SHOPTALK!

Th e L e a t h e r R e t a i l e r s ’ a n d M a n u f a c t u r e r s ’ J o u r n a l

FEBRUARY 2019

EN
POINTE
The Success
Story of
Larson Leather Company Cardinal Shoe
More than Exotics American
manufacturer finds
Jackson's Western Store its niche in high-
Evolving with the Times tech ballet shoes

COYOTE COUTURE
 Hermann Oak Leather is the last of the
Vegetable Tanners using the original
traditional tanning methods.
Made in the USA with US steer hides.

For wholesale service, call 800-325-7950,

or call the dealer nearest to you.

Bowden Leather Company • El Paso, TX • 915-877-1557

Goliger Leather Company • Ventura, CA • 800-423-2329
Hide & Leather House • Napa, CA • 707-255-6160
Montana Leather Company • Billings, MT • 406-245-1660
Oregon Leather Company • Portland, OR • 503-228-4105
Panhandle Leather Company • Amarillo, TX • 806-373-0535
Weaver Leather, Inc • Mt Hope, OH • 800-WEAVER-1
Springfield Leather Company • Springfield, MO • 800-668-8518
Softart • Murrhard, Germany • 49-7574-932812
Buckskin Leather Co. • Calgary, AB, Canada • 888-723-0806
Toowoomba Saddlery • Toowoomba, Qsld, Australia • 011-617-4633-1855
Craft & Company Ltd. • Suginami-ku, Tokyo, Japan • 011-81-3-3393-2222
Kyoshin Elle & Co., LTD • Taito-Ku, Tokyo, Japan • 011-81-3-3866-3221
Star Trading Company • Maniwa, Japan • 011-81-8-6742-8004
2 Logis
FEBRUARY 2019 • Firminy, France • 33-4-77-61-19-16
de Cordes
$2995.00 Complete
 MADE
IN USA

For free catalog please contact us:

125 Jersey St. Harrison NJ 07029 Phone: 973-483-3232
Email: cso@csosborne.com www.csosborneleathertools.com
 On the cover
20 EN POINTE: THE SUCCESS
STORY OF CARDINAL SHOE
American manufacturer finds its
niche in high-tech ballet shoes
Cover photograph courtesy of
Eduardo Patino. About two years ago,
Richard Bass, owner of Cardinal Shoe
in Lawrence, MA, came up with the

40 idea of offering a variety of colors for

SHOPTALK! FEBRUARY 2019

the Gaynor Minden shoes, like brown
and tan, to match the skin tone of
different ethnicities.

Features
28 LARSON LEATHER

In every issue
COMPANY
More than Exotics

CONTRIBUTORS 8 34 JACKSON'S WESTERN

STORE
DISCOVERY 11 Evolving with the Times

INFORMATION 13 40 COYOTE COUTURE

SHOWCASE 18
SKILL 48 CORRECTION
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID MARLOW

KNOWLEDGE 53 In the January 2019 issue, the cover

photograph and both photographs on
CLASSIFIEDS 57 page 26 were taken by Jim Arndt.

ADVERTISERS INDEX 59

6 FEBRUARY 2019
EDITORIAL
Editorial Director MISTY SHAW
Editor DENYS MANNINEN
Designer MICHELLE NELSON
_______________________
BUSINESS
Advertising Coordinator/Office Manager CANDACE JENSEN
Accounting Manager BRAYDAN SHAW
_______________________
Published by 1876 Media
P.O. Box 6
Salina, UT 84654
435.565.6052 phone
435.529.1033 fax
_______________________
EMAIL Candace@burns1876.com
_______________________
WEBSITE www.shoptalk-magazine.com
_______________________
SUBMISSIONS
All submissions should be sent to Candace@burns1876.com.
_______________________
ADVERTISING
&A Harness Shop LLC
Deadline for advertising copy is the first day of the month prior
to the month of publication. Invoices are due upon receipt.
_______________________
N 6009 Township Rd 419
Millersburg OH 44654
SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES AND CUSTOMER SERVICE Quality Harness
& Harness Parts
Shop Talk! Magazine Made with
To meet your needs
P.O. Box 6
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435.565.6052
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Shop Talk! Magazine @shoptalk_magazine

