Club Obi Wan

Tony Nowak,
I visited Tony's shop a few times. I had about 5 or 6 interactions with him, including one QM summit. He was a really cool guy. He was honest, for what counts. 

But you guys are mistaken if you think that he appreciated the fanboy-geek-obsession that many of his Indygear customers had, beyond making a buck. Don't get me wrong, he was very thankful for his customers (all of them). But if you think that he was "one of us", you're wrong. 

At least a year after my initial jacket purchase, I took it in to Tony for a repair. One of the pockets had come loose. He said that he should have used better judgement and sewed a better reinforcement that wasn't "screen accurate", for it to be more functional. He proceeded to do it for me and the jacket was better off. 

Anyway, what really struck me was how weary Tony had become. Maybe I caught him at a tired or low point. I could tell that He was sick of dealing with Indy fans. They weren't normal. He never blurted it out, but I could tell. I sort of prodded it out of him and he confirmed my suspicion. 

That was no surprise. Anybody that deals with obsessive personalities becomes weary. My opinion never changed. I liked Tony. In fact if he didn't think that Indy gear fans were freaks, I'd have thought that there was something wrong with him.

Anyway, he tried really hard to give the Indy fans what they wanted (as every vendor does). But make no mistake, he cared more about selling the jacket that fans thought they wanted, then selling the greatest Indiana Jones jacket ever invented. I do believe that Tony cared about quality. But he only cared about "details", because you guys cared about details.

The words "limited edition" have never been more than a marketing ploy, in any business. What it means is that the product maker realizes that the customer base is small, so they need to squeeze a bit more out of the customer base, to make it worth their while. Those two words help the customer believe that what they are getting is rare. What they are getting is rare in a sense. But it's only rare because the average person doesn't care and would not purchase it. 

I liked Tony. 

Oh and after Steven Spielberg is dead, you will read many, many accounts about him not being a nice man. That's what happens after people pass, the truth comes out. At least Tony was a nice man. Nobody's saying otherwise. I'm not sure what the problem is.

Rundquist wrote:Oh and after Steven Spielberg is dead, you will read many, many accounts about him not being a nice man. That's what happens after people pass, the truth comes out. At least Tony was a nice man. Nobody's saying otherwise. I'm not sure what the problem is.

I'll keep this very straightforward. I bought two Jackets from Tony (CS #057-to commemorate the year 1957-and a Raiders- #713 to commemorate my and HF's birthday. I too had asked for #522 when my CS was ordered and was told by Tony the number was taken. Anyway . . . ). When I ordered my first jacket from Tony I got him on the phone one Tuesday afternoon in mid-Sept. 2008. I said, "Your jacket looks great, but its really expensive, I'm just not sure, but I'm calling to talk about it." He said, in his beautiful Polish accent, "I guarantee you, you will love this jacket! It's worth it." We talked and talked and talked some more. We talked for three hours at least. The conversation went everywhere from Indiana Jones to his son's poor grades in school. (I'm an English teacher, so he wanted my advice.) In the end, I bought the jacket, and I've always loved it. After I received it I emailed him some photos of me wearing it and he was very happy for me and complimentary of how I looked. He always wrote his emails ALL IN CAPS. I miss that.

A few weeks later, my roommate and I happened to be watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. During the movie my phone rang. It was Tony. I paused the movie and, covering the phone quickly, say to my roommate, "Dude, its the guy who made the jacket!" Tony was just calling to say hi. To see how I was doing, see how I was enjoying the jacket. Basically, he liked me, he remembered our conversation, and he felt like calling. It was one of the most charming things that had ever happened at the hands of someone who sold me something.

Then, a few months after that, Thanksgiving Day 2008, Tony called again to say, "Thank you."
I said, "Tony, for what?"
He said, "I wanted to call to say thank you for buying the jacket. America is a great country, and I want to call you and say thank you, and to say 'Thank you, America, for giving me such a great opportunity in this country.'"

