Interview with Paul G. Huck (Captain Huck’s Booty)
Good morning everyone,
I have done private interview with the owner of captainhucksbooty.com. I am sure you are familar to Paul. His online store have many unique cufflinks which I can draw information/inspiration on. So seat back and enjoy this interview.
Paul : Captain Huck‘s Booty specializes in vintage and antique men’s dress accessories. This specialization enables us to focus on men’s items which is especially important as there is little focus or understanding of cuff links on general jewelry sites. We carry a full range of cuff links from fun and basic to top tier designers. So what every the price point or collecting or wearing preferences, we should have cuff links that match the individual’s desires. We have been online for over 10 years (over 6 on at TIAS and before that on a site TIAS bought in 2000) which provides a certain level of confidence that the products are real and so is the service. Additionally, I have written extensively on cuff links (primarily in The Cuff Linker published by TIAS) am a member of the International Watch and Jewelry Guild as well as the Jeweler’s Vigilance Committee and am a bonded merchant, all of which add to a feeling of security when ordering from Captain Huck‘s Booty.
Adwin: Which are the most popular collectible cufflinks in your store? Any particular brands?
Paul : I’m happy to report that it is style that sells on the website and not necessarily brand name. I believe it is important for individuals to be comfortable with their own style and not rely on name brands to validate their choices. However, well priced Georg Jensen sells well (particularly as gifts) and no David Andersen enamels stay in stock for any length of time.
Adwin: What is your greatest challenge on selling online vintage men’s dress accessories?
Paul : For me the major challenge in selling (or buying) cuff links on the web is the lack of feel and being able to see how the cuff links look within a cuff. When selling cuff links in person, individuals buying for themselves usually hold up a cuff link to their cuff to see how it looks and people buying them as gifts ask me to put one in my cuff so they can see how the cuff links actually will look. This is particularly an issue when selling vintage and antique items since the purchaser will not have a preconceived idea of how the piece looks. This is improving as digital cameras keep improving.
Adwin: Would you consider the collection of cufflinks a hooby of the past? I mean is it still as popular?
Paul : There are plenty of people that currently collect cuff links, as well as those who still wear cuff links. I would say there are more collectors and less wearers now than in the past.
Adwin: I am from Singapore and would like people to be aware of cufflinks collection as a hobby. How do I start to drive this awareness?
Paul : I’m going to break this down to both wearing cuff links and collecting cuff links. In collecting cuff links, cuff links come in all price categories, all types of designs, include advertising, sports, and travel items are small and a huge collection would not even overwhelm a studio apartment, much less a house. If the collector is looking at designs, a pair of cuff links from a major designer will usually cost less than the equivalent pair of earrings.
Paul : Cuff links are wonderful to wear. There is nothing else for men to wear that shows attention to detail as well as being able to show their personalities when one has to dress for business or pleasure.
Adwin: How many cufflinks have you personally possessed?
Paul : Primarily the cuff links that I wear are made by contemporary studio gold and silversmiths. In my personal box, I probably have around 60 pair of cuff links to go along with 6 pocket watches and corresponding chains, 20 wrist watches, stickpins and a few brooches I share with my wife. I enjoy dressing and am not afraid to be a little flamboyant (it is fun in fact, especially seeing stares from others).
Adwin: Would you say that your main business are mainly done online?
Paul : My sales are about 50% on the web, 25% at shows and 25% sold to my private clientele.
Adwin: What actually get you started an online store since 1995?
Paul : I originally started on line because I thought it would be good advertising for me to obtain private clientele and increase my show sales. I now believe that doing the antique shows is a good advertisement for my webstore as at the antique show the individual clearly sees that the merchandise is real and that increases the faith in buying from an online store with which they are not familiar.
Adwin: I saw that there are a vast amount of antique collectible from your
tias.com website. I guess those are really a rare item. Hardly can be found elsewhere.
Do you source for those antique all by yourself?
Paul : I am merely one dealer with a store within the TIAS web mall. There are over 1400 separate stores within TIAS. At Captain Huck‘s Booty, I have personally sourced and vetted every item and they run from quite common to extremely rare including some possibly unique pieces. That is probably true for most of the other dealers within their stores.
Adwin: I find your
website tias.com somewhat similar to an auction store. Can anyone without
prior selling experience setup a store online using TIAS.com services?
Would there be a minimum requirement?
Paul : TIAS is more of a web mall where individuals set up there stores within the system. Information about the requirements needed to set up a store on TIAS can be accessed through its home page. I particularly like TIAS as it allows its dealers to have their own store name and access as well as access through TIAS. Items at Captain
Huck‘s Booty can be accessed directly at
http://captainhucksbooty.com or through
http://tias.com I prefer to have my own website name established as the place to come for quality men’s dress assessories.
Thank you sir for your time and I would certainly do a review on your store.
By the way, can I request to have your photograph as I would like to endorse your name with your picture on my site.
P.S : I am still waiting for Paul’s picture to be put it up. And I will be converting this interview into a pdf for people who want to read it offline.
P.P.S : Do join my mailing list so you can receive notification on the lastest interview with the experts. ( I do not have a auto-responder mailiing system. And I don’t think I have the time to spam your email.) All email sent are highly informative.
Once again, thank you for visiting.