1I  t 'BY 

SHOPTALK! 7
 JOHNNY D. BOGGS NICK
Winner of a record-tying seven Spur Awards from Western PERNOKAS
Writers of America, novelist Johnny D. Boggs has been Nick Pernokas
praised by Booklist magazine as “among the best western was raised in New
writers at work today.” England. As a boy
Boggs has also won a Western Heritage Wrangler Award from he cleaned stalls
the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Okla- for a hack stable in
homa City. His Spurs came for Best Western Novel in 2006 for return for getting
Camp Ford and 2012 for Legacy of a Lawman; Best Western Juvenile Novel in 2008 to ride the horses. He bought his first horse
for Doubtful Cañon and 2010 for Hard Winter; Best Mass Market Western Novel in with money from a paper route, and showed
2012 for West Texas Kill and 2017 for Return to Red River; and for Best Short Fiction in AQHA shows with him. At a young age
in 2002 for A Piano at Dead Man’s Crossing. Only the late Elmer Kelton has won that Nick headed west to play cowboy. He ended
many Spurs. Boggs won his Wrangler for Outstanding Western Novel of 2003 for up in Stephenville, Texas, where he received
Spark on the Prairie: The Trial of the Kiowa Chiefs. a B.S. from Tarleton State University. In
His novels Poison Spring, Greasy Grass, Summer of the Star, And There I’ll Be a Sol- 1983 he began building custom saddles
dier, South by Southwest, Killstraight, Northfield, The Hart Brand and Ten and Me and under the Pernokas Saddlery label. Nick
his short stories The Cody War, Comanche Camp at Dawn, Umpire Colt and The San competed successfully in the AQHA, the
Angela Stump Match of 1876 were Spur finalists. NRHA, and the PRCA, in which he earned a
Other honors include: 2011 Distinguished Alumnus from the University of South Gold Card. Nick won 5 Year End High Point
Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communication; 2013 New Mexico De- Championships (Honor Roll), and 2 Reserve
partment of Agriculture’s Rounders Award for living, articulating and promoting the World Championships, in the AQHA in
Western way of life; and 2015 Arkansiana Juvenile Award from the Arkansas Library roping events. In the mid Nineties he wrote
Association for Poison Spring. True West magazine named him the Best Living Fiction “All the Pretty Saddles”, a book about
Writer in its 2008 Best of the West Awards, and the magazine’s readers voted him Best contemporary saddles. This led to writing
Living Fiction Writer in 2012. for various magazines including America’s
A native of South Carolina, Boggs worked almost 15 years in Texas as a sports journal- Horse, Trails Less Traveled, Super Looper,
ist at the Dallas Times Herald and Fort Worth Star-Telegram before moving to New Loops, The Quarter Horse News, and of
Mexico in 1998 to concentrate full time on his novels and books. course, Shop Talk!. Nick has also written
Boggs is also a prolific writer of short nonfiction with works appearing in more than 50 several screenplays and does other work in
magazines and newspapers; has also written nonfiction books (including Jesse James the film industry. He still competes in team
and the Movies; and Billy the Kid on Film, 1911-2012); is a professional photojournal- roping events. Nick, and his wife, Lindy live
ist; and has acted on stage in local theater. on a ranch outside of Stephenville, Texas,
He lives with his wife and son in Santa Fe, and is represented by Golden West Literary with a multitude of dogs, cats, and horses.
Agency. His website is www.johnnydboggs.com. He’s still “playing cowboy”.

8 FEBRUARY 2019
 CHINO TACK
Saddle Trees:
Stirrups: wooden or iron, rawhide covered
Rawhide: natural, bleach, black, red, etc.
asa Zea Blankets: assorted and solid colors
Saddles: our best!! for kids!
LIISA ANDREASSEN
Liisa Andreassen is the president of
915-860-2610 Mobile
www.chinotack.com • chinotack@gmail.com
Write Away, Inc. (www.writeawayinc.
com). She works with custom content
publishers, national and regional
magazines and B2B publications. She RJF Leather is under new
also writes blogs, website content ownership. RJF operated
and marketing material for an array of out of Elmira, NY
industry niches. She has a Master’s Degree in Media Studies for the past 15
and lives in the beautiful mountains of Asheville, NC with her years. Keystone
husband, John. They travel often and enjoy hiking, cooking, Leather in RJF Leather
Williamsport, PA
SCUBA diving, skiing and clay shooting.
purchased RJF
Keystone
Leather and is proud Leather
to continue with the
LYNN ASCRIZZI same service and
Lynn Ascrizzi is a freelance writer, quality you expect.
artist, poet and home gardener who
lives with her husband, Joe, in a home We appreciate the opportunity
they built in the woods of Freedom, to service your needs for high
Maine. In the past four years, she has quality leathers!
written extensively for Shop Talk!.
Early on, she taught art and English in
public schools and was senior editor, illustrator and art director 2100 Reach Road • Williamsport, PA 17701
for Farmstead, a national magazine for small farming and home Phone 570-329-3780 • Fax 570-329-3779

