MaineSole is redefining its products and marketing goals after COVID setback
By LYNN ASCRIZZI
For almost four years, a small shoe factory called MaineSole has been making handsewn, all-leather shoes in an old woolen mill, a massive brick structure built in 1835, situated along the East Branch of the Sebasticook River that winds its way through Dexter, Maine.
MaineSole was launched in the spring Read more
By Susan Ditz
Al Gould is an inveterate doodler.
His multifaceted, complex drawings are sketched repeatedly as he works through a design to refine the patterns and elements that make each one so distinctive. Whether for a saddle, briefcase, purse, Read more
By Nick Pernokas
Sometimes, no matter how hard we plan and pursue our chosen course, fate steps in to change our path. In the case of George Cubic, this persistent course correction created a talented craftsman.
George was born in Eastern Europe in 1956. His father, Viktor, immigrated with his family to the United States Read more
Liisa Andreassen
It happened when he was 11. Brian Thomas walked into his local shoe repair and leather store and was quickly seduced by the sultry smell that lingered in the air. He just knew he had to find a way to be around it and he Read more
Moe’s Custom Boots in Beggs, Oklahoma, is one of those ephemeral dreams that’s always been there, yet seems to be a more recent fixture. That’s the way dreams work sometimes.
Randy Moe’s family had a few horses and cattle on their Oregon acreage. Although it wasn’t large enough to Read more
Jeremiah Watt’s state-of-the-art custom saddles and other handmade equine products set a high standard for the industry.
By Lynn Ascrizzi
No matter how brilliant one’s horse, the journey to attain artistic mastery inevitably takes the rider on a rocky, demanding and twisting trail.
For first-class artisan Jeremiah Watt, that arduous yet rewarding Read more
If you’ve ever traveled south on the back roads of eastern Idaho, you’ve seen the dark forests and craggy mountains give way to sage brush, and then the vast plains to the south. You’ve probably noticed that it was lonesome country, the kind of country that Read more
By Jim Linnell
Many people may think that Elktracks Studio is synonymous with Jim Linnell, however the reality is that it takes a team of passionate leatherworkers to make it all happen. Annie Libertini has reached entirely new audiences with Read more
The Chevy box truck labored up another hill. In 1928, some of the roads in western Nebraska were in name only. The region was not called “the Sandhills” for nothing, and Elmus Henderson hoped he would not have to pull the Read more
By Liisa Andreassen
Ever wonder what it would feel like to be a medieval wonder woman or to walk in Aquaman’s shoes? From medieval legends and superheroes to knights in shining armor, leathercraft master Samuel Lee is helping people realize their fantasies – one leather Read more
