Let’s talk leather supply. During the beginning of the pandemic, tanneries were deemed non essential and shit down. While closed, they continued to sell what hides they have. From the moment they reopened, it was a game of catch up to fill orders with their customers.
One of our biggest issues the past two years has been getting a consistent leather supply. We would order a hide, it would be popular with the customers, but then it would be discontinued. It’s extremely difficult to build a business and a website if your inventory is inconsistent.
Our goal has been to carry Hermann Oak veg tan leather. Hermann Oak is the oldest tannery in the country, and only uses hides from USA steers. That matters to us. A lot of leather comes from Mexico, and many bags you see in the stores aren’t even really leather. One of the problems with getting Hermann Oak is that they require a minimum purchase of ten hides. For a small business like ours, that is a LOT of money. The other issue is that because Hermann Oak was so far behind in orders (13 week wait time!), they weren’t taking on new clients. It really felt like we were running into a wall at every turn, but the fabulous customer service at HO suggested we call Goliger Leather in Ventura, California. Goliger is the oldest distributor of Hermann Oak and would be able to send me smaller hide orders without the financial commitment of ten hides. Dealing with Goliger has been wonderful. Cheryl is more than helpful and placing orders and chatting with her has been a pleasure.
We now have four bag options in our line up that can be ordered from the website.
Our next goal is to offer staining options, so that those of you who like darker bags can have that. I have started helping locals use their ranch brands to customize their bags, which I really enjoy. I’ve had a couple people inquire about custom patches after seeing my tribute bag, and am figuring out how to offer that, as a patch takes time, from communicating with the customer and also the time to create the design and hand sew it on the bag. While I really dislike tacking on fees for customizing, it is necessary in running a small business, because time and effort are money. Camron always chastises me, telling me I would work for free for everyone, and he’s not wrong. It’s something I’ve always struggled with and am trying to be better at.
My next goal is making saddle bags and also shotgun shell bags. I have a lot of requests for so many different leather projects, and while I love the enthusiasm, I must stick to our line and what resonates with us. I’m looking forward to this next year and where this little leather shop takes us, and am so grateful to all of you for following along.