gardening. Later, she was lifestyle editor, feature writer and syn- daschall@keystoneleather.com
Cell: 570-660-5513
dicated columnist for Central Maine Newspapers. Her poems
have been published in several journals and in two anthologies
by Down East Books: “Take Heart: Poems From Maine,”
(2013) and “Take Heart: More Poems From Maine,” (2016).
RJF Leather Veg. Leathers for Saddles,
Keystone Leather Belts, Holsters & Case Goods
· Specializing in premium natural double shoulders
· Bends · Sides
· Backs · Bellies
· Gum Flesh available
· Drum dyed leathers, latigo, and English bridle
· Each piece is hand selected for your needs
· No Minimum Quantities
· European double bends Dave Schall
for belts and belt lining 2100 Reach Rd. Williamsport, PA 17701
Ph: 570-329-3780 Fax: 570-329-3779
Email: daschall@keystoneleather.com

SHOPTALK! 9
 A. LYONS & CO., INC.
The Best Quality Components since 1933
• Leather Components • Leather Insoles
• Leather Heels • Leather Midsoles
• Leather Counters • Leather Bends
• Drum-Dyed Leathers
A . LY O N S & C O., I N C .
40 Beach Street • Manchester, MA 01944
Phone 978-526-4244 • Fax 978-526-1445
email: info@alyons.com

10 FEBRUARY 2019
Realeather® One Step Leather Drressing

TOOLED LEATHER DESIGN COURTESY OF JIM LINNELL OF ELK TRACKS STUDIO

Realeather’s One Step Leather Dressing providees both
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leather with just the right amount of color. To use, apply with
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just use soap and water.
Colors available in 4 oz. bottles:
• Mahogany
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Contact Silver Creek Leather Co. at 812-945-8520 or
info@silvercreekleather.com for more information.

Deals at The Hide House

If you’re looking for Mule Deer TR leather, look no further.
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Call toll free at 1-800-453-2847.

SHOPTALK! 11
 3LH[OLY࠮;VVSZ࠮:LY]PJL
& Co.
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English heavy veg & specialty leathers for Saddlery & Leathergoods
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Vancouver, WA 98682-0018 ;HUULYZVM7LYMVYTHUJL*OYVTL࠮3LH[OLYMVY:LH[Z࠮7HULSZ࠮.PY[OZ࠮3LH[OLYNVVKZ

(360) 891-7178 Tel Best Choice From ;VVSZ

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www.maverickleathercompany.com Call us for any custom made Harness or Saddlery Hardware
item you may need.

NUTRA-GLO
Nutritional Feed Supplements (Liquid Products)
TM

“II h
have ffed
dNNutra-Glo
t Gl ™ ffor over 10 years now. I mustt admit d it att
ĮƌƐƚ / ǁĂƐ ƐŬĞƉƟĐĂů ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚ ĂŶĚ ŽŶůLJ ĨĞĚ ŝƚ ƚŽ Ă ĐŽƵƉůĞ ŽĨ
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I fed those horses, I started to feed it to all of my horses. I now
ĨĞĞĚƚŚĞƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƚŽŵLJ^ŚŽǁ,ŽƌƐĞƐ͕ZĂĐĞ,ŽƌƐĞƐ͕ĂŶĚĂůƐŽŵLJ
ŬŝĚƐ͛ϰͲ,ĐĂůǀĞƐ͘͟ͲZ͕sĂŶ>ƵĞ͕KŚŝŽ

