Working for Tandy

[Johanna]

This is not a thread for Tandy bashing. Like it or hate it, Tandy is THE retailer for most people who like to work with leather as a hobby. Tandy has had an enormous influence on the leatherworking psyche, as well as the materials and tools we frequently see.

I liked working for Tandy, but I learned quickly to keep my mouth shut at IFoLG shows about it. When people found out I worked for Tandy, they kinda rolled their eyes. A couple of people here have almost apologized for working there. ("Don't hold it against me!") Right or wrong, that's silly. Working for Tandy is an honest living, even if otherwise professional people want to throw rotten tomatoes at you.

I thought it would be interesting to address the elephant in the room- have you ever thought about working for Tandy?

Johanna

[wolvenstien]

With me being out of work 99% of the year, if I was not a stay at home daddy, I would enjoy working at Tandy.... or any other supplier for that matter.... My tandy moved locations, and when i was finally able to get to the new location, my favorite employee was gone and replaced by some guy who had no knowledge of leather what so ever.... I was slightly mad that I missed the opportunity to work there, but I got over it quickly because I knew I would not be able to work there anyway.

[David Genadek]

Johanne,

People have loved to hate Tandy as long as I can remember. They are what they are which is an entry level supplier.

I think what people get frustrated with is that there is no clear path to progression in the craft. You are a beginner or a professional and there is no place for the seriouse hobbyist. Compare that to wood working where you can can go to home Depot and get all the woodworking equipment you want at reasonable prices to make just about anything. The fact is Tandy/LF have kept this craft alive and with out them the craft would really be hurting. It would be nice if they offered services like clicking and splitting in thier stores and broader array of products for the serouse hobbyist but I doubt the numbers are there to make it pay. We should all support and help them in building the market. I went to my local Tandy dealer (not a corporate store)and offered to teach classes for free.

David Genadek

[wolvenstien]

I went to my local Tandy dealer (not a corporate store)and offered to teach classes for free.

Not a corporate store? How do you know which is which? Mine is actually a Leather Factory.... is that corporate? Why is there Tandy, and then Tandy Leather Factory?

The fact is Tandy/LF have kept this craft alive and with out them the craft would really be hurting.

You know.... you have no idea how true that statement really is... reading what you said made me realize, if i did not have a TLF here local, I would not be into leather....

[Rawhide]

I don't work for Tandy, but I teach a lacing class there once a month. It's fun, and entertaining. I would work for Tandy if I was out of work, but wouldn't be my first choice, because of pay. I know pay shouldn't be everything, but just not enough for me. I do think that Tandy has a wonderful place in the leatherworking community, and it is nice to be able to walk into a store front and put your hands on a product you plan on buying. I also agree with David that it is a great entry level supplier, and leatherworking would be in a serious slump if it wasn't for them. After all it's where I was first introduced to this great art.

Marlon

[rdb]

After I closed my leather shop (due to the big "D"), in the 70s, I was an asst mgr. in Boston. My future bride worked next door in American Handicrafts, My kids from the first marriage slept on the sheepskins in the back.

I was friends with the mgr of a nearby Tandy, and his son was the Boston Mgr. I was friends with a manager in the Saugus store, and he helped me get the much needed job, at the time.

I had a million connections to the leather industry in and around Salem, and Peabody Ma. and offered to the District Mgr, that I could get him better leather, at a much better price than he was getting. He said go ahead and make the deals. So...I did, and came back to him to cut the checks. He was amazed at the quality, and prices I could get, but he and the other bosses chickened out, and made me look like a jerk to my connections. But they took it in stride, knowing the Tandy guys at the time...

Such was the Tandy of the 70s...hundreds of good friends, customers, and fellow employees, but no vision. Things may have changed for the better now, I'm not sure.

I hope it never goes away though, it is THE central creator of new leatherworkers.

[whinewine]

Johanne,

People have loved to hate Tandy as long as I can remember. They are what they are which is an entry level supplier.

