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History: Jim and Connie Grant started Sailrite in 1969 after they needed sails to participate in a regatta. When a local sailmaker couldn’t make the sails in time, Jim bought the material and made his own set. The husband-and-wife team started Sailrite to teach others how to make sails, and the business expanded to provide materials and tools. Their son, Matt, worked at the company when he was young—as did the woman who would eventually become his wife. The two went to college but couldn’t wait to get back to Sailrite, which now sells sewing machines, hardware, fabric and leather for projects that include sails, awnings, lawn furniture, upholstery, window coverings and more.
Product: Sailrite’s patented Ultrafeed walking-foot machine is designed for heavy-duty sewing of multiple layers of fabrics as well as thicker fabrics like canvas and denim. An add-on kit allows customers to sew leather.
Where it’s made: Key parts of the portable, all-metal Ultrafeed are cast in Taiwan and China and shipped to a factory in Columbia City, where workers add motors and fully assemble the machines. Then they move to a tuning room at the Columbia City factory, “which is really where we do most of our magic,” Matt Grant said.
Other products: Fabrics such as vinyl, canvas, sailcloth and mesh. Hardware including grommets, fasteners, rivets and buckles. Also, foam, webbing, leather, adhesives, scissors, patterns and more. Industrial sewing machines.
Marketing tool: Sailrite relies on instructional videos to drive sales. Two YouTube channels— @SailriteDIY and @SailriteWorkbench—provide detailed, step-by-step instructions for creating sofa cushions, backpacks, canopies, Roman shades, hammocks and more. Sailrite sells the tools, hardware, adhesives, fabric and other supplies needed for every project.
Fun fact: Sailrite sponsors an annual contest for customers who’ve made projects featuring a product, kit or tool purchased from Sailrite. Customers submit photos for a chance to win a $250 gift certificate. Grant said some of the most interesting entries come from customers who make cosplay costumes. “They are super, super creative,” he said. “There have been some crazy things over the years.”
Headquarters: Columbia City
Website: Sailrite.com
—Lesley Weidenbener
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