Author: Sean Ongley

  • New Products, Old Ideas Revised

    Clearance sales on Mammoth and Snow Ermine are in effect. This is to accelerate plans to improve those designs. In fact, Ermine is a new design based on a strap used in the past. The cut on this strap came out 1/16″ too wide, but it still fits through the buckle, just a little tight.

    Mammoth is our most expensive, chic, standard belt. Yet, it has the same design as the classic, with the roller buckle and single snap. We found a chic modern western style buckle for it. It requires a double snap and a slightly tighter loop to house the buckle, so all previously built Mammoths must go.

    The gradual rollout of Held’s mainstay catalogue has been going steadily.

    Any products listed at HeldGear.com are considered ongoing inventory with no discontinuation in sight. These are not recycled products and they are built from new components.

    Etsy will continue for now as the exclusive listing site for prototypes, limited issues, and units built from recycled materials.

    Held products reduce waste even when they are newly sourced, because they are the most durable belt strap outside of pure raw hide leather. “Genuine Leather” is nonsense. That stuff is either a composite of junk leather ground into particles, mixed with other junk, then bound together by toxic adhesives.

    Most people that buy a cheap standard black belt for their job don’t even realize that they are wearing a vegan belt. However, it is made from a weak strap, junk buckles, made in poor working conditions, and is not meant to last a year.

    Held offers an affordable alternative. Our retail prices are in the same range as inferior products at major department stores. We offer something that can be put to the test day in and out, for years to come.

    The goal of standardizing mainstay products with completely American-made components is within reach, and getting closer with every sale. As our supply chain works right now, we already support small American companies every step of the way.

    So many possibilities are at our fingertips springing from the belt design. The reversible snap strap allows for customization options like different buckles, and more conceptual designs and color combinations. Building that into the shop is a little complex, but it’s almost here.

    Cuffs, collars, and new belt designs are coming out right now.

    HELD is a supplement to the whole American manufacturing apparatus that uses conveyor belting in their process. We support the continued sales of these manufacturers even during a recession.

    We are also a punk rock company, man, this is all indie as it gets. That’s why, eventually people will say, we’re the only brand that matters.

  • Crypto payments postponed

    Once again, the flaw of centralized systems reveals itself. That is discontinuity. This website utilizes free and open source software called WordPress, which has a standard commerce plugin called WooCommerce. Both of these systems are very secure, durable, and in some respects decentralized.

    There was a third system involved called CoinPayments, and they are discontinuing services in the United States. Through them as the fiat payment processor via another centralized exchange, I was able to offer payments in a variety of cryptocurrencies. I had selected Bitcoin and Litecoin, of course, and to give Ethereum a bone, Shiba Inu.

    Given that my whole system here is dependent on these outfits continuing to get up in the morning, I have to suspend CoinPayments and seek a new solution.

    The reason provided by CoinPayments has everything to do with the market in the U.S. and its regulatory environment. For instance, the value of one Litecoin is roughly the same as one Mammoth belt. If I receive dollars, I am taxed on the profit of that sale. If I convert crypto to dollars, then I am taxed on capital gains, but all I did was make a sale. This environment was created by centralized banking and secured by federal taxation.

    Held Gear believes in the power of cryptocurrencies toward a people powered economy and that these currencies will be essential when Held open up to international sales.

    Short of returning to a pre-networked, pre-telegraphed world, the likelihood of a non-digital currency dominating our system in the future is almost zero. Whatever it is, it should be networked by the people.

    Looking forward to reaching a solution and reintroducing crypto in a more directly managed way. It might not be possible in the WooCommerce checkout system. I might offer cash mail order and crypto transactions using a form module. We shall see.

  • Day Jawn is our Grand Opening in Philadelphia

    Day Jawn is our Grand Opening in Philadelphia

    Kismet is the first event that I applied to as a local vendor, this coming June 4, Held Gear will have a booth at Day Jawn, put on by FRNDS Studios. It is a pop up mall of local vendors in the ambience of North Portland’s sculpture gardens, with the ambience of great local DJ’s.

    Following the Day Jawn is Night Jawn, at the warehouse on Watts, it keeps the DJ night going as a stand-alone event.

    Speaking for myself as the new owner, Sean, I love music above all, and I love to dance. I love real, gritty spaces, and creative people. I cannot imagine a better event to reintroduce Held in Philly than this event.

    I also cannot imagine a better built-in celebration for myself. I cannot wait to make a bunch of new friends and party together.

    Held Gear is moving fast regardless of any sales that may or may not happen at Day Jawn. I believe we’ll move a good chunk of inventory, but I quickly establishing new and scrap material to establish Held Belts inside main street retailers across the U.S., while maintaining consistent inventory online.

    Sales have been happening. Customers were very gracious about my hiccups along the way. Held is coming back. And I love it.

    Saturday June 04
    3-10 PM
    Day Jawn
    1717 N. Hancock Street, Philadelphia

    Advance Tickets on Eventbrite

  • Production to Resume Soon

    Last week, the deed was done. I met up with Founder Micah (Twin) in Why, Arizona, spending two nights and three days on his wildlife refuge. Proceeds from Held Gear will benefit his community work.

    I captured video and photos every step of the way. The goal is to cut a little documentary together about the experience.

    In addition to more than 50 units counted on his floor, we can nearly double that after I finish building up existing materials for a new batch of Mammoth, Auroch, Groove, and Sky belts.

    I will purchase new classic black belt material from our fabricator and this will be the first design to go back into production after the above mentioned pieces are complete.

    Contacts for scrap belt material will be redeveloped. It turns out the same manufacturer that Twin worked with in Portland, Oregon has another site in the Philadelphia suburbs. This whole thing is kismet.

    These steps will take place over the course of May. First thing is to build and ship what I can, here in Tucson, today. Next is to complete the transfer of assets to Philly. When that is successful, it’s simply a matter of setting up my shop at home and pushing ahead.

    The community around this brand is beginning to develop again. It is wonderful to behold.

    Full inventory on May 6, 2022, on Twin’s floor.