Today’s shop stop is definitely a unique one with an equally unique story. Usually you’d expect spotlights on hot rod and kustom shops and services revolving around classic automotive culture. Karas Kustoms definitely started out that way, but have branched out into an industry of finely crafted everyday accessories.

Originally Karas Kustoms created one-off hot rod and bike parts for customers in the Mesa, Arizona and surrounding area. For them, machining car and bike parts day in and day out became monotonous and with the help of a Kickstarter and extensive convincing, they moved to the world of machined everyday accessories.

Dan Bishop, industrial designer at Karas Kustoms, recalls pitching the idea to owner Bill Karas, “When I approached Bill with my idea, he said ‘what do I care about pens for?” According to an article on cultofmac.com a deal was proposed–“If Bishop could earn $3,000 on Kickstarter with his own pen design, Karas would allow him to spend more time on outlier projects.” Not only did Dan raise the $3,000, he also went well beyond that with his Kickstarter fund closing at $70,000! Needless to say, this spelled a new route for the custom car and bike machine shop.

Starting out with a bolt-action pen design, Karas Kustoms has really made a name for itself within the iPhone and Apple products market. Their Apple cases for iPads and iPhones are a hit and alongside these products they still churn out the bolt-action pens that started it all.

Be sure to check out their homepage to see some of their truly unique product offerings. Whether it’s that one pen body to use for life or a slick copper iPhone case, the folks at Karas have found a way to translate their skills and craftsmanship used in car and bike parts in order to bring their brand of industrial art to the mainstream.