Rocky Mountain Leather Show 2024

[RidgebackCustoms]

I'm going to the Rocky Mountain Leather Show for the first time this year!  Very excited and taking a few classes from the talent there.

Has anyone been before?  Does anyone have any tips for getting the most out of the trip?  I live in South Carolina, so this trip is definitely not something I can do every year.

[DieselTech]

Congrats! I hope to do something like that someday. 

I would take some tools you want to learn better or gain talent with. 

Sounds awesome! Keep us posted. & of course we all love pictures. 

[bruce johnson]

I’ve gone several times as an attendee, bunch of classes, and now a vendor. . Quick notes - it’s at the college and all in one location. No close by motels so have a way to travel. That town fills up so make room reservations now if you don’t have them. Kings Saddlery welcome party Thursday night is a must attend event. They are great hosts! The trade show is in a new location starting last year and still a learning curve to lay it out to accommodate vendors AND make it more convenient for attendees. Sounds like you are already signed up for classes- great (which ones?). Make sure you bring what the instructor has on the list at a minimum. Might bring others that are similar also. Trade show - prepare to be blown away. New tools, vintage tools, leather of all kinds, machines, pattern packs…..it’s busy. Don’t sweat the first day morning crowds. If you see a one-of and want it then buy it now. May not be there when you come back. Want to compare different things like mauls or swivel knives?  Those sellers usually are well stocked and you can come back. Check out the World Leather Debut. Awesome contest and some truly world class pieces. Mind blowing. Stop by my booth! Stickers, free rulers, and candy available besides tools! Any questions? - fire away

[RidgebackCustoms]

1 hour ago, bruce johnson said:

Kings Saddlery welcome party Thursday night is a must attend event.

Is that just for vendors?  I haven't heard anything about it.

 

1 hour ago, bruce johnson said:

Sounds like you are already signed up for classes- great (which ones?).

I worry I stretched myself thin, but since I'm only going to be there Friday, Saturday I signed up for classes both days.  Friday doing Tooling Realistic Portraits in Leather with Annie Libertini, Saturday doing Fearless Swivel Knife Use with Jim Linnell, and Saturday Afternoon doing 3D Inlay Patch with Lea Wagner.  Hopefully I left myself enough time for shopping.  

The leather community is pretty sparse on the East Coast, so very excited to head west for an event!  I was thinking about bringing some of my previous work to try and solicit feedback for improvement.  Is there anything else I can do to 

I'll be sure to stop by and say hello.  Thank you!

[bruce johnson]

    The Kings party is for everyone. Starts about 5:00 on Thursday.  Food, soft drinks, and hosted bar. It’s a really good time to meet and mingle. Cavalry band and lots of fun. One year we decided not to go. Sitting here at home on Thursday afternoon my wife said “if we were in Sheridan we’d be getting ready to go to Kings right now”. Yep, we have gone every year since. 

    Those classes are all good. One of our friends just took the portrait class at Prescott and everyone likes the swivel knife class. Lea is a great artist and that should be a good one too. 
      Trade show is Friday from 9-6, Saturday 9-5, and Sunday until about 1:00. It’ll be a tight schedule for you but it should light a fire to come back again!
 

[RidgebackCustoms]

11 hours ago, bruce johnson said:

The Kings party is for everyone. Starts about 5:00 on Thursday. 

I'm assuming it will be at the college / same venue as the show?  Sounds like a good time.

[bruce johnson]

3 hours ago, RidgebackCustoms said:

I'm assuming it will be at the college / same venue as the show?  Sounds like a good time.

King's party is outside their store/shop and the Don King Museum downtown. Realistically no visit to Sheridan is complete without visiting the Don King Museum. Saddles, leatherwork, tools, and a lot more that Don King collected or are donated. One highlight for a lot of people is the Stohlman display. Al and Ann Stohlman's original workbench is there along with many of their tools and the original pages, sketches, and leatherwork from the books. Peter Main put it all together and did a wonderful job. You can walk through the museum during the party but for me, I'd allow a couple hours. If you can get there a day or two before the show it's is pretty easy to spend 3-4 hours in there. I spend a few hours at least now and I've been there a bunch. I still see things I hadn't noticed before. 

    I have had two people call me and one email based on this thread. They wanted to know what would be the ideal first time visit to this show. First off, Sheridan is the biggest leather show of them all. it takes time to get the full experience. 

Getting there - There is a puddle jumper flight into Sheridan but Billings is a couple hours probably and closest major airport. One year Rundi and I flew into Rapid City (three hours or a bit more) and those flights were cheaper at the time. The difference for both tickets paid for the week's rental car vs just the flight into Billings. Not much taxi service in Sheridan but about every hotel is full of leather workers and can give you a ride if needed. Talk to everyone you meet and you'll find that out. 

King's Party/Don King Museum - see above

Classes -  start on Tuesday usually and that schedule is out now. There are bunches of classes taught by good instructors. All the classes are at the college now. Used to be some were at the host hotel, some at the college. Most every class you will do a complete project and the instructors provide the patterns to take home to make more. Materials are provided and Leather Machine Company provides sewing machines in each classroom for projects that need to be sewn. My wife does a one or two classes at every show and she's signed up for a Tuesday class with Ryan King on money clip wallets. Last year at Sheridan she did an alligator wallet class with Broderick Vaughn. They were supposed to make a men's or women's wallet from scratch in the two day class. They all got their first wallets done the first day and he provided materials to make another wallet the next day.  She made a men's and women's both there and quite few since.

Trade Show - tools, leather, machines, pattern packs, hardware. Most all of the major and minor players in the leather industry are there. It is busy and especially opening morning on Friday is crazy busy. This is a new location starting last year for the trade show. They had a couple months notice that the host hotel was no longer available and pulled it together at the new location. It is spread out through the hallways and atrium of the main campus building and takes a little more walking.  The layout may be changing up some this year. 

World Leather Debut is at the campus too - literally the world. There are entries in this judged contest of leather work from around the world in several categories. Mind blowing to see what people can do with leather. Hour or two at least.

Other stuff in the area - Little Big Horn is a close enough drive, and if you fly into Billings you drive right by there. Black Hills and Mt Rushmore are a few hours away. One of our early trips we flew into Billings the weekend before and went west. We dropped down into Yellowstone and Teton NP for a few days, then drove over to Sheridan for the show. It was a nice trip. Other trips we have flown into Billings and gone to the Black Hills for a couple days. Now we have to drive with the trailer and tools for the show and take a scenic route. 

Any other questions - please ask!