At Quality Logo Products, you can buy a leather business card wallet for $4.83. On our site, you can buy the Hlaska version for $75. Are we insane? What can you possibly be paying for?

The all-too-common answer to a question like this is, "You're paying for the name." And sure, a brand name can add a premium to any product, but it usually represents a small fraction of the price. Even strong brands recognize that most customers, especially affluent consumers, also look for value. That is to say, they'll buy nice, expensive things, but only if they are confident that they are also high-quality things.

The real answer to the question "What are you paying for?" is "Everything". Design, materials, construction, techniques, labor costs; and lastly, if the brand believes a slight premium can be added without scaring off consumers, a brand "tax" might be added [think of the premium Apple charges for the iPod even though there are arguably more functional MP3 players on the market].

We hope to make the "Makings Of..." articles a recurring series that will focus on the details - the excruciating details - of what makes the products we sell special. The first category to get covered is something near and dear to every gentleman's pants: his wallet. The Makings of a Quality Wallet explores many of the little details that explain why one "leather wallet" might sell in the single digits, and another in the triple digits. I suspect a few of the findings will surprise you, and will hopefully stick with you when you're in the market for a new way to carry your cash.

Buying a gentleman a wallet is one of the riskiest undertakings a gift-giver can attempt. They (we) tend to be extremely particular about how they carry around their money, and that is one of the reasons we offer so many different types of billfolds, breast pocket wallets, ID wallets, money clips, and credit card cases on our site. And it's still not enough. For every wallet we sell in the store, there is at least one customer we disappoint because we don't have some specific wallet configuration that hasn't been made since the Eisenhower administration.

There is a superstition associated with giving a wallet to someone that should make this an even more interesting gift. Tradition says you should never give someone an empty wallet. Superstitious people that we are, we offer to include a crisp $20 bill in any wallet that is being gifted. That extra level of service costs you only the value of the bill.  

A basic rule for gifting a wallet is: Replace what he already has. If he carries a billfold, get him a billfold. Don't listen to a sales person selling you a cool tri-fold with an ID window and a built-in USB drive if that's not what he's using today. Change is scary. For most men, this is especially true of wallets. 

There are a number of reasons why wallets make a great gift:

1.  100% of gentlemen use a wallet, money clip, or both. Those that roll their bills with a rubber band are not gentlemen.
   
2. Chances are he is in need of a new wallet. If you think about it, wallets get more use than just about anything else in or on his dresser. It's with him everyday (hopefully, the same pair of underwear or socks are not). It takes abuse: sat on, dropped, opened, closed, opened & closed some more, thrown in a drawer, tossed on a counter, overstuffed with receipts. The life is hard for a wallet.
   
3. A well-made leather wallet like those available on our site should last years. More than 2 or 3 assuming reasonable use (we're looking at you, George Costanza). An alligator wallet can be expected to last 8-10 (my own just turned 5 and looks as sexy as the day I met her).
   
4. You can personalize it. We offer free engraving on every M-Clip money clip, and free debossing on any leather wallet.
   

To reiterate: gifting a wallet involves high risks and high rewards.  Nail it, and you'll be a superstar. Fail, and the wallet will likely end up in the top drawer of his dresser until he has a buddy he can re-gift it to. Choose wisely.

Last night, Hlaska, a hip leather accessories company based in San Francisco, opened the doors to their first store. On Fillmore Street in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, the 2,000 square foot store showcases their entire line of Men's and Women's leather accessories, and a new line of men's ties (soon to be on our site!).

On The Fly has been proud to carry Hlaska's men's products since the beginning. The company's hip wallets were unique in a market that mostly features the same solid colored leather wallets that have been made for hundreds of years. And as we all know, now is not the time for "more of the same". Hlaska's products were sold in over 100 stores nationwide until company founder, Anthony Mazzei decided to reboot the company by adding a women's line, making both lines more upscale, and selling the products through just 3 online outlets (hlaska.com, onthefly.com, and tobi.com). The few, the proud, the chosen indeed. 

A capacity crowd attended, nibbling on appetizers and drinking wine & beer (alas, I was unable to get a Manhattan until I visited nearby Florio). Congratulations to Hlaska on their newest step, and we look forward to representing their products across town in our soon-to-open store in the Financial District.