Wayne Mogensen (owner / founder) took to the road in the early 1980's as a travelling salesman, and when his customers started asking about moccasins, Mogensen decided there may be a lucrative market for the item if they where properly crafted. The best way to do that was to oversee the crafting himself. So he acquired a pattern, got some garment leather together and contacted a number of people both locally and on Manitoulin Island, Ontario to make them. Mogensen decided to name the effort Pow-Wow Moccasins, and in 1984 a Sudbury, Ontario company was born.

Demand for the new line was so great that the local crafts people Mogensen had contracted soon were unable to keep up. It was a dilemma for Mogensen, who eventually came in contact with a group in Saskatchewan that was not only producing moccasins, but also winter mitts. The organization, the Redvers Leather Products Co-operative in Redvers, Sask., was providing employment for the Canupawakpa Dakota First Nations People in Manitoba. While that was important to Mogensen, what was also important was the quality of the product the group was producing, along with the fact that they (moccasins) were all hand made.

“They are simply the best quality in moccasins,” said Mogensen’s son Alex in a 1998 interview. “They use some of the thickest grade of leather available. They really go out of their way to produce a quality product.”

In response to the success the moccasins were having in his travelling sales trips, Mogensen began warehousing them in the basement of his Sudbury home. But by 1990 the moccasin sales were becoming so great that he was running out of room. That was when Mogensen hit upon the idea of opening a retail outlet. It was simply a matter of transferring the name Pow-Wow from the moccasins to the store, and in 1991 The Mogensen Moccasin Company Ltd. - Les Mocassins Pow-
Wow Moccasins, Mogensen’s second company was born, just in time for the Christmas sales period. Not only did the store pay the rent, it also provided the nucleus of what would become a highly successful venture.

However, in the back of his mind, Mogensen always had dreams of opening a trading post-type store on the Trans- Canada Highway, and thus four years later a 13,000 square foot complex was acquired, with 2,500 of which would be used for retail purposes. In 1995, came Mogensen’s third company - The Mogensen Moccasin Co. Trading Post.

Over the years The Mogensen Moccasin Company Ltd. has expanded its merchandise to include fur hats and boots, western wear, various hand made native crafts, souvenirs, oil skin apparel and of course moccasins, among other things.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009, The Mogensen Moccasin Company underwent another transformation. Mogensen made the decision to merge Pow-Wow Moccasins and The Mogensen Moccasin Co. Trading Post under one roof to better facilitate the three divisions of the company. Wholesale, which the company was founded on, with about 600 retailers located as far as New Mexico and London, England. Retail, which caters to tourists from various countries such as
Germany, Siberia and United Kingdom. And Web, which has seen customers from all around the globe, from Hollywood, California to Paris, France and even Sydney, Australia. Along with all the changes another company was founded, this time by Mogensen’s daughter Ingride. i-BEAD (discount bead and craft supply warehouse) offers beaders and crafters alike a wide assortment of products at incredible prices.

We at The Mogensen Moccasin Company Ltd. would like to thank all of you who made one man’s vision and dream become a reality. As we work towards another quarter of a century, we look forward to serving you by offering nothing less than top quality products... Exactly the way Wayne has done it from the start.

From all of us... THANK YOU!