I started working with leather in 2007. My, what great journey!! My husband Jim had made wallets and belts back in the 70’s and was also ready to get back into it. We bought some small tools and leather and started to learn more about the craft. We happened upon a great opportunity. We were at the mall and man spotted Jim’s tooled cell phone case and asked if we did leather work. We told him we were beginning to make leather items. He said his father had been a leather worker and had passed away. He was trying to find a home for his dads’ tools. We exchanged contact information and crossed our fingers. About 3 weeks later, he called and said he had everything sorted. We were astounded!!! His dad had tools, books, patterns, leather, and kits! Enough to start a full leather tooling shop. The price was in our budget and we were in heaven!!
Since that time, we have expanded and have bought more tools (do you ever have enough?). We now have 2 leather sewing machines and a whole shop in our house! We had a retail space in Taos, NM for a short time. We figured out that folks wanted stuff made for them instead of buying the tools and supplies to make their own. So we moved the shop to our home in Cleveland, NM. And here we are, working the trade every day.
Vicki & Jim
JV Leathercrafts