Sunrise Supply LLC

330-359-6152

t

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12 FEBRUARY 2019
THE HIDE REPORT
The following is used with permission
from hidenet.com, the premier source for
information regarding the worldwide
hide and leather markets. Please remem-
ber that this information will be a month
old by the time it reaches you.
Kanpur, Unnao Leather Tanneries
Shut for 3 Months
An unprecedented 3 lakh workers
in UP’s Kanpur and Unnao have been
without jobs for the past three days
and the leather factories where they
were employed are facing a loss of Rs
4,000 crore per month. This is due to
the government closure of all tanneries
for three months to keep the Ganga
water clean for Kumbh in Allahabad.
The Union commerce ministry has also
asked now the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP
government to reconsider.
After the closure order, a petition
against it was filed in Allahabad high
court. During the hearing, the UP Pollu-
tion Control Board (UPPCB) said that it
would allow tanneries to operate at 50%
capacity. In actuality, all the tanneries
are closed and their workers, mostly
daily laborers, face a bleak future. Taj
Alam, vice chairman of UP Leather In-
dustries Association, said the situation
will turn worse in the coming days.
“Leather business, both export and
domestic, from Kanpur and Unnao is
around Rs 4,000 crore a month. It will
now suffer badly,” he said.
When asked about the 50% relax-
ation, Alam said that all the factory efflu-
ent has to go through a common govern-
ment treatment plant, which is shut. “So
practically we cannot start work even if
we are allowed,” he said.
“The tanneries have been asked to
shut down just to stop effluent dis-
charge in Ganga, as the common effluent
treatment plant of Jal Nigam is non-func-
tional,” Alam said. He said that the Jal
Nigam has now claimed that their plant is
functional but they need the nod from the
UP Pollution Control Board to start it.
He added, “If the board gives them
the nod, the tanneries will be allowed to
operate at a 50% capacity. But I don’t
think that will happen soon.”
Almost 300 tanneries and a slaughter
house have closed since December 15, ren-
dering nearly three lakh workers jobless.
15 Children Rescued from Mumbai
Leather Goods Factory
22 child laborers between the ages of
5-13 were rescued from Hyderabad. Six
men, including owners and managers of
the premises, were arrested and handed
over to the Nagpada police.
Police say that this was the biggest
rescue in the past two years. The boys
were being forced to work and live on
the factory premises without any exter-
nal contact, officers said. The Juvenile
Aid and Protection Unit of the police
Social Service Branch (SSB) raided the
unit in Gulshan Compound on R S Nim-
kar Marg following a tip-off.
“The boys were taken away from their
families in UP and Bihar, brought to Mum-
bai and made to work. They were made
SHOPTALK! 13
INFORMATION
to work on machines for 15 hours a day
producing leather trolley bags,” said R B
Mane, assistant commissioner of police.
Three Chinese Shoe Giants to Expand
Production in India, Southeast Asia
Taiwanese footwear Sanxiong Baoc-
heng, Fengtai and Qiqi-KY will expand
operations in order to enjoy preferential
tariffs on products, cheap local labor
costs, or indirectly avoid the impact of
Sino-US trade war. The expansions will
be based on the cost of shoes, customer
requirements, factory land and recruit-
ment of workers, beginning in the fourth
quarter of this year and in the next year.
Baocheng: Increased capital of US
$130 million in Myanmar, doubled
shoe production
Baocheng’s 2017 shoe production
volume was 324 million pairs. In the
first half of this year, shoe production
reached 158 million pairs. The market
share of shoes (including joint ventures)
was calculated based on the wholesale
price of global brand sports shoes and
casual shoes. Major customers include
dozens of international brands such
as Nike, Adidas, Asics, Salomon and
Timberland. In the first half of this year,
the proportion of business was 59.1%,
40.6%, and 0.3%.
Baocheng continued its expansion
plan for the Myanmar plant this year. Zhan
Luming, chairman of Baocheng, said that
the group Myanmar Pou Chen Factory
launched the third phase of its plan to
expand the production of Adidas sports
shoes, as current Adidas production ca-
pacity has exceeded 400,000 pairs.
To cooperate with the expansion of
the plant, the share of capital for the
Myanmar plant has increased to US
14 FEBRUARY 2019
$130 million. After the opening of the
third phase, the maximum monthly pro-
duction capacity of the plant can reach
900,000 pairs.
As for the new Indonesian plant of
the group, it will produce Nike shoes
and strengthen its business relationship
with Nike.
Fengtai: Expanding Indian layout
Similarly, Fengtai has also strength-
ened the layout of its non-continental
shoe bases. Fengtai footwear sales
accounted for 96%, and its shoe pro-
duction bases accounted for 11% of the
mainland factories, 13% of Indonesian
factories and 52% of Vietnam factories.
The Indian factory area is 24%.
Wang Jianhong, chairman of Fengtai,
pointed out that the Group’s India plant
continues to expand its production and
add production lines this year. It is ex-
pected that the proportion of Indian plant
