After a customer revolt, leathermaker J.W. Hulme returns to its made-in-U.S. heritage

The only constant in life is change, and that's not always a good thing. That's what the people behind leather goods company J.W. Hulme discovered.

The heritage brand that dates back to 1905 saw a customer exodus after it shifted away from artisan-crafted products in St. Paul to global manufacturing in 2018.

J.W. Hulme, known for signature products such as the classic brown duffel for $995, switched to more colorful, fashion-forward bags and ended its lifetime warranty. Loyal customers were turned off — and the company took notice.

"We're bringing it back to what it once was, a classic canvas and leather goods company," said Nick Soderstrom, who was hired, along with his wife, Christina, in the spring to lead the brand's creative turnaround.

In October 2018, the company's former majority owner, Olympus Capital Investments, closed J.W. Hulme's manufacturing plant on W. 7th Street in St. Paul and began global sourcing and manufacturing. About a year later, J.W. Hulme was purchased by Eden Prairie-based iMedia Brands Inc.

Barbara Lawstuen, director of J.W. Hulme, realized the changes were repelling core customers, the ones who "would throw their $1,000 leather handbag in the truck to go to the cabin."

Around that time, she met Christina Soderstrom. A freelance stylist for the J.W. Hulme catalog, Soderstrom remarked to Lawstuen about the changing look of the bags.

"I'd sold this brand for 15 years, and the stuff I was photographing and styling didn't feel right," said Soderstrom, who buys and sells secondhand J.W. Hulme goods at her vintage shop, Bearded Mermaid, in Northfield.

Lawstuen realized she'd met someone with a unique connection to J.W. Hulme's brand. When she looked for a creative team to bring back the loyal followers, she went to Christina Soderstrom.

"I needed help in making that happen," Lawstuen said.

Since then, J.W. Hulme has gone back to domestic manufacturing, mostly in the Twin Cities with longtime craftsmen, after the backlash over production in China and other countries. Also returning: the lifetime guarantee on leather bags, wallets and other items, as well as its more traditional dark-hued color scheme.

"We wanted to go back to the roots," Christina Soderstrom said.

About 70% of J.W. Hulme sales are driven from the catalog and website and another 30% from storefront walk-ins. Regulars used to make purchases in a nondescript space at the former W. 7th manufacturing site until its 2018 closing. It remains to be seen whether the popular semiannual winter and summer sample sales will return.

The Grand Avenue store, which debuted in 2019, reopens Monday after closing for a few weeks for the makeover. It has transformed from an all-white boutique to a warm and woodsy feel, with a canoe serving as a display case, as well as vintage photos, antique skis and deer head mounts. A second store in Edina, which was a temporary pop-up, closed earlier this year.

The St. Paul store had won over some handbag shoppers with colorful styles in a boutique setting, but too often once-loyal customers walked in, took one look and left empty-handed.

"We're not selling a boutique," Lawstuen said. "We're selling J.W. Hulme and the feeling that goes with having a handcrafted heritage J.W. Hulme bag that will last you a lifetime and you know the repairs will always be taken care of."