Leatherimages

Mine is a background since Cub Scouts for involvement with leather.

When I got out of the AF, in '72 I went to work in a shoe repair shop, and stayed in that area of leather work for 25 years. I did a few custom jobs, but I always thought they looked like they'd been done in a shoe repair shop. I spent the next five years working for Galco International, managing the Belt Dept., while getting back in touch with Tandy. I worked off alot of my tools in those years. At Galco I learned alot about the different machines for leather work, and many other valueable things. Shoe repair can be kinda isolated.

My wife and I have been in here Prescott, AZ. since then, and have settled in for good. We'd moved here to buy the local Tandy store, and that fell through. And so we decided to stay here and build our own business again. I'd joined the C of C and several of the art organizations, and opened a general leather shop in a little 500 sq. ft. studio, and had to move into a bigger location within a year. Now, for the last 2 years, home has been my work place for making bespoke boots and shoes. I tell people that, 'I've found the friendly guy up front, doesn't get as much work done, as the grumpy ol' guy in the back'.

For the last 6 years or so I've maintained about a 1 year wait for my custom boots.

Additionaly, I sell and service wildland fire boots in the local area, and try to keep up with other special service demands. I actually need help and have plans in that direction. We'll see.

In the meantime I am grateful daily for the blessing of a wife who has let me be me.

I've always marched to my own drum, and she's been my sidekick for 40+ years now.

I love her.

Time will tell the direction that my efforts to move forward will take in this my 6th decade. But I'm interested as hell to find out.

Back to the bench,

Paul