Panhandle Leather by Gene Fowler When calling a contemporary business on the telephone, do you ever long for the olden days when you could actually speak to a real human being? Of course you do. That may be overstating the case…a little bit. But in these dizzy times of automation and virtual, online interaction, the […]
Features
Reflections of Friendship
Robb Barr’s contributions to the leather industry live on in his work By George Hurst In over five decades of working within the leather industry, I have had the privilege of knowing and working alongside many of those regarded as legends of the craft: Al Stohlman, Lou Roth, Robb Barr and more. Each of these historical figures have […]
Twenty-three Plus Is a Twenty-five! 23+
Joe Meling’s Pendleton Leather Arts and Education Outpost By Gene Fowler Location, location, location. Ordinarily, that overwrought marketing mantra doesn’t apply to most custom leatherwork outfits. Find a spot with internet and mail-order access, and you’re in business. But 23+ (Twenty-three Plus), the leather arts and education emporium operated by Joe Meling in Pendleton, Oregon, […]
Buster Welch: The Man and the Saddle
By Nick Pernokas Tommy and I had roped the night before in Abilene. Now, over breakfast, Tommy said, “Let’s go see Buster.” That was one of those statements that a horseman can only say yes to and after we paid the tab, we loaded up and headed west towards the tiny town of Merkel, Texas. On a dusty road outside of town, we pulled […]
Texas Leather Trim: Diversity is Key to Survival
By: Liisa Anderassen Greg Cooper, president of Texas Leather Trim, a family-owned and operated business, describes his business as a “manufacturer for manufacturers.” He shares that it’s gone through many evolutions during the past 50+ years, but says that he’s in it for the long haul. Like many small, U.S.-based businesses, Texas Leather Trim knows […]
Oklahoma Boot Maker Finds Solace in Leather
by Liisa Andreassen When Dan Hickman couldn’t find the right boots to fit his feet, he decided to take matters into his own hands – quite literally – and has been making boots since 1975. Bootmaking was not really a job for him; it was more of a calling. He’d meet with other bootmakers while he traveled the country during his 37-year career […]
Tippmann Industrial Products: Innovative Invention
By Nick Pernokas They say that necessity is the mother of invention, but is it? What if you don’t know about the necessity until you’ve invented the technology for the solution? This is sort of a “chicken and the egg” paradox, but it really doesn’t matter. It takes a special kind of person to think outside the […]
SEEING THINGS THROUGH
Goliger Leather Company is enjoying a surge in 2021 sales By Lynn Ascrizzi Cheryl Rifkin, owner and operator of Goliger Leather Company, Inc. of Ventura, California, has been working with the successful business for over 30 years. “I run the company — everything. I do the books, process the orders, do the invoicing, answer the phone, do collections, check the inventory and figure out how much to order,” she said. But Rifkin, 66, did not always run the successful family business singlehandedly. Seventeen years ago, unforeseen change came cloaked in shock […]
Big Bob’s Ball Gloves
NOKONA! The Only Baseball Glove Maker in America By: Gene Fowler “Leather is one of the most interesting materials known to man.” -Rob Storey Cody. Cheyenne. Tombstone. Silver City. Durango. The landscape of the American West is strewn with place names that evoke region’s wild, romantic, storied past. The small town of Nocona, Texas, near […]
Steve Mason: High Quality in High River
By Nick Pernokas The sweeping Alberta plains epitomize the West. As you travel the lonely roads east of the Rockies in this vast country, you feel that you could be in the background of a Charlie Russell painting. You wonder about the people who settled this beautiful country. You might stop in a little town south […]