Braca

Thanks DavidL and needles. I'll keep that in mind.

Thanks for the replies. I'm not worried about what people think of me. I'm more worried about finding customers. I didn't really think people's objections to leather would be a big deal, but it seemed like something I needed to look into. It seems like getting people to buy from me and not other people is going to be this biggest hurdle, and something I haven't figured out yet. I'm thinking completely hand-stitched pieces with completely American sourced materials and hardware, but I'm not sure I will be able to charge enough to justify the materials and labor. Just have a lot of looking to do. Thanks again.

So I'm super new to all this. As in I am just starting to think about getting into leatherworking or leathersmithing or whatever you want to call it. I'm a college student that is having a hard time finding a decent job. As a result I've been trying to come up with a simple business making things with little overheard that I could do out of a smallish apartment. Making leather goods seems to meet this and appeals to me. When I mentioned that I was thinking about starting a leather goods business to my dad he said his first reaction is that I would be stepping into something that is a political hot potato. He thought that there was an increasing aversion to the use of animal products that might have a negative effect on the longevity of such a business. The increasing popularity of veganism does seem to lend to this idea, but there also seems to be just as strong of a group that will continue to use animal products. I've done some looking on this forum and can't find anyone talking about the business side of the anti-animal products groups. I have seen some postings about slaughter free hides and anti-vegan talk, but nothing talking about how it is affecting business. So, over the last five or ten years or so, has there been a marked decrease in the demand for genuine leather goods that is attributable to this aversion to animal products? I am not looking for opinions on whether we should or should not be using animal products or why you don't like/agree with vegans. I am asking purely about the business side of things. Have any of the small business owners on here had trouble finding customers or have lost customers because people don't want to use animal products? Is there still a large enough market out there for new people wanting to get into this market? Thanks for the help, and again I'm new so if this is in the wrong place I apologize.