Q&A

Jeff and Josh founded Hook & Arrow to get useful products in the hands of people who are tough to buy for. Here, they talk about their vision.

What was the genesis of Hook & Arrow?

Jeff: If there’s a way to break something, Josh will. We borrow each other’s stuff so I set out to find quality products that Josh couldn’t break.

Josh: As a result, Jeff has everything you can think of, so for his birthday or Christmas my wife Kari and I search all over the place to find something new and different to surprise him.

Jeff: So we were both on a mission to find innovative, durable gear, and Hook & Arrow grew out of that.

Who is Hook & Arrow’s target audience?

Jeff: Hook & Arrow is a lifestyle brand for people who hunt and fish.

Josh: We started off with apparel as our core product line and added the gift boxes.

Why did you expand into the gift box business?

Josh: We know that serious hunters and anglers — women and men alike — typically prefer to pick out their own gear, but at the same time, their spouses and loved ones want to buy them gifts they will use and enjoy. Hook & Arrow makes everyone happy. The items are all rigorously field-tested and the kinds of things experienced hunters and fishermen would choose for quality, efficiency, and the “cool factor” these products offer.

Jeff: Hook & Arrow offers the element of surprise. I make my wife really specific Christmas lists at her request, but for her, it’s not as fun shopping from a list and though I’m always pleased, I’m seldom surprised.

Josh: Except that Christmas when she went to buy you the .22 you wanted for target shooting and somehow came out with a SOCOM .308.

Jeff: That was a very happy accident but it leads to another point — even with a list, gift givers sometimes get the wrong thing because they’re not into the hobby and don’t understand certain distinctions that make all the difference to the recipient. It’s a letdown for both the recipient and the giver, who’s spent time and money choosing a gift that doesn’t quite hit the mark.

How do you select the items for each box?

Jeff: We go to shows to find all the latest and greatest gear, as well as gear that fills a specific need or solves a problem. Then we test and use it. Nothing goes in a box that we don’t find useful.

Josh: Or that I’ve managed to break.