IT STARTED WITH A HAMMOCK. A mosquito net for a camping hammock, to be exact; designed by Marshall Deming in high school, and sewn by his mom out of materials from JoAnn Fabrics. A mosquito net that was soon coveted by Marshall’s hiking buddies because, well, who wants to sleep with mosquitoes in the middle of the woods on a warm summer night? Dave Marcoux and Luke Davis were two of those hiking buddies. Friends since their youth in West Hartford, the three were passionate about their hiking equipment; amassing the latest and greatest, obsessing over the functionality and features, and exploring their own ideas for gear. A decade or so later, Luke, Marshall and Dave have a few new obsessions. The three men are coowners of Hartford Denim Company, located in the Parkville neighborhood of the city. What started as custom jeans for themselves, friends, and family has evolved into a line of durable denim, duck canvas, and leather goods for the trades. If custom and quality are what you’re looking for, you need to go to HARDENCO. “Stuff breaks down,” says Luke Davis, seated at a sewing machine and stitching a hand-embossed leather logo patch onto a duck canvas apron. “People realized enough is enough. Let’s do it right the first time.” The guys at HARDENCO are experts at doing it right, evidenced in the quality of their work. In their 66
CT FOOD & FARM / FALL 2018
