How's The Leather Holster Market In Your Area?

[RoosterShooter]

Recently I've been having a 'Famine' period in my leather holster business.

Some of you more seasoned makers have probably seen this before, but has it ever been this bad? Last year I couldn't keep up and had my books full, but this year is really, really slow.

Is anyone else seeing this, or is it just in Kentucky?

[Chief31794]

Making and selling some, but it isn't what it used to be. It seems to me that it has become "cool" (shows my age) to wear the tactical type stuff that you see in gun stores. There is also a renewed fascination with the "Military Look", so they can but those types of, and I use the term loosely, holsters. That being said, I am still selling a few, just depends.

Chief

[katsass]

Well actually --- it's deader than hell. And yes Chief, this 'black' gun thing has gone insane. Mike

Edited June 29, 2014 by katsass

[Mudruck]

Yup, pretty quiet here lately as well.

In a strange way though, that can be considered a good thing for me because I just had a new arrival to the family and would much rather be spending time with my new little boy than working on a leather project.

The black plastic 'tactical' fad will fade though soon enough right?

[JLSleather]

There are a lot more people making holsters these days than there was even a couple of years ago. You can watch them line up.

You'll have a few loyal people who will likely want to come back to you when they need another rig.

And some will buy it because they don't see a reason not to buy that one, and hate to shop, thus they buy the one they're looking at right then.

But as a rule, something should make it stand out. If we all get some HO leather, dip it, and stitch it with 277 thread, then there's nothing there the next 100 guys can't do just as well. What's the difference? It becomes then, largely a price war.

Oh, and can't forget the occasional fool (as in "fool and his money") who buys occasionally because they want to buy something - does't really matter what it is. But, that's hardly consi

[RoosterShooter]

I've noticed the plastic holster thing as well. I really don't understand the logic as a lot of people will pay $65 to $75 for a plastic holster instead of a leather holster for a few dollars more.

I think that the firearm accessories market is highly 'fad' driven. We have a lot more gun owners in the US now, and a lot of them are pretty ignorant when it comes to quality.

[Red Cent]

A somewhat small attraction to the plastic holsters is safety. The gun market has evolved into Glock clones or at least striker fired and no safeties. As a devoted 1911 fan, I don't carry plastic. I have a G34 with a 2# trigger (really) that I have used in competition but carry? Huh uh. My EDC is a lw Colt Commander and it has a very light trigger. And two manually activated safeties. Before you can pull the trigger.

A small strip of rawhide sewn in to the lip reinforcement area of the trigger guard can be marketed as being just as safe as plastic.

It is all in the presentation, right?

[RoosterShooter]

How soft are the holsters you're making?

Mine are as hard as kydex when they're dried and finished! I don't know why they wouldn't be as safe.

[WinterBear]

Maybe time for a new marketing plan? Emphasize the mystique, the feel, tradition, the mellowness and patina leather acquires with age, and so on. Kydex just doesn't have the "feel appeal" genuine leather has.

[Itch]

It is hard at times to make the changes quick enough to stay current as the flavor of the month.. What I mean is the .380 craze was good to us for awhile,then the XDs, kept us busy.. Now it is lasers and tactical light's.. You need to keep current and it will run you crazy trying.