By Liisa Andreassen It all started when James (Jimmy) Acord met a guy in a band who had a cool-looking belt pouch made out of an old Western boot. Acord figured he had some boots, so why not try to make his own? And, so it began. With a background in welding, he knew how […]
Features
Duluth Pack
The Great-Great-Grandpa of Backpacks By Gene Fowler Camille Poirier arrived in Duluth, Minnesota, in the winter of 1870 with “my little stock of leather and tools.” The 32-year-old had learned the shoemaking trade in his native Canada. Like “almost every boy in lower Canada,” he wrote in his autobiography, Camille “had visions of the U.S. […]
Russell Moccasin Co.
Making quality, outdoor footwear, one pair at a time, since 1898 By Lynn Ascrizzi If you’re deep into exploring mountainous terrain, or you only feel fully alive while trekking over miles of woods and fields or braving wild savannahs — then you definitely have worn out a lot of boots. And, it’s a sure bet […]
The Hide House
Napa’s Finest By Danna Burns-Shaw When you think of Napa, California, of course you think of wine. The combination of diverse soil, climate and topography is the perfect recipe for producing light, fresh Sauvignon Blanc…rich, full-bodied Chardonnay… silky, seductive Pinot Noir…bold, spicy Zinfandel…ripe, velvety Merlot…and of course, their world-famous Cabernet Sauvignon! (Yes, I love Napa […]
Traditional Leathercraft Meets High Tech
Arrow & Board creates a new generation of custom leather goods By Lynn Ascrizzi It comes as no surprise that the new moderns — that is, the 20-and-30-somethings — are crazy about high-tech products that fit their digitized lifestyles. But the real jaw-dropper is that this tech-savvy generation also values fine products that are traditionally […]
Javier Rodriguez
Leather for Artists By Nick Pernokas In the world of leather, accolades are given to those who can create the most unique or beautiful decoration on an object. So much the better if it’s functional. But there is another school of thought in design, and that is beauty through simplicity. This is hard to define, […]
Mason Dixon Made
By Gene Fowler When Philadelphia leather crafter Heather Holiday needed to choose a name for her company that produces handmade bags and men’s, women’s and children’s shoes, she reached back into her own childhood. “I grew up in Maryland,” Heather explains, “and we had relatives in Pennsylvania. So every time we would go visit them, my brother and I would […]
Craighead Holsters
The Forgotten Leather By Nick Pernokas Don Bailey was checking out the saddle vendors at the Denver Market. Don was interested in saddles in a big way as he was the owner and curator of the Bailey Saddle Shop and Saddle Museum in Simla, Colorado. The museum had around 400 saddles from as far away […]
Western Skies Handmade
By Gene Fowler If you’ve ever been out West, you know the land is touched with God’s glory and grace. You know the majestic expanse of mountains, desert, rivers and plains speaks to your heart and soul. You know it’s a place where folks have for centuries ventured to spread out and explore; to find […]
Leather Machine Co.
Cutting Corners is not an Option By Liisa Andreassen They stand behind every piece of equipment sold with a “Limited Lifetime Warranty” and they mean it. They’re Dave Spiegel and Steve Tayrien, owners of the Leather Machine Co. and they sell and service top quality leatherworking machinery for the leather and tack trades. They also […]