operations will increase after next year.
Fengtai estimates that the produc-
tion of finished shoes in the fourth
quarter will be 31.2 million pairs, up
7% quarter-on-quarter and 11% year-
on-year. The sales volume of finished
shoes in the fourth quarter is estimated
to be 30.7 million pairs, up 3% in the
quarter and 13% year-on-year.
Qi Qi: Expanding production ca-
pacity in Vietnam and Cambodia
Qi Qi also expanded the layout of its
non-continental shoe-making base. Qi
Qi revealed that its shoe factories in-
clude six in Quanzhou, Changting, Hu-
bei, Fuyang, Vietnam, Hanoi, Haiyang
and Cambodia. Currently, the group has
more than 23,000 employees.
The Group’s annual production ca-
pacity is holding steady growth of 10%
to 15%. The proportion of footwear
production capacity in non-continental
factories (including Vietnam and Cam-
bodia) will continue to increase next
year. The proportion of non-continental
plant capacity in 2018 is expected to
increase from 54% in 2017 to 60%, and
65% in 2019. Conversely, the propor-
tion of capacity in mainland China is
estimated to fall to 35%.
Qi Qi pointed out that due to indus-
trial characteristics and the low ship-
ment season, the company’s spring and
summer shoe shipment period is from
October to March every year. Among
them, spring and summer shipments
peak, falling from December every year.
The company is optimistic about the
operating performance of the fourth
quarter of this year and the first quarter
of next year.
Brands Lessen Weather Risk with
Transitional Styles
The Sourcing Journal reports that
at FFANY, boots with taller shafts were
hard to find.
“As a fashion trend, we see much
more in the low bootie area than in
the high boot area, as far as demand,
because of the popularity of denim,
leggings and narrow-fitting pants,”
Marty Rose, a brand representative for
All Black, told Sourcing Journal. “Plus,
there’s a desire for a more walkable
heel. So, we’re seeing a combination of
a lower heel and an ankle high—or just
slightly over ankle—bootie being in a
greater demand than the more tradition-
al higher boot.”
When combined with erratic weather
now seen all over the world, the bootie
and other transitional styles could simply
make more sense to today’s consumer.
 “Because we sell nationally, we’re
finding that more people, particularly in
CALENDAR EVENTS
the southern and southwestern area are
more inclined to go to the lower bootie. INDIA INTERNATIONAL
We still find some demand in the Mid- LEATHER FAIR NE MATERIALS SHOW
west and Northwest for winter boots, but February 1-3, 2019 March 6-7, 2019
they’re not necessarily the high boots, Chennai Trade Centre The Aleppo Shriners Auditorium
they’re the storm boots,” Rose said. Chennai, India 99 Fordham Road
“Within our mix, if we do a fashion boot, Wilmington, Massachusetts
maybe it will be one or two items.” INTERNATIONAL
The bootie’s staying power was appar- FOOTWEAR & LEATHER LEATHERWORLD MIDDLE
ent throughout the Shoe Expo. Across SHOW EAST
the board, retailers are finding the value February 5-7, 2019 March 18-20, 2019
of transitional footwear in an industry Corferias Dubai International Convention & Exhibition
where the consumer wants their products Bogotá, Colombia Centre
to do more and the weather patterns are
Dubai, UAE
constantly shifting. SIMAC TANNING TECH
As Rose put it, “Wearability is a big deal.” February 19-21, 2019 DALLAS WESTERN MARKET
Fiera Milano March 27-30, 2019
Dallas Market Center
North America Burdens Under Rho, Italy
2100 Stemmons Freeway
Armour’s Growth in 2019
Dallas, Texas
Under Armour released its revenue and MIFUR
earnings forecasts for 2019, which are February 22-25, 2019
below expectations as the Group expects Fiera Milano City, Milan INDO LEATHER &
stagnating growth in North America.
FOOTWEAR
SMOTA April 4-6, 2019
Under Armour’s earnings growth of
February 24-26, 2019 Jakarta International Expo
31 to 33 cents per share was also below
The Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Jakarta, Indonesia
the analysts’ estimate of 35 cents. The
reason for this is the difficulties that Convention Center
the company encounters in the Ameri- 1950 Eisenhower Blvd 10TH ANNUAL B&B BOOT
can market. Due to strong competition Fort Lauderdale, Florida MAKERS GATHERING
April 27, 2019
from Nike and Adidas, Under Armour is
struggling to capture new market share NW MATERIALS SHOW Duck’s Heritage Cowboy Boots
February 27-28, 2019 11095 Brewer Road
in its strongest-selling market.
Oregon Convention Center Salado, Texas
Susan Anderson of B Riley inter- Dustin Lauw
777 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
preted the numbers as a sign that the (254) 681-5300
Portland, Oregon
turnaround for the company was still in 1924tbucket@gmail.com
the distant future. The 2018 gross mar-
gin is also expected to stagnate, which
SOUTHWEST LEATHER
WORKERS TRADE SHOW CSMA SPRING SEMINAR
is in line with the previous forecast of a April 2019 (exact date TBA)
“weak to slightly declining” value.
March 1-3, 2019
Prescott Resort & Conference Center Grand Junction, Colorado
The average annual growth (CAGR)
1500 E State Route 69
is expected to be in the low single digits Do you know about something we don’t?
Prescott, Arizona Email us at Candace@burns1876.com to
in the North American region from
let us know what we’ve missed.

