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Dante LaCivita and Reuben Uhlmann cross the $20,000 mark on their crowfunding campaign with four days to go.
Dante LaCivita and Reuben Uhlmann cross the $20,000 mark on their crowfunding campaign with four days to go.

1906 Gents surpasses Kickstarter goal

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Heirloom-quality wood product manufacturer The 1906 Gents has surpassed its Kickstarter goal with time still left on the clock.

The company, owned by Dante LaCivita and Reuben Uhlmann, sought $16,000 through the crowdfunding website and have raised $21,191 via 203 backers as of 10:50 a.m.

LaCivita said the key was marketing to local supporters and bloggers in the men’s grooming, tobacco, spirits and coffee sectors. The company makes products for each of those markets, including shave brushes, tampers for tobacco or coffee and accessories for beverages.

“We noticed getting midrange press in those pockets gave a whole lot of traction,” he said, noting social media shares of the company’s Kickstarter video helped, as well.

With an average pledge of $99, LaCivita said between local and out-of-state support, the outsiders tended to give more.

“More than half of the funding came through people who had not heard of us. They were people from different states, different countries,” he said.

Contribution rewards include a handwritten thank-you note and stickers for $10 donations and a silver-tip Badger shave brush for $65 pledges.

The 1906 Gents got its start in LaCivita’s basement and now operates in a shop on Commercial Street. Clients include Hudson Hawk and Brick & Mortar Coffee, which buy and display the company’s wood products, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

The crowdfunding campaign will finish the morning of Sept. 1.

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