A handmade modern goods business will soon move to downtown San Marcos to provide residents with a shopping experience unlike any other.
Son of a Sailor is based out of Austin and will open its second location April 19 at 241 N. LBJ Drive. The shop is a production studio and boutique storefront that features handmade, innovative products made out of raw, natural and industrial materials. Inside the store, shoppers can view the craftsmen creating some of the products on site.
The craftsmen mainly work with leather goods, wood workings and jewelry to sell a line of handmade gifts and accessories. Some of the boutique’s products include wallets, leather notebook covers, leather bracelets, collars and leashes for pets, and hand painted leather goods. Alongside its in-house brand, Son of a Sailor carries local and national brands that are likewise mostly handmade.
The front of the store is a boutique in which one can find stationery, candles, smoking accessories and room sprays. The production studio is visible near the back of the boutique and is where production assistants can be seen tinkering and hammering away.
The products made by Son of a Sailor are handmade in-house, which means the craftsmen can customize any of the brand’s products. Kat Shelby, Son of a Sailor wholesale manager, said they can fulfill your dreams by making your ideas come to life.
“This store is not corporate where one hundred items look the same,” Shelby said. “These products are made to order and specifically made for you.”
Though Son of a Sailor takes online orders, it has everything available in store. Its production studio will be located in San Marcos, where most of Son of a Sailor’s products will be created. Only a small percentage of production will remain in Austin.
“If you want to customize something you can come to the store, explain to us what you like and we can make it in the shop,” Shelby said. “If you don’t see something on the shelf but you see it online, we can create it right then and there for you.”
Son of a Sailor was created by married couple William and Jessica Knopp in 2011. The boutique’s name originated as a reference to the time William Knopp, co-owner of Son of a Sailor and Texas State alumnus, spent serving in the Navy. Initially, the Knopps sold products under the name Son of a Sailor on Etsy but opened a boutique when it was evident the business was thriving.
William Knopp said the idea of a store with handmade products was born out of their love of gift giving.
“We try to make quality goods that we would love to give as gifts,” William Knopp said. “We wanted to create something that is going to last a while and be thoughtful and unique.”
Jessica Knopp, co-owner, said the style transcends demographics. Carrying items for men, women, the home and pets allows for a broad age range of people to find something they are interested in.
“We are targeting people who are interested in where their things come from,” Jessica Knopp said. “People who are attracted to the idea that the products are not made by machines, and instead are made by people.”
Jessica and William Knopp said they are excited to move production to San Marcos because it has already proved to be a welcoming town.
“We felt it is a community that we can really be a part of and that we can contribute to,” Jessica Knopp said. “It has really opened its arms to us and our business.”
To view Son of a Sailor’s products or get more information, visit https://sonofasailor.com