SHOPTALK! 15
INFORMATION
2020 to 2022, in the EMEA zone by
15 percent, in the low double digits in
Latin America and by 25 percent in the
Asia Pacific region.
By 2023, the manufacturer of the
Hovr Smart Shoes wants to return to low
double-digit growth. Canaccord Genuity’s
Camilo Lyon estimates for 2023 that this
growth is likely to occur in the second
half of the five-year period. He expects a
CAGR of 7.2 percent in half of the period.
Under Armour’s average annual
growth has slowed in recent years and
overall earnings have been below expec-
tations in two of the last five quarters.
Lyon commented, “It’s clear that
Under Armour is no longer the growth
company it used to be.”
Luxury Leather’s Best-Kept Secret
Spanish leather hub Ubrique is on
a mission to extend its manufacturing
services beyond traditional luxury labels
to offer hand-crafted products to smaller
premium brands.
Nestled in the stunning white village
of Ubrique, in the southwestern prov-
ince of Cádiz, Spain is luxury’s best-
kept secret: its leather manufacturing
hub. Its clandestine reputation makes it
tricky to uncover – brands have either
never heard of it, or those that are man-
ufacturing in the area are reluctant to
divulge any information.
However, some of the biggest luxury
labels in the world, including Dior,
Chloé and Lanvin are thought to manu-
facture there.
Ubrique’s geographical location and
habitat make it ideal for leather manu-
facturing. Positioned in a valley sur-
rounded by a natural park of cork trees,
the first workers in leather manufactur-
ing removed the cork from the trees to
produce a liquid used to tan the leather
and used pig hair to sew pieces together.
They worked at the front of their homes
to make the most of the natural light.
The area suffered as a result of the
economic crisis that began in 2008.
Juan Maria MenachoPerez, director
of Avana Piel factory, which produces
leather bags and wallets, says that many
brands left the area 10 years ago to
manufacture in China.
The foundation aims to overcome
challenges that brands seeking to man-
ufacture in Ubrique historically faced,
such as finding the right factory contact
and overcoming language barriers. As
well as direct translation of everyday
language, technical terms can prove a
challenge, as Ubrique has its own dictio-
nary of more than 8,000 words that the
village uses to describe the leather craft.
Gucci Welcomes Students to École de
l’Amour
Gucci has opened École de l’Amour,
an innovative education program
designed to pass on the skills associat-
ed with the house’s artisanal craft and
production in Florence.
It is offering various courses includ-
ing Craftsmanship School, a six-month
programme in the Gucci ArtLab, which
aims to teach product design and pro-
duction processes for leather goods.
It’s open to high school graduates and/
or unemployed people aged 18 to 26,
who have a “passion for making things
by hand.”
In October, it welcomed its first
intake of 10 full-time students.
Gucci also added that it is working
on producing a parallel training course
in the craft and production of shoes.
Marco Bizzarri, president and chief
executive of Gucci, said in a statement:
“The heritage of Gucci is made up of peo-
ple and their knowledge. Training is the
most powerful method and tool we have to
enhance our people and our products.”
“It is no coincidence that École
de l’Amour was born from the Gucci
ArtLab, which is the perfect expression
of the corporate culture that we are
building and developing: a place that
promotes learning and the development
of skills, a laboratory of ideas, an envi-
ronment where we work with passion;
indeed, I should really say, where we
work with love.”
Other courses include the Factory
School, a bi-monthly program in Gucci’s
factories, training people to become
‘production operators’ in specific leather
goods manufacturing operations. The fac-
tory school was launched in October 2017
and has so far enrolled nearly 60 students.
There is also an internal program of
technical courses for the specific training
needs of Gucci employees. Each course
is taught by a combination of specialist
artisans and company managers.
Convergence of US Footwear Shows
Wreaks Scheduling Havoc
