The Reinventions of Tyler Beard By Gene Fowler “As a child,” wrote the late Tyler Beard in his 1999 book, Art of the Boot, “I had to be coaxed out of my Roy Rogers boots nightly.” “He loved those little boots, but that may have been one of his whoppers,” chuckles Tyler’s big sister, Debra […]
Features
Lifetime Leather
Arizona Company was founded on True Grit and Talent By Lynn Ascrizzi When times are tough, sheer inspiration, like an angel of grace, can come unbidden at the most unexpected moments — even though it might first appear in the guise of a discarded leather couch. This was the experience of Ty Bowman, founder and owner of Lifetime Leather, a seven-year-old family business based in San Tan Valley, Arizona. […]
Blackrock Leather ‘N’ Rich
Preserving Leather for Generations By Danna Burns-Shaw Family Business Family businesses are the backbone of the American economy. Did you know that the greatest part of America’s wealth lies with family-owned businesses, and, that small family businesses employ just over half of US workers? Family businesses have a deep-seated culture, founded with core values. They have a defined purpose and they care about their community and their employees. […]
Maverick Leather
Old School Meets New School By Nick Pernokas Matt Foster wasn’t always in the leather business. He started out as a loan officer in a bank, but he was looking for a more satisfying path. Matt’s brother had been working for some leather companies in California and Matt was intrigued by the leather business. The pair joined forces […]
Alchemy Kustom
A Supernatural Natural By Gene Fowler Natural talent has a knack for finding its way to the gallery or stage, especially when it operates in Shakespeare’s context of “all the world.” Many, if not most, of the leathercraft artists I’ve spoken with began drawing or practicing some other form of the visual arts in their […]
Meanwhile, Back in Kansas…..
David Carrico Leatherworks By Gene Fowler “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” In one of the most famous lines ever spoken on the silver screen, Judy Garland told her little dog that they had somehow ventured so far from their home in the heartland that they were in the mythic dimension of […]
Pete Harry
Variety is the Spice of Life By Nick Pernokas To say Pete’s Custom Saddlery is a saddle shop is like saying that Bass Pro Shop is a sporting goods store. The museum-like building, located in southwestern Kentucky, is home to an eclectic mixture of products and collections that reflect the varied interests of saddle maker […]
Olsen-Stelzer Boots
Since 1900 By Danna Burns-Shaw The History of Olsen-Stelzer Boots Nocona, Texas was settled in the 1870’s when cattlemen Broaddus and Jordan moved 15,000 cattle into the region and established a ranch not far from the present town site. In 1889, the railway arrived and with that news, boot maker Herman J. Justin “Daddy Joe” […]
Fireman finds solace in leather crafting
By Liisa Andreassen While his passion is fighting fires, he has a burning desire to work with leather too. Jeremy Unruh, a battalion chief with the Hutchinson Fire Department (HFD) in Hutchinson, Kansas, has been fighting fires for about 20 years, but it wasn’t until about four years ago that he began doing side work […]
A Conversation with Shep Hermann
Hermann Oak Leather’s chief executive shares knowledge and wisdom gained from his long years of running the tannery By Lynn Ascrizzi It takes a certain kind of resilience, know-how and stick-to-itiveness to run a successful business long-term, especially a four-generation, family-run tannery like Hermann Oak Leather, located in St. Louis, Missouri. All this became evident […]