I kept in touch with Tony through email over the next year, and nearly a year after I bought my CS I ordered my Raiders jacket. Same old Tony, same old sweet charm.

Did Tony care about Indiana Jones? I don't know and I don't care. (okay, I happen to know he really didn't give a @#$% about the Indiana Jones movies, it was just another job for him, he admitted that to me, and I never saw anything wrong with that).

But he cared about me and I will FOREVER be touched by his talent and his sweet charm.

God bless you, Big Tony. I hope the big man upstairs loves the jackets your cranking out up there in heaven.

SIncerely,
Daren Henry Wilkerson

We all have our private impressions of Tony. Again, I liked him a lot. He was an honest guy that stood behind his product. I too got grade A service from Tony. I too got a bunch of follow up calls about my jacket, one on Thanksgiving. I was even called on a Sunday to come and pick up my jacket (which I did), because he "wanted me to have it". Tony cared about his craft. Tony cared about his business. Part of the reason we all liked buying from Tony was that he made each of us feel special. But that was part of the service that you paid for when buying one of his jackets. Each of us likes to think that when an attractive waitress gives us really great service, they are doing it because we are special. I'm under no illusion that they do it because they want a bigger tip. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy feeling special, nonetheless. Personal attention means repeat business. It is a simple concept. I don't fault somebody for enjoying the service, just as one shouldn't fault another for calling it as they see it.

One more thing. I have a friend that doesn't like "making of" documentaries. They destroy the illusion of things that he loves. He doesn't want to know that the director of a movie that he loved was actually a jerk. Or another example is some people don't want to hear about a musician's personal life and find out that they were this or that. I respect that.

But I love "making of" documentaries. Knowing how something was made doesn't affect my enjoyment of it. So there is the issue in a nutshell.

There are always going to be people on the forum that are on different wavelengths. There are always going to be people that you don't like and there will always be people that don't like you. People are animals. We compete and go to war with one another. That's the way it is. But these people that we don't like have a right to exist. They have a right to be here (as long as they don't break the outlined rules of the forum). It's up to us as individuals to either engage with these people or walk away. Just remember, for every person that you don't care for, there is usually a person that doesn't care for you.

And as long as somebody is not breaking a forum rule, it all flys, like it or not.

Well said, Adam.

I, too, received multiple calls from Tony before, during and after I got my CS jacket. I never called the man, but out of the clear blue (usually after 7 p.m. Central. He didn't pay much attention to zime zones. ) he'd just call to say 'hello'. It always surprised me why he'd want to waste his valuable time talking to me.

One call he even asked me to ask him any question I wanted to concerning the CS jacket production. It caught me completely by surprise, as I'm usually the one who tries to take someone down that path in a discussion.

When I had problems with the lining and sent it back, he sent a barrage of emails and phone calls asking me if I wanted this done, or that done to my jacket. All I wanted was to have the lining corrected, but he added what he called his 'immigrant pocket' and tightened all the seams.

I've been amused at some of the stories I've heard come back of me 'hounding him' to do this or that. Anyone who ever dealt with Tony knows that's a laugh. First of all, NO one hounded the man. He wouldn't allow it...and second, he was the one who did the pushing. I'm amazed he made a living, as he was always trying to give away the store without anyone asking.

My time knowng Tony was brief, but memoriable. After all this time I still have his number on my cell phone. I just can't bring myself to delete it as I remember the man everytime I see it in my directory.

Yeah, he wasn't a fan of 'fandom', but he liked people.

Regards! Michaelson

Funny thing Michalson, I still have his number too.

Number AND e-mails.

Messages he left on my answering machine.

Jack

Ridgerunner58 wrote:Number AND e-mails.

...yep, AND emails too.

Howdy Lee!

Regard! Michaelson

My experiences ar the same as were stated above, but the details were different (being called at 3:30 A.M. for instance ) .

