My name is Turpin.  The unusual name has always been a conversation starter, so at one time I looked for it's derivation, which appears to be "Thor of the Finns" (Hard T sound on the Th).  Years later, exploring my family tree online, I found a direct line to Thorfinn Rollo (Hausakluif) Einarsson, the 7th Viking Earl of Orkney (Hausakluif was his nickname, meaning "Skullsplitter", which is also the name of a terrific ale, brewed on Orkney).   Orkney belonged to Norway until 1472 when it was acquired by Scotland, but the Vikings had integrated with the Picts and Scots of the Western and Northern Isles long before that.

When I was looking around for a name for my company, "Turpin Sporrans" just didn't sound cool enough, but "Thorfinn Sporrans" evoked images of windswept isles, barren cliffs pounded by the North Sea, and a hardy race of people thriving on the northern edge of beyond.  Of course, the alliteration in the two words "Thorfinn" and "Sporran" didn't hurt either.

So Thorfinn Custom Sporrans came to be.  I work out of my house.  My daughter Haley seeks me out in my Sporranlair every nite for a goodnite kiss and words of encouragement.  My son James assisted with website design.  Pippin the dog eats the leather scraps if he can sneak them when I'm not looking.

My business goal is to create a high quality product at an affordable price, NOT to crank out as many sporrans as I can, as fast as I can.  A fair price and open communication with my customers is the approach to business that I believe creates a loyal customer base and generates return business and referrals.