Our Story
Klerksdorp, 1871
The General Taylor & Leask Dealers store, Klerksdorp — the original trading post that inspired Streampunk's outfitting spirit.
Before there was Streampunk, there was a trading store on the banks of the Schoonspruit.
In 1871, a Scottish former elephant hunter named Thomas Leask joined forces with James Taylor to run a store in the young town of Klerksdorp. It was the only store of its kind for miles — and it became something far bigger than a shop. Taylor & Leask was the last stop before the unknown: the place where hunters, traders, and travellers refitted before heading into the interior, and where they returned to trade ivory and skins, swap stories, and stock up again for the next expedition.
The store didn't just sell equipment. It outfitted people for a way of life — one built on self-reliance, sturdy gear, and the willingness to go further than most people would. Leask knew the men who bought from him because he'd once been one of them. He understood what a rifle, a wagon, or a knife needed to do when there was no one else around to help.
Why It Matters to Us
We live on a small piece of that same history. Our home stands on part of what was once Thomas Leask's farm, just outside Klerksdorp — a daily, physical reminder of the outfitting tradition this town was built on.
That's the spirit we've tried to carry into Streampunk. We're not a costume shop, and we're not chasing nostalgia for its own sake. We deal in gear that was built to work: pressure lanterns that still throw a proper light, knives and blades with real history in the steel, camp equipment made in an era when "built to last" wasn't a marketing line — it was the only option.
What We Believe
Old gear isn't outdated. It's proven.
A hand-pumped lantern doesn't need a charger. A well-kept blade doesn't need an app. The best vintage outdoor equipment was designed by people solving real problems in the field, and most of it still solves those problems today — often better than what's replaced it.
Every piece that needs it is restored right here, by hand — never shipped out, never outsourced. Whether it's re-wicking a lantern, re-oiling a hundred-year-old blade handle, or replacing a worn gasket, the work is done the same way it always would have been: patiently, and with the piece's own history in mind.
Why "Streampunk"?
Our name and our brass-and-gears look come from the same stubborn spirit as the story above — the kind of outfitting philosophy that would rather work for the bigger catch than settle for whatever floats by. Our resident guide, Captain Cogfin, tells the full story of the name, the gears, and the fish on our Gears & Origins page.
In the spirit of Leask & Taylor, Klerksdorp, est. 1871. Fish, hunt, camp, collect.