February 2019 presents new chal-
lenges for those planning to attend trade
shows for the Fall/Winter market. Shows
on both US coasts will conflict as FFANY
presents the New York Shoe Expo (Feb
4-8) and FN PLATFORM coincides with
MAGIC in Las Vegas (Feb 5-7).
While all involved have divulged that
dates are planned ahead of time – ten
years ahead in some cases, the lack of
communication between the different
shows or within the shows themselves
will have retailers and manufacturers do-
ing some fancy footwork. The New York
Shoe Expo and its location of powerful
headquarters, showrooms and luxury
brands and FN PLATFORM as part of
MAGIC (and a host of other growing
and coordinated trade opportunities),
with an enormous capacity for space,
match-making and cross-shopping, are
both viewed as a ‘must-attend’.
Both trade shows – FFANY New
York Shoe Expo quarterly and FN
PLATFORM semi-annually, purport to
leverage the industry’s production cycle
of showing/ordering/buying/delivering
that is crucial to the footwear pipeline.
The footwear industry will not be the
only ones running amok, as the CFDA
NY Men’s Fashion Week, Liberty Fairs
(the bi-annual contemporary fashion
trade event held in NY and Las Vegas)
and Commotion (Zappos’ new di-
rect-to-consumer show downtown Las
Vegas) all promise to overlap those same
dates next February.
Berluti Showcases “Tattooed”
Leather Goods in Mumbai
Berluti hosted an evening showcase of
its tattooed leather footwear and accesso-
ries in Mumbai as the luxury brand hunts
for a location to open a store in the city.
Berluti introduced Mumbai’s high-
end shoppers to its signature leather
tattooing technique with the event
hosted at Soho House, the new private
members club in Juhu, Mumbai. The
brand presented a collection of footwear
as well as belts, handbags, and other
small leather goods.
The “tattooed leather” style that
Berluti has pioneered involves tattooing
a hide with a regular tattoo machine
and ink designed to sit well in leather.
The designs Berluti has created have
four main themes, American tradition
tattoo designs such as eagles, classic
style animals, Chinese Zodiac inspired
designs, and calligraphy. The designs
are tattooed onto the Venezia leather
that Berluti uses for its accessory line,
as selected by the brand’s previous head
Olga Berluti.
The brand currently retails in India
from DLF Emporio mall in New Delhi
and is currently looking for a location to
open at in Mumbai.
Berluti was founded in 1895 by the
Italian designer Alessandro Berluti and
the brand is now based in Paris. Ac-
quired by the LVMH Group in 1993,
the brand went on to acquire the French
clothing brand Arny’s and launched its
first ready-to-wear collection in 2012.
Kris Van Assche will debut his first col-
lection for the label in January 2019.
Discussing the event, Olga Berlu-
ti said, ‘’I always wanted to grace leather
shoes with the markings of the skin;
scars, gashes, branding, piercings. We
have already mastered the color tech-
nique on the leather from bronze and
brown to red and copper, and the dark
blue of the Tuaregs. Only one thing
was missing, the most obvious and most
difficult: tattoos. I tried to tattoo shoes
using every possible process, but the
designs faded, the colors were lost be-
neath the patinas, and the tattoos had no
“life” in them. However, my technique
has evolved over the years and today I am
using the exact same methods as tattoo
artists, along with inks that work well
with leather. I hope Berluti loyalists from
across the world admire this new art.”
SHOPTALK! 17
Wes Shugart
Music City’s Boot Maker
Growing up on a Georgia cattle farm, Wes
Shugart learned the importance of owning a
comfortable pair of cowboy boots. His love
of footwear and art, along with a personal
triumph led him to take up bootmaking him-
self. He started making boots in 2012 under
the mentorship of acclaimed bootmaker
Deana McGuffin. Wes also spent some time
at Paul Kraus’s bench. Both bootmakers
have guided and mentored him immensely.
You can find Wes in his shop in Brent-
wood, Tennessee just outside of Nashville
building custom made, bespoke cowboy
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF MUSIC CITY LEATHER

