Source: Blog – Alliance for American Manufacturing
Courtesy Fisher Blacksmithing
“You want the tool to do the job that it is made to do,” says the man behind Fisher Blacksmithing.
Fifteen years ago, Tuli Fisher started a small business making gardening tools by hand at his blacksmithing shop in Bozeman, Montana.
His exquisite utensils are not only made in America, they are crafted with tools that are also American-made.
“All my hammers and tongs and all of the other tools I use for my blacksmithing are all made by somebody in the United States,” said Fisher, owner of Fisher Blacksmithing in Bozeman. “And I source my materials from the United States as well.”
He produces top-of-the-line hand gardening tools with steel from Denver and Salt Lake City, black walnut from Oregon, forges manufactured in North Carolina and rivets made in California.
Fisher manufactures 12 distinct types of meticulously formed tools that are high-performing, durable staples to any gardener’s tool kit.
According to national surveys, approximately 55% of U.S. households (71.5 million homes) engage in gardening. This translates to about 185.9 million people participating in gardening activities which includes both vegetable and plant horticulture. The U.S. is ranked in the top three gardening countries in the world along with Australia and China.
Fisher, 53, was a welder early in his career after growing up in Wabash, Indiana. His move to Montana came with a new profession as he became a farrier, shoeing horses all over Big Sky country.
Making gardening tools was always a side gig for Fisher until 2010 when he took on manufacturing as a full-time vocation. That’s when his daughter was born, and he decided he wanted to spend more time at home instead of chasing horses across Montana.
His business has remained successful over the years, especially during the peak gardening seasons of summer and spring. And business booms again during the holiday season months when people are buying gifts for their favorite growers.
“My business has been really steady. During the winter months I keep building tools because during my busiest months sometimes I can’t even keep up,” said Fisher. “Serious gardeners want quality tools.
“The biggest change was when Covid came along and I stopped doing in-person events, which was a big part of my program. I would go to these big home and garden shows in San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and Philadelphia. They would have these big display gardens and a bunch of vendors, and I would spend three days talking about my company. When Covid came along they canceled all of those shows. So, I devoted all my time to Internet sales.”
Many small businesses either thrived or failed during the Covid pandemic, and Fisher was fortunate to be in the former group. He even designed some new tools.
“My business got better during Covid because everybody was at home trying to figure out what they were going to do, and a lot of people were gardening,” said Fisher.
“I use 12-foot sticks of cold rolled 5/16 square (steel) and because it is 5/16 it is an odd size, and a lot of people don’t stock it. When you are doing blacksmithing like I do it makes a difference. You’ve got to have the right size, and it works so much better if it is cold rolled.”
“You have to temper it with the fact that people buying my garden tools are real people. Time is important to them so when they go out on the weekend or whenever they want to garden, they don’t want to end up at the hardware store buying something, replacing a shovel or whatever. You want the tool to do the job that it is made to do.”
Tuli Fisher, Fisher Blacksmithing
Fisher’s tools have a unique look to them, as if they are antiques. They are dependable, functional, and easy to use pieces of hardware that some folks consider artwork, with the steel reflecting a bronze and purple patina.
“When finishing the tools, I wire brush them and heat them back up to 450 degrees, which gives them that brassy, blue-colored look,” said Fisher. “They don’t look like anything you might buy at your hardware store or big box store.”
Chances are most of the gardening essentials found at big box stores are made in China, and Fisher does not consider these inferior products his competition.
“Tools made in China I think are just kind of an imitation of a tool,” he added. “It’s really not even designed to work. I get that it is really tempting for people to buy based on price. It’s, ‘why should I spend $70 for something I can get for $7?’ I know my tools are expensive, but I am not trying to be the cheapest.
“You have to temper it with the fact that people buying my garden tools are real people. Time is important to them so when they go out on the weekend or whenever they want to garden, they don’t want to end up at the hardware store buying something, replacing a shovel or whatever. You want the tool to do the job that it is made to do.”
Among the 12 tools that Fisher produces is a standard set of five – a large planting trowel; a narrow perennial trowel; two hand hoes, one of which is square and the other pointed; and a three-tined rake. He also produces a gardening fork, a dandelion digger, and a hardwood planting dibble. His latest production is a crescent moon harvester made with stainless steel.
Fisher Blacksmithing hand-forged garden tools are sold at select retail garden and flower shops across America but can easily be purchased through the company website at www.fisherblacksmithing.com. Individual pieces are available for purchase from $62 to $96.
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