.
One such project was axe restoration.
Earlier in the week, Asher was attempting to chop wood in the backyard for the fire place. He found that modern-day axes and hatchets were simply not going to cut it. It came down to the fact that the steel is not manufactured the way that it used to be decades ago and would lose its edge very quickly. After a bit of research we found that, with a little bit of effort and time, we could bring an axe back to its former glory.
The next Bro Night, we turned the basement of Asher’s house into a workshop, purchased a dozen rusty axe heads on Ebay, watched as many videos on the topic as possible, and instantly became obsessed. The idea that we could take an item, long forgotten, and not only make it usable again but better than anything you could go out and buy. That idea resonated with the three of us. It was a lost art form.
We only used time-honored, traditional techniques to restore our axes: rasping and reshaping the hickory handles by hand, using files and sharpening stones for the blades to ensure that no temper was lost, and eventually making hand-stitched leather sheaths.
Over the next year and a half, we created a line of leather goods including wallets, belts, key fobs, and notebook covers. As with everything else we have done, the leather work is done by hand with the finest tools and materials to ensure durability. We are willing to put the time, effort, and work into making something that will last a lifetime—or two.
Fontenelle Supply Co.
“Providing quality products to the everyday man and woman by marrying traditional trade skills with modern aesthetic and utility.”