Chuck Bidwell and Jen Guarino of J.W. Hulme Co.

Who: Chuck Bidwell and Jen Guarino, the business partners who bought the 100-year-old J.W. Hulme Co. in 2003. The company was a manufacturer of high-quality sporting and hunting bags in stoic combinations of khaki and hunter green, famously sold under the Gokey label during the 1970s. So far, Guarino and Bidwell have made two significant changes: All products are now sold exclusively under the J.W. Hulme label, and they expanded the offerings to include a lovely line of classic leather luggage, briefcases, and handbags for women.

Carry on: “When we bought the company it was on its last leg,” says Guarino. “It was about to turn 100 years old and we saw a tiny ad in the St. Paul paper that said ‘Looking for Capital Partner.’ After we met him [former owner Norton Cross] we told him we’re much more interested in buying the company, but we retained him and all his institutional knowledge.” Today Cross consults on product development, and the company also retained a master sewer named Martha Didio, who has worked for the company for more than 25 years. “She has an interesting story,” says Guarino. “She learned to sew on seal skin when she was 4 or 5.”

Leather love: The company offered just three variations on the hunter-green outdoorsman duffle before Guarino and Bidwell took the helm. “Now we have over two dozen styles of handbags, and the fastest growing part of our line is leather,” says Guarino, pointing to an assortment of briefcases, document holders, and even gun cases that borrow from a romantic Americana aesthetic. “Our most successful line happens to be our most expensive—it’s our Heritage Line,” she says.

It’s the cows: The company’s St. Paul workshop and showroom is stocked with a few exotic hides, such as bison, but the shelves sway with beautiful, hand-finished cowhides. “We have some with a smooth finish that look like classic bridal leather, some that are grained and rugged, and even nubuck—which has a smooth-suede feel,” says Guarino.

Made in the USA: The company takes pains to manufacture an American product. All leathers are sourced from American tanners, for example. Certain hardware items—such as the tiny wheels used for rolling luggage—are only available from suppliers overseas. “But for the most part, everything down to the rivets is American-sourced,” says Guarino.

Handling history: This spring, the company will release a series of vintage-style bags. “They’re rugged sporting classics, so they’re based on the Gokeys bags from the 1970s and ’80s,” says Guarino. In fact, Didio remembers making the original pattern for our favorite bag in the series: the Number Two Briefcase.

Shop for J.W. Hulme bags at 678 W. 7th St., St. Paul, 651-222-7359, jwhulmeco.com, or find select styles at MartinPatrick3, 121 N. 1st St., Mpls., 612-746-5329, martinpatrick3.com