Zack White's in Ramseur, NC

[rdb]

I had to make an emergency run to Zack White's in Ramseur, NC.

While I was there, I took pix to show, for anyone who orders from there, and hasn't seen the place.

There's pix of the out front retail, the leather racks, and the backroom workshop. They make a lot of belts, belt blanks, and holsters there.

Nice people. Significant price reductions on hardware and dyes with a tax number.

I had a talk with him today about the demise of the tanneries, and other stuff. It seems most have opened in Mexico. China is buying up all the deerskin, leaving nothing hardly for anybody. Next years crop is already sold to them too. Unfortunately, as they buy more, the specs only have to come up to chinese standards.

He's trying to make different deals with tanneries, and such, to get the specs up to his level for all the different hides. There's some skins from Argentina that look pretty damn good.

He did say he's a little weak in the better tools, other than craftool and such. They want him to carry such a huge inventory, it's not in the cards to fix that situation yet. He even tried to have some made, but to keep the price and inventory in line, that too would require having a hundred of each tool. So stay tuned for a change at some point. He's trying to grow.

If you give him a little support, it will help us all, as he tries to compete. There are only a few suppliers left in the country, I'ld like to see the littler guy grow....and no, I don't get nothing out of this ....just like the people and the service.

There's a lot of pix, but their total size is small.

[Kani]

WOW!!!!!!!!! Would love to be able to go there. To far away. Do they have a calalog?

[rdb]

Yep, and the site is:

http://www.zackwhite.com/

[Jordan]

If that is the shop of the little guy, I think I would get lost forever in the big guys store! I have their pdf catalog and they do offer good stuff for a good price.

[rdb]

Anytime you see the boss in an apron, and his hands covered with leather dye, with leather scraps up to his ankles, while he's making belts inside a cramped metal building, more than likely, he's still small.

And the fact that he takes time out to talk to you, give a price at the desk, and answer the phone, all while he's trying to get back to making the three things he has going, says he's trying hard.

[Jordan]

Thats why I like shopping with the little guy for sure, They deserve the business, and are truly multi taskers. Most of the mega corps. get lost along the way.

[Mike Craw]

I think if there is a leatherworker's heaven, it must look a lot like that!!!

Mike

[wolvenstien]

looking at some of these prices....:

Tandy - 9067-01 Natural Rawhide average 21square foot 4-6oz = $149.99 retail

ZW - Z-0112 Natural Rawhide average 20 square foot 4oz = $88.00 retail

Lace:

tandy - 5033 Tejas Kangaroo lace 1/8" x 25 yards - $49.99 spool retail

ZW - LL-503304 Natural Kangaroo Lace 1/8†x 25 yards - $28.00 spool retail

Very nice prices....

Thats my thing. Me being out of work most of the year, I dont have alot of money to play with and buy extra stuff, and not having supplies on had to make things digs into my profit margin because i end up having to buy a tandy kit since I dont have a supply of leather here to cut it out of... Deffenitly be able to save some money here with ZW.....

[oldgringo]

rdb: Thanks for the link. Alway looking to increase my selection of suppliers. Prices seem pretty reasonable. How fast is the shipping. Weaver takes a week or longer. I often need the stuff sooner, but have to wait. Seigle of Calif. is the fastest I've found. Light speed - next day. But I only get leather from thme, no hardware.

OG

[rdb]

Not sure about the shipping, the store is in my County. Just call and ask. Like everywhere else, I'm sure if you order in the AM, and pay for overnight, you'll probably get it.