In a quaint North Mountain dorm, three freshmen discovered an unexpected passion last winter: restoring vintage lighters. What started as a casual interest became the full-fledged venture known as 27 Trinkets — a nod to the very room where their business began.
For 27 Trinkets, it is not just about restoring relics. Art and design sophomore Theo Milner-Hansen said he values their business model’s promotion of sustainability.
“In the era of rampant consumerism, I think it’s important to enjoy taking care of your stuff,” Milner-Hansen said.
At the start, all operations occurred in a cramped dorm room with limited space and equipment. Although an enjoyable bonding experience, materials engineering sophomore Liam Brown said their practices have become more efficient in the last few months.
“It made a lot more sense for us to be buying lighters separately, sharing materials and collaborating on the repair because then we all kind of have our own little niche of lighters,” Brown said.
The business’s main focuses include cleaning, replacing wicks and packing new cotton into old lighters – issues that those unfamiliar with the mechanics might not know are fixable.
“We’re doing something to eliminate single-use lighters that are being thrown away all the time,” Brown said. “These are lighters that can be endlessly refilled and reused and repaired and potentially can last indefinitely.”
Once the repairs and cleaning are complete, 27 Trinkets will set up a booth on campus to meet new potential customers.
“We’ve worked through Thrift Cal Poly and gone through their events, and we’ve also had a couple times where we just sold independently on Dexter Lawn,” Milner-Hansen said. “But, we’re excited to sort of branch out into other clubs on campus that host these kinds of events.”
Running a business while being a full-time student is no menial task, according to Milner-Hansen.
“It’s hard to dedicate enough time and energy to the lighter repairs at times,” he said. “But, we realized that we all really enjoy doing it and we need to stick with it.”
Despite their differing career paths, the founders of 27 Trinkets recognize the benefits of learning to run a business and apply their practical skills.
“I like that we just took our interests and built something around that. It’s a perfect project for us right now to perpetuate our interests and have fun while making a little bit of money on the side,” Brown said.
The business’ Instagram @27trinkets provides regular updates for those interested in learning more and finding opportunities to purchase their products.