Ground Floor: Solon leather business hearkens back to more genteel time

SOLON — Conor Paulsen may be a Millennial, but he founded a business to bring back the customs and courtesies of the Greatest Generation.

'The whole idea behind Gentlemen Care is to revive the gentleman of our grandfather's era for the modern generation,' Paulsen said. 'Being a gentleman is not just how you look, but what you do. Gentlemen hold the door open. They make eye contact and stay off the phone when they talk to you.'

Paulsen hopes to appeal to men of character and quality with a fully-customizable line of premium leather accessories. Gentlemen Care products include belts, shaving kits, and duffel bags that are handcrafted in Solon.

Paulsen, a full-time student entrepreneur at the University of Iowa, said the leather goods line was not the first idea he pitched to his now business partner Lee Miller when the two met at an Iowa City gym.

'My first idea was to buy and sell premium dress socks off Alibaba,' Paulsen said. 'My plan was to buy low and sell high with dreams of retiring as a junior in college. There was one problem; no one wanted socks.'

His next idea was to revive an old-time men's accessory, the sock belt. He envisioned a high-end product made out of leather using a patented design. His research on that idea led him to his other business partner, Kevin Tompkins, a longtime Solon business owner who had been making and selling custom leather gun holsters out of his basement.

'He took some convincing,' Paulsen said of getting Tompkins on board with the new business. 'He didn't like the sock belt idea.'

With Tompkins' input, Gentlemen Care went a different direction. The three partners began developing prototypes for a line of leather men's accessories. They set up a kiosk at a local mall to get customer feedback and, in May 2015, launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise the initial operating capital for the business.

Gentleman Care sells its leather goods online, but Paulsen said the store isn't a traditional e-commerce site.

'You sign up online and we will contact you within 24 hours by telephone,' he said. 'We get to know you as a person first so we can better recommend products for your lifestyle and profession.'

All products are fully customizable, with customers given choices in leather, hardware, and even thread.

Paulsen said one of his biggest challenges with the business is maintaining work-life balance. In addition to serving as CEO of Gentlemen Care, he has a full course load and serves as an ambassador for the University of Iowa's John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC) program.

Consistent with his belief that a true gentleman gives back to his community, Paulsen also volunteers every week with local charitable organizations and encourages all Gentleman Care team members to do the same.

AT A GLANCE

Founders: Conor Paulsen, Kevin Tompkins, Lee Miller

Business: Gentlemen Care

Email: sales@gentlemencare.com

Phone: (319) 384-0022

Website: www.gentlemencare.com

Know a company or manager who has been in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor'? Contact Francie Williamson at francie.williamson@thegazette.com