A Simple Beginning

"Do It Right"

"If you are going to take the time to do something, you should do it right", was a phrase that slid  out of my father's lips in a shepherding tone on more than one occasion in my childhood. This simple act of guidance pushed me to give my very best regardless of the task and to this day I still strive to "do it right". Whether I am focused on leatherwork with all its intricacies or my more central role as a husband and a father ,with is infinitely more complex, this guiding principle is unshakable. 

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Although my journey with leather started with a kit of various tools and pre-cut leather projects, I was given for Christmas in 2009, and a string of Saturday mornings with my Papa Jim learning the basics of leatherwork. It wasn't until my junior year in college when my mother got sick that I really took the time to build any familiarity with the tools. It was at this time, I moved back in with my parents to help with the care of my mom during her fight with lung cancer. The free time was filled with leatherwork and moments with my mom I wouldn't trade for anything. My first sale, outside of family members, was to one of the home health  nurses that dropped in to check on my mom once a week. She had me make a small card slip wallet with an ID window that could be clipped on a purse for her daughter. Looking back, I can't believe how excited she was when I presented it to her the next week (it was rough). This first commissioned project hooked me. I loved the challenge of creating a design, bringing it to reality, and presenting it to the customer. 

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The aspects of leatherwork that snared my attention then still hold it today. My drive to provide products that are both attractive and functional pushes me to continually hone my current skills while also developing new ones. My goal is to provide customers with heirloom quality leather goods they struggle to hand down.