Tomboy Tools has taken the oncemale-dominated domain of home improvement by storm and with this gregarious gal at the helm, Canada’s handy dudes could soon be left in the dust.

Lori Mitchell first read about the Denver, Colorado-based Tomboy Tools several years ago in her Winnipeg newspaper, and the idea of tools geared at women seemed to strike a chord for her like an ergonomically designed hammer. Soon after, the one time executive called up the company’s president, and before you could say torpedo level she was south of the border, returning days later with Canadian rights to Tomboy Tools in her satchel.

Though available online at http://www.tomboytools.ca, the company does the bulk of its business via “tool parties” hosted in homes of women nationwide looking to hone up on handiness, add to their existing tool repertoire, or just learn a new skill or two among friends.

Tupperware was never this hands-on. “What really separates us is we offer a relaxing environment,” says Mitchell, president of Tomboy Tools Canada. “Women are very familiar with the party world; they share stories with each other and it really becomes a comfortable place to learn.” She has seen women break into tears with the first successful trial of a tool, delighted at having an environment to learn where they didn’t have to feel foolish.

Mitchell advises first-time hostesses opt for Tool School 101, but they can also have partygoers try their hands at a project from  replacing damaged drywall to fixing a leaky faucet. “We encourage them to be creative,” she says.
Some party throwers wholeheartedly grip the theme like a pair of needle-nose pliers, serving up apropos cocktails the likes of Harvey Wallbangers and Screwdrivers, says Mitchell. “We always say ‘have a tool party and get hammered,’ ” she says, of course referring solely to the wares being peddled at the event.

Since Mitchell acquired the rights to Tomboy four years ago last month, the company has notched up 200 consultants nationwide; the tool maven says this number needs to be closer to 1,000, and predicts reaching that goal by 2009. And Bridget Jones would be so proud—Tomboy Tools has recently also crossed into the UK.

What makes a good Tomboy? “You don’t have to be Mike Holmes. You have to be approachable, encouraging and willing to learn. We have everyone from the design divas in their 20s to Grandmas and everyone in between” One new Calgary convert stopped by the booth at last month’s Home and Garden Show, and basically never left, she was so won over by the concept.

Tool School 101
Sitting in on a session of Mitchell’s Tool School 101, it’s obvious why so many have been swayed by Tomboy’s empowering mantra (Women. Tools. Knowledge. Pass it On.), whether it’s deciding to take a more active role in household “fixing,” host a party or become a purveyor of the female-friendly tools. One admittedly “not-so-handy” audience member volunteered to demonstrate a magnetic-headed hammer, and onlookers witnessed a marked gleam in her eyes Oprah herself would dub a “light bulb moment.”

Mitchell hauls out the old relics from the “Tool Museum,” including a wooden, blister-inducing hammer passed on by her father, not unlike those many college age gals received as a rite of passage from their Dads. Her presentation is a refreshing mix of funny anecdotes about her foray into home improvement and demos of techniques for employing the female-friendly tools.

Also part of the lesson is a rundown of items needed in a toolbox, including safety gear designed to fit the feminine set like a pair of rubber-grip gloves. “It’s about putting together what women need for their first tool kit, and many just don’t know. The big thing we hear is more of a remark than a question, and it’s that they now realize how easy it is. Our homes are our biggest investment and you want to maintain the value of them.”

The Tools
If the party concept, itself isn’t enough to ratchet up your interest, the tools themselves (and yes, this may come as a surprise to the fellas) make logical sense.

Even if you think most women don’t.

While the website’s logo once boasted “No Pink Tools,” last year Tomboy crafted a line of pink wares due to demand, a special edition offering that launched beginning with a hammer in support of breast cancer. While a premium is attached to the haute hammers and other gear, the tools are, like all Tomboy Tools, ergonomically designed, practical as they are pretty.

Hammers, which come in eight-, 13- and 16-ounce weights (“You really need more than one hammer,” notes Mitchell), carry 90 per cent of their weight in the head and boast a magnetic and notched head to hold a nail for one-handed tasks. “Most women pump a hammer,” muses Mitchell, displaying the proper swing action.

Screwdrivers are oval with rubber grooves to fit more naturally in the hand, complete with ratcheting action to ease up on the elbow grease required.

Tape measures are fractionalized (every measurement is marked), come in up to 25 feet lengths and are packed in temperature-sensitive rubber casings. Specialty tools run the girl-friendly gamut from mosaic tiling kits to drywall and plumbing ensembles, to auto kits to leave in the trunk to assure never becoming a roadside damsel in distress. And paint accessories have made a splash and not just with the female population. “I had a house painter come and do my house, and he tried to find the paint bucket (which holds precisely a quart and is equipped with a handle and brush holder) at the hardware store. I told him that’s because they don’t sell them,” says Mitchell.

The accessories’ biggest selling feature? Cleanup. Brushes have synthetic bristles, moulded handles (bye-bye metal bands that become a magnet for paint) and a design allowing users to hold the implement like a pencil. “That way you use the larger muscles in your arm,” says Mitchell. And it can go in the dishwasher to finish the cleaning job. Meanwhile, a scraper tackles five tasks—including removing nails, scraping old paint, and even ridding your roller of paint remnants. “Our paint tools are just exploding,” she adds.

Hand tools are more compact to fit a woman’s strength and the way she uses tools. The company’s power screwdriver even MacGyvers into a gun for getting into tight spaces, while cordless power drills are lighter (just three pounds) than their made-for-him counterparts, and boast a two-finger trigger.

Mitchell equates Tomboy’s popularity with the growing trend of women heading households, citing an estimated 20 per cent of Canadian homes now being headed by women, a stark contrast to when she was starting out. “In my day it was very rare for women to buy a house before getting married.”

A 2007 Royal LePage report showed a surge in females buying homes across the country, whether trading up or venturing out onto their own in virtually every market, including Calgary, especially in the 25 to 35 year age bracket.

Married for more than two decades herself to an exec in the corporate world who was not so into household projects, Mitchell points out even in homes with a resident male, the “improvement” domain is all hers. “Even if he’s doing it, she’s driving it,” says Mitchell, chalking her prowess to “necessity and being married and raising a family.”

In addition to running her own company and appearing at home shows (the company’s second-best sales tactic after parties, with online sales, third), next up for the über-energetic Mitchell is a weeklong stint on Canada A.M. in May, the result of an earlier appearance that piqued viewer interest. Perhaps Tomboy Tools TV will follow suit? “We’ll see how it goes,” she says modestly.