I think what people get frustrated with is that there is no clear path to progression in the craft. You are a beginner or a professional and there is no place for the seriouse hobbyist. Compare that to wood working where you can can go to home Depot and get all the woodworking equipment you want at reasonable prices to make just about anything. The fact is Tandy/LF have kept this craft alive and with out them the craft would really be hurting. It would be nice if they offered services like clicking and splitting in thier stores and broader array of products for the serouse hobbyist but I doubt the numbers are there to make it pay. We should all support and help them in building the market. I went to my local Tandy dealer (not a corporate store)and offered to teach classes for free.

David Genadek

It's where I got my first in-depth experience. My manager, Barry Yeingst, was incredibly knowledgeable & helped me tremendously. In fact, most managers I've met are so willing to share their know-how. I can still learn things from them. The important thing is to ASK questions. Knowledge is Power! And they can't read your mind (if you ask for suede lace, for instance, they won't know you plan to use it to lace up saddlebags unless you tell them. They can then tell you that it's way too flimsy for that type of project)

If the (now) local(???) store wasn't almost 2 hrs away, I wouldn't mind working there again [although one of their employees lives about 1/2 hour closer than I do & drives that distance every day along the ridgetops of the Allegheny Plateau in all kinds of weather- God bless her- but she's not retired & I am].

[The Major]

Personally, I would love to work for Tandy. I have always wondered how one would go about doing it. Any ideas?????????

[Johanna]

The Leather Factory was started by some ex-Tandy people before Hidecrafters was started by George Hurst. TLF (The Leather Factory) seemed more focused on wholesale accounts and volume, and they maintained warehouses/stores throughout the US. Tandy was begun in 1913 as a shoe findings company, and expanded by Charles Tandy, better known as the founder of Radio Shack, to be the only retail chain in the leather business. I got to tour the factory on Eversman Drive in Ft. Worth in 1996, and remember being amazed at how much work was done in house, and the old fashioned ways they did it. Even the machine that determined the square footage of a hide, a Rube Goldberg contraption, looked very old. Tandy had a meltdown in the late 90s, closed all of their stores, and TLF bought them, thus "Tandy Leather Factory" today. A corporate store is one with a Tandy or Leather Factory name. A dealer is another retailer who meets certain obligations in return for better prices and advertising support from Tandy. Stores operating under the Tandy name have been the first introduction to leatherworking for many American consumers. Comparing the company with other retailers I've worked for one thing stands out. Employee loyalty. The pay is okay, not great, but so what when you like your job?

Johanna

[Art]

Hi Mike,

The idea was that Leather Factory stores would retain more of a "wholesale" flavor and Tandy stores would cater to the retail/hobbiest trade. In fact, The Leather Factory bought out a dieing Tandy for literally pennies on the dollar (around $2M I think) and incorporated the Tandy name/logo into theirs, immediately catapulting them from wholesale/retail into full blown retail. However, the philosophy is classic Leather Factory, which is interestingly Classic Tandy Leather of pre Tandy-everything days. Tandy's other ventures were built on the back of their leather business which was an excellent cash cow. TLF current runs under that type plan which has been successful over the years. Their one problem is controlling expenses (or NOT controlling expenses), and occasionally biting off more than they can chew. The reason the stock has declined some 50%, is I think an oversold market having to do with a ton of stock that came quickly to market in what I would consider not the greatest economic times, and maybe a slap on the hands for the Ron and Shannon show not having the foresight to control expenses.

All this can be gleaned from TLF SEC filings and public statements by Officers. Of course, this is just my opinion.

If you can look at TLF as a business of retailing goods and not as a leatherworker, TLF could be a good career move. But then you would have to deal with customers like me.

Art

Not a corporate store? How do you know which is which? Mine is actually a Leather Factory.... is that corporate? Why is there Tandy, and then Tandy Leather Factory?

You know.... you have no idea how true that statement really is... reading what you said made me realize, if i did not have a TLF here local, I would not be into leather....