A small shop that makes specific things
Whatsit Manufacturing Co. started from a straightforward love of making things, and turned into a workshop that builds objects which don’t exist anywhere else.
We’re a bespoke manufacturer. Every project starts as a conversation — you describe what you need, and we work out how to make it. Some of those conversations turn into products other people want too, which is how the catalogue came to exist.
How we ended up making trophies
A lot of our work has ended up on and around boats. Sailing clubs need awards for laser racing, youth fleets and crew series that mean something to the people receiving them — and the standard options are a catalogue part with a sticker on the front. Older boats — C&Cs, Tartans, Tanzers — need fittings that stopped being manufactured decades ago, or that cost more to buy new than the boat is worth.
Both problems are the same problem: somebody needs one of something, made properly, and the supply chain isn’t set up for that. We are.
How we work
Everything is made in house — design, CNC routing and machining, laser cutting, 3D printing, and the hand finishing that actually decides whether a piece looks good. Nothing is drop-shipped and nothing is outsourced to a service bureau.
Small runs and single pieces are the normal case, not an exception we grudgingly accommodate.
Where we are
Kingsville, Ontario. Local pickup is welcome, and we ship across the country.
Have a look at what we’ve made, read about bespoke projects, or get in touch about yours.