Havel’s Sewing

What Havel’s Sewing does

Havel's Sewing is a privately held, Cincinnati-based designer, manufacturer, and direct-to-consumer retailer of professional-grade scissors and cutting tools serving home and professional users of sewing, embroidery, quilting, fabric arts, and taxidermy. Founded in 1981 by Hal and Elsa Schmithorst, the company is built around proprietary, patented scissors designs (including double angles, extra fine tips, blunt tips, left-hand grips, and larger finger loops) and has remained a founder-/family-operated business with no disclosed institutional ownership, funding rounds, M&A, or public listing.

The product catalog is organized into three core families — rotary cutting tools (rotary cutters, fabric rulers, replacement blades, cutting mats), scissors and snips (fabric, embroidery, applique, left-handed, multi-angled), and seam rippers — supported by consumables and accessories (art and craft blades, notions and tools, craft and tatting needles), plus specialty lines including the Havalon REDI™ interchangeable blade system and Talon™/REDI™ replacement blades, and professional-grade stainless steel suture needles conforming to US Federal Specification GGN 211b and German standard DIN-13170. The technology stack is intentionally minimal and traditional: an nopCommerce-hosted e-commerce storefront, a blog content engine at blog.havelssewing.com, an email newsletter, and an Instagram presence amplified by a small brand ambassador program.

Commercial operations are exclusively direct-to-consumer via the company's own website (havelssewing.com), with shipping to the US lower-48, Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada at tiered flat rates; international orders outside the US and Canada are handled manually by phone, fax, or email. Pricing is transaction-based, individual product prices are not publicly listed on the site, and the company backs its offerings with a 90-day return policy. Customer segments are horizontal across hobbyist and professional users, with marketing emphasis on content (tutorials, quilt patterns, product demos) and influencer/ambassador collaborations rather than paid acquisition.

Name

Havel’s Sewing

Legal name

Havelssewing

Website

https://havelssewing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Havel's Sewing is a privately held Cincinnati-based designer, manufacturer, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of patented professional-grade scissors, rotary cutters, blades, mats, and cutting tools for sewing, embroidery, quilting, and taxidermy users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Cutting Tools and Sewing Notions

NAICS

Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (45913), Sewing, Needlework, and Piece Goods Retailers (459130)

SIC

Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro primary industry

Craft Cutting & Sewing Technology Retail (Cutting Machines, Software, Tools) (CRALADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Quilting & Patchwork Shops (CRALADAB), Notions & Sewing Accessories Retail (Thread, Needles, Zippers, Buttons) (CRALADAG)

Keywords

• Fabric scissors
• Sewing cutting tools
• Rotary cutters
• Embroidery scissors
• Quilting supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales: The company generates revenue through direct-to-consumer sales of sewing and crafting tools, including scissors, rotary cutters, blades, cutting mats, seam rippers, craft blades, needles, and suture needles. Sales are conducted primarily through their e-commerce website with standard transaction-based pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Havel's Sewing designs, manufactures, and sells proprietary professional-grade scissors and cutting tools for sewing, embroidery, quilting, fabric arts, and specialty applications. The product range spans fabric scissors, embroidery and appliqué scissors, left-handed and multi-angled scissors, rotary cutters with replacement blades, cutting mats, seam rippers, craft blades, notions, and Havalon REDI™ interchangeable-blade systems, sold direct-to-consumer via its e-commerce website.

Product overview

Havel's Sewing is an e-commerce retailer specializing in professional-grade scissors and cutting tools for sewing, embroidery, quilting, and fabric arts. Founded in 1981 by Hal and Elsa Schmithorst, the company offers a comprehensive portfolio of cutting instruments and accessories organized into several product lines: rotary cutting tools (rotary cutters, fabric rulers, replacement blades, and cutting mats), scissors and snips (fabric scissors, embroidery scissors, appliqué scissors, left-handed scissors, and multi-angled scissors), seam rippers, craft blades, needles, and notions, plus specialty lines including Havalon REDI™ interchangeable blade systems and stainless steel suture needles. The product architecture follows a category-based structure with core cutting tools supported by consumable accessories and replacement parts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Havalon REDI™: Brand of surgical/medical scissors and suture needles with interchangeable blades
• Talon™ Blades
• REDI™ Blades

Products and services

• Rotary Cutters Professional-grade rotary cutters designed for fabric cutting, quilting, and crafting, with comfortable handles and sharp blades for precise cuts through multiple fabric layers.
• Fabric Rulers Precise measuring tools for fabric cutting and quilting projects, including specialized rulers for angles and squares.
• Replacement Blades Replacement blades for rotary cutters, including skip blades for decorative cutting techniques.
• Cutting Mats Self-healing cutting mats that protect work surfaces and rotary blades, featuring multi-angled grid lines and available in various sizes including 36x24 inch professional mats.
• Fabric Scissors High-quality scissors designed for general fabric cutting, dressmaking, and tailoring, featuring sharp blades and comfortable grips.
• Embroidery Scissors & Snips Precision scissors and snips designed for embroidery work and detailed cutting tasks, including double-curved options.
• Appliqué Scissors Specialized scissors designed for appliqué work, featuring extra fine tips for intricate cutting around fabric shapes.
• Left-Handed Scissors Scissors specifically designed for left-handed users, featuring reversed blade angles for comfortable and accurate cutting.
• Multi-Angled Scissors Scissors with multi-angled blades for reaching into tight spaces and making angled cuts in fabric projects.
• Seam Rippers Sharp seam rippers for undoing stitches, including the Ultra-Pro seam ripper designed for precision unpicking.
• Art & Craft Blades Blades for art and craft cutting projects beyond fabric work.
• Notions & Tools Various sewing notions and tools including needles, pins, and other essential crafting supplies.
• Craft & Tatting Needles Specialized needles for craft work and tatting projects.
• Havalon REDI™ Interchangeable Blade System Brand of interchangeable knife handles and surgical-type blades, featuring the REDI™ blade system for quick blade changes.
• Talon™ Blades Talon™ brand replacement blades for various cutting applications.
• REDI™ Blades REDI™ brand quick-change replacement blades compatible with the Havalon system.
• Stainless Steel Suture Needles Professional-grade stainless steel suture needles conforming to US Federal Specification GGN 211b and German standard DIN-13170, available in multiple styles including reverse cutting, taper point, and straight cutting needles for taxidermy and specialty applications.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Jessica Schunke (blueskycrafter)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 March 2017Jessica Schunke, known as blueskycrafter, is a brand ambassador who takes over Havel's Sewing's Instagram and Facebook accounts weekly. She creates quilting content and promotes Havel's products including embroidery scissors and cutting mats.
• Emily Lang (Mommy's Nap Time)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 February 2017Emily Lang of Mommy's Nap Time serves as a brand ambassador. She creates quilting tutorials and project content featuring Havel's cutting tools and rotary cutters.
• Stephanie Kendron (Modern Sewciety)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 February 2017Stephanie Kendron, host of the Modern Sewciety podcast, serves as a brand ambassador for Havel's Sewing. The company sponsors her weekly newsletter 'The Stych' and collaborates on giveaways. She creates content featuring Havel's products including tutorials and project demonstrations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/havels_sewing
• Xx.com/havelssewing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Havel’s Sewing