Do I think it was just a marketing ploy? No, not just, but I'm sure that he knew that giving in to his chattyness would also work to his advantage. He was a verry smart guy after all.

One thing I noticed was that at times he could be a bit forgetful about certain details, but only when I knew he was really busy on something (because I heard about that from other sources). When he was, he would call, and despite him being busy you could not talk to the guy for shorter than one hour, not even if you tried .

Regards, Geert

I never want to miss an opportunity to thank him for the two jackets he gifted me. I was not unique; he went way above the call of duty for many of his customers. Of course he was flawed because he was a human being (like the rest of us). But a flawed gem is still a gem and his brilliance is all I care to remember and celebrate.

"ONLY IN AMERICA!"-- Tony Nowak

eazybox wrote:I never want to miss an opportunity to thank him for the two jackets he gifted me. I was not unique; he went way above the call of duty for many of his customers. Of course he was flawed because he was a human being (like the rest of us). But a flawed gem is still a gem and his brilliance is all I care to remember and celebrate.

"ONLY IN AMERICA!"-- Tony Nowak

I need a like button here!

Regards, Geert

I thought Tony was an awesome guy and don't really care one way or another what he thought about Indy fans. Bottom line, he made a heckuva jacket and, whatever he felt about Indy fandom in general aside, he was always positive, super-friendly and always professional. While obviously I was not, he made me feel like I was his one and only customer when I ordered my jacket...takes a special kind of person to make other people feel like that and you don't come across people like that every day. That's the difference. He didn't have to invent a persona, he was just always himself and that spoke volumes. He will always be missed...I still have his messages on my machine at home as well!

gwyddion wrote:


I need a like button here!

Regards, Geert

Jack

Tony's attitude towards jackets also applied to everything else in life; beat the &:(@$;-! Outta the jacket and wear it proudly. To him, i think he felt he was living the dream. Only in America, as he always said.

eazybox wrote:I never want to miss an opportunity to thank him for the two jackets he gifted me. I was not unique; he went way above the call of duty for many of his customers. Of course he was flawed because he was a human being (like the rest of us). But a flawed gem is still a gem and his brilliance is all I care to remember and celebrate.

"ONLY IN AMERICA!"-- Tony Nowak

bravo


The Indy fan thing he could care less about but he did care about his customers. No matter what the were into or how freaky they were about a movie. He cared that they were happy with their purchased. I know one customer of mine who told me when he flew to LA for biz. He had planned to stop by Tony's shop to get sized up and tony picked him up from the airport. After the visit tony insisted that he drive him to his hotel. That's not customer service, that a good human being ( no, thats a great human being) and that was Tony. I wish I knew him longer then I did but he will be someone I respect and love and the same goes to Riley. Another good human being and someone I proud to call a friend.


I miss you Tony.


Heck, I miss the 3 am phone calls.

Just had to repost this to show who Tony was.....

Last December my family ( wife, 10 year old son, sister and her 17 year old son and I) all came together to go on a holiday cruise to mexico. On the trip down to southern California we stopped in to visit with Tony to get sizes up for a CS jacket.

Here's a shot with Tony and I in his shop during this visit. I have this same shot hanging in my hat shop.



My kid was eyeballing a jacket that Tony had laying around his shop. It was a Ugly Doll letterman jacket. He said to Terry " come here you have to try it on." John, Take a photo for him." My kid is crazy over these things. The ugly Doll jacket was for the creator and his crew who make the dolls and toys (A private order).


Here's the photo


He was so giving of himself and his time. He played and joked with the two boys. He gave both of them jackets. He gave Malcolm ( my sisters kid) a Arnolds classic 2009 jacket just to get him to smile. He asked me why don't kids smile any more. Ok he used some of my favorite 4 letter words but I thought I would clean it up some. He gave my son Terry a Joe Weider jacket. When he was searching for a jacket Terry's size he whispered to me " don't worry I won't let Terry feel left out, I got a jacket for him."

Here they are with their jackets.



