Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving

Making leather goods is cool. Making stuff that people like and will have for a lifetime; extremely gratifying. When I first began the business, of course I felt great pride when my mom and aunts wanted to order everything from my website, but it wasn't until I started shipping goods across the U.S. and to other countries that I really felt I was doing something that other people think is cool too.

These other people got me thinking about how important they, and numerous others are. Because of the holiday I thought it would be appropriate to share my thanks. I have had a lot of help along the way from my friends and my family and I couldn't do this without them. I've also received good advice from other makers, artists and shop owners to which I would be a little lost without. I am thankful for my friends and principals at EPT Design for allowing me to moonlight and for encouraging me every step of the way. I am thankful for the various vendors and suppliers of materials for always looking out for my best interests.

I am most thankful for my customers. This post is dedicated to those that were compelled to order something after reading a story about this tiny American brand or after stumbling across the site and liking what they saw.  And to the customers that truly want to keep their money close by buying local. This is to the customers that keep coming back and want one of everything I make. Seriously, I cannot thank you enough.

As much as I enjoy making the goods and constantly talking about leather (my friends will attest to this, of which I am certain is an occasional annoyance), I get the most satisfaction from meeting new customers and sharing my process with them. I would like to express my thanks to existing customers and potential new ones by offering a few things for purchases made between Thursday 11/28 and Monday 12/2.

Free shipping on all domestic orders (if you are local, pick-up is welcome and appreciated).

Free key chain with all orders.

Free set of coasters with all orders over $50.

September Sessions Continued

Getting in the water everyday is harder than it sounds. Crazy deadlines at work and a minor cold didn't make it any easier.  Through occasional fog and some beautiful sunsets, I found myself getting in the water (sometimes just my feet) mostly at night. Just the other day someone in my office was saying September just came and went. Not for me, thanks to my little pledge I was able to see and really feel the phases of the moon and got to watch the tidal shifts over days and weeks, rather than just a few hours. The month isn't quite over so I'm hoping we get some waves before October hits.

September Sessions

It has been a busy summer making leather goods and it looks like fall will be the same. September is a calm time and has always been my favorite month for many reasons: summer is over and the stress of feeling like you have to make the most of it has subsided, the holiday bustle has yet to begin, and yes, the best surf of the year happens this month.  I made a pledge to get in the water everyday in September, even for just a few minutes if that's all I've got.  This picture came from my first body-womping session. Hopefully the waves get a little better than they were on this fine evening.

Milestone

I started out wanting to make cool stuff that my Dad and brother would like.  Then it slowly turned into making cool stuff for other good people. Today I hit a small milestone and am feeling humbled by the support and appreciation for what I am doing.  The folks at Thalia and at Hammer and Spear have given me great support and encouragement in addition to making me feel like part of their teams or members of their shop families.  The people I have come across through the website have been fun to interact with and a great source of inspiration as well. One gentleman in particular, out of NYC has been a great customer as well as a nice friend to a bunch of his pals.  He keeps purchasing valet trays for his buddies and has me send them directly to them all over the place. That got me thinking... my pals buy me beer from time to time and that's nice too.

In a related story, Headlands Handmade was featured today on Inside Hook and they had some really nice things to say about my work. 

Thalia Surf Shop Interview

When I started making wallets the first place I thought might be interested was Thalia Surf Shop. I have been going there for years and have always admired the focus they put on small, local brands. I checked in with Corey a while ago and he let me know he would be happy to take a look once I had everything dialed in. They are now carrying three unique versions of the minimalist cash fold. Es from the shop recently came by the studio and took some photos and we talked about the business, design, surfing and crock pots. They just published a little story as part of a series they are doing on people making handmade goods locally, take a look here.