wiggy's birthday

THE DAY WIGGY’S STARTED

September 6, 1988 was the first day that Wiggy’s opened its doors in Grand Junction, Colorado. Tomorrow will be the first day of our 32nd year in business. As far as I know that makes Wiggy’s the oldest sleeping bag manufacturer in the U.S.A.

When I started, I had already hired Kok Bou as the head of all manufacturing for Wiggy’s. We have had this relationship for all these years and as you can imagine it has gotten as close a relationship as any two people can have both in the world of our business and outside the doors of Wiggy’s. It is a partnership that one can only dream of. I handle the easy part of the company; making sales and Kok handles the manufacturing and makes my ideas come to life.

Kok is from Cambodia and arrived in the U.S.A. 40 years ago at Camp Pendleton, CA. after about 6 months he and his family were sponsored by a church in Grand Junction. He worked picking fruit and eventually got hired by Marmot. His father was a tailor in Cambodia he had some sewing knowledge. This was his introduction to the outdoor industry and sleeping bags. When I showed him how I made my bags versus the down bags made by Marmot and how much cleaner my production was he was very happy. If you work in a factory that makes down products you must wear a face mask or your breath in the down and who knowns what else.

It is impossible for me to put into words what he has contributed to our partnership at Wiggy’s, without him I would probably have struggled and ultimately failed years ago. With him Wiggy’s has grown to become the largest manufacture of sleeping bags in the world a statement I make with great pride. Kok has streamlined production to the point that we have been able to keep our prices at a popular price point level for all these years. I do not believe we will see much of an increase if any for the next 2 years.

Now that we are starting our 32^nd year do not look to us for any new products we are being consumed with sales for what we have been making for 31 years. I marvel at the ongoing stupidity of the other companies serving the outdoor marketplace with all of their gyrations of style, color, etc. of products that never meet the expectations they apply to them specifically what they call sleeping bags, or what I call “no sleep sleeping bags”.

In the final analysis I give credit where credit is due and that recognizes Kok Bou as an equal force in the success of Wiggy’s.

So Labor Day has special meaning for me.