Then we got down to getting all my information for my jacket. Had me try on a couple, I tried on one very special jacket. Got all the details worked out and he took a few photo's with us. Now since I got back from my trip I had received many phone calls and I would say only 2 of them where about my order. the jacket was great when I got it and you can read the thread about it in it's own thread.

The story of how giving Tony doesn't end here. My kids birthday is on March 5th. I thought what a great gift it would be if I bought terry a Ugly Doll letter mans jacket from Tony. I called him up and asked what the price was. He said " John I can't do this." " I can't sell these jackets.'' Then it dawned on me what he was saying. It's a private order and he doesn't have the rights to the jacket. He then says " I will make it for him" " It will be my gift to him." I said I couldn't take it and it was to much. He then said " I have to do this, it's his birthday.'' he then asked when his birthday was as to make sure he had it in my hands in time for the big day. He made me promise not to tell anyone about this and I am a man of my word. I wouldn't want Tony to get into trouble over a kids jacket but since the recent news I thought maybe Tony wouldn't mind.

Here's terry in his jacket that he so wanted and Tony mad this little guy very happy. terry made him a really nice Ugly Doll card with this photo in it (Terry's idea).




I don't know him like his personal friends he had close to him but he sure had a way of making you feel like he knew you for years after just meeting him, thats just Tony. What a wonderful man and a kind giving person. You will be missed.

Now I have to go tell Terry when he gets home. Not something I look forward to do.




Everyone has their own flaws as a human being. Me more then most but I never can see a reason to constantly bring up someone's flaws at every chance one gets. Was Tony a human being? Yes. Ways tony flawed? Yes. Do I need to bring it up every single time I post? No. I ask if I die please don't bring up all my flaws. It will eat up a lot of your time on this earth. I rather remember the 3am phone calls from him saying " HI! THIS IS TONY NOWAK! DID I WAKE YOU?"

I will miss that for a long time.

Terrific posts, Mr. Penman-- thank you for sharing!

Jack

Awesome post, John! Thanks for sharing your stories about Tony and posting the pics!



Daren Henry

I only read a couple of the stories in here..BUT im truly touched. VERY touched. OK it kind of *** knowing the vendors dont care about the movies as much as we fans do..but its ok I guess..

I dont know the man. I have not got his jacket or any other Indy jacket as of yet. BUT it would have been a great thing to hear from the man that made my jacket. You guys are lucky you bought from a very caring man from what I read.

I didnt know he died either? sorry to hear it..Very good stories everyone...treasure your items and your memories for ever..

While I unfortunately never got to speak to the man himself, I am very pleased to read all these stories that tell me that Tony was not only a fantastic business owner, but he was a fantastic person. I regret that I will not get to meet him, but I feel like if I got the chance, I would like him immensely.

Lovely story John....Thanks for passing it on....

I rather like the Arnold Jackets........It's a shame I'm so far away to make one of those shows...

Great stuff...

Big Tony loved classic movies, and based on the responses in this thread alone, I think a quote from one of the greatest of them can be applied to him:

"A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others."

Jack

BendingOak wrote: Here's the photo


He was so giving of himself and his time. He played and joked with the two boys. He gave both of them jackets. He gave Malcolm ( my sisters kid) a Arnolds classic 2009 jacket just to

I don't know him like his personal friends he had close to him but he sure had a way of making you feel like he knew you for years after just meeting him, thats just Tony. What a wonderful man and a kind giving person. You will be missed.

.

Wow so happy I found this thread, I remember I was walking on the beach when Tony called me, all worried if this would be ok! I said of course right away, he really was a top man at all times, the very best.
We hid a few Tony Nowak nods in some of our Uglydoll books and calendars, but he passed before we could stop by to show him.
Those Uglydoll staff jackets are now some of the most sought after items by our fans.
I will always treasure my 2 crystal skull jackets and the no-action back raiders he did for me, mostly out of the fond memories I have of the time I was fortunate to spend with him.
The best.