boots. He works alone and uses only the

finest materials in the industry.
“I’m committed to using only the finest
materials, time tested bootmaking techniques
and paying attention to details to make sure
you get the perfect boot for you,” says Wes.

18 FEBRUARY 2019
 TENNESSEE FLAG BOOT

M usic City Leather’s Tennessee Flag Boot is a beautiful representation of

the state’s flag. The three stars represent the three Grand Divisions of the
state, East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee. The blue circle
around the stars represents the unity of the “Grand Divisions.”
Using 4-piece construction, Wes Shugart chose kid and kangaroo leather for
the top of the boot creating the delicate stars of the flag. The vamp is made of
smooth ostrich. The white side seam is intentional, representing the white stripe
in the state’s flag. Beautifully fashioned with impeccable attention to detail, the
Tennessee Flag Boot is definitely a wearable work of art. And like Wes says,
“When design and form combine with comfort and craftsmanship, pure function-
al art is created.” Maybe these boots should be placed on the mantel instead?

Wes Shugart
Music City Leather
Brentwood, Tn 37027
615.533.4882
Musiccityleather@gmail.com
www.musiccityleather.com

SHOPTALK! 19
 THE SUCCESS STORY OF
CARDINAL SHOE
American manufacturer finds its niche in high-tech ballet shoes

By Lynn Ascrizzi

I n an on-stage solo, principal ballerina, Michaela DePrince, flies like a bright-feath-

ered, gravity-defying bird, her arms stretched wing-like above her head and her
expressive face turned upward, as if searching for a distant star.
What is easily missed in that ecstatic moment, which took DePrince years of professional
discipline to master, is a very crucial part of her outfit — the pointe shoes.
They may look like dainty, satin slippers. But pointe shoes are designed to enable
dancers to put their whole weight on the tips of their toes. That en pointe position, and all
the leaps and pirouettes involved in ballet technique, puts tons of stress on a dancer’s feet
and her footwear. A pointe shoe’s support and fit has to be perfect.
What follows is the story of the first footwear innovation in the ballet world in about 150
years — a creative collaboration between the arts and industry — between an amateur
dancer with a passion for ballet, seeking to have her pointe shoe designs produced and an
experienced, New England shoe manufacturer searching for the right niche products.

20 FEBRUARY 2019
“All our pointe shoes are handmade. Every
operation has to be introduced by hand,
and you have to have skill.”
— Richard Bass, president,
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ALEXANDRA

Cardinal Shoe Corporation

SHOPTALK! 21
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CARDINAL SHOE
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Jon,
Jill, and Richard Bass on the
production floor at Cardinal
Shoe; The process of adhering
the leather sole onto the pointe
shoe; PREVIOUS PAGE: Ekaterina
Shipulina is a Principal Dancer at
The Bolshoi Ballet (Russia).
22 FEBRUARY 2019
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CARDINAL SHOE
After years of hard work and focused debacle, was Cardinal Shoe Corporation
attention, the pointe shoes that are sold of Lawrence, Massachusetts, a private
today under the label, Gaynor Minden, label, women’s dress shoe manufacturer
have become a successful, global brand. founded by Harry A. Bass in 1962.
That these shoes are being made by one In those days, the city was still bask-
of the last remaining shoe manufacturers in ing in the U.S. shoe industry heyday,
America, is a marvel in itself. recalled Richard Bass, 75, son of the
company founder and its current presi-
The Shoe ‘Crash’ dent. Bass is also owner of the company’s
At the dawn of the 20th century, hun- 160,000-square-foot, two-story, red brick
dreds of bustling footwear factories were factory, a former textile mill built in 1900,
humming across the nation. By the 1940s, situated near the Merrimack River.
nearly a quarter-million Americans were After graduating from the University
working for the shoe industry. of Vermont in 1966, Bass joined his
But in one decade, from the mid-1970s brother Andrew Bass, now retired, and
to the mid-1980s, an estimated 300 U.S. brother-in-law, the late Alan Ornsteen, to
shoe factories closed. Footwear companies work at the shoe factory under the stew-
from Massachusetts to Maine, a region ardship of his father. He well remembers
once deemed the collective shoe center of the industry’s glory days.
the world, including tanneries and related “Cardinal Shoe was one of many
industries, were standing idle. The rapid U.S. firms that manufactured footwear
decline continued through the 1990s. during that period. We were surrounded
The shoe industry “crash” was by suppliers and competitors in the im-
caused mainly by cheaper imports from mediate area. We were firmly ensconced
Brazil and Asia flooding the American in a robust industrial ecosystem, until
market. Today, almost all shoes sold in cheaper imports flooded the market in
the U.S. are imported. the 1980s,” he said.
One New England company, however, To keep thriving, the company sought to
that managed to survive and thrive past the identify niche products to differentiate itself
from foreign and local competitors. “I was
very busy making women’s dress shoes. I
had 200 employees and 40 customers.
We manufactured shoes up to the year
2000, until our lead shoe component
supplier went out of business. I stopped
making dress shoes,” he recalled.
That year, he was forced to lay off all
but a handful of his 200 employees, many
of whom were long-time, highly-skilled
workers. But luck was winging Cardinal’s
way. At that time, another shoe project that
had been simmering on the back burner for
years, came to the fore.
It all began in 1989, when an enter-
prising, amateur ballet dancer named
Eliza Gaynor Minden of New York City,
approached the shoe company. She
wanted her innovative designs for a safer
and more durable, high-tech ballet shoe
to get into production. Cardinal Shoe
took up the challenge.
The collaboration took nimble leaps
of innovation and effort. A development
team comprised of Bass, his superin-
tendent, a pattern maker and Minden,
figured out how to take technologies
similar to those used in today’s athletic
shoes and scale them down to make
modernized pointe shoes.
The effort took time. But it resulted in a
series of patents for the shoes, Bass said.
Today, the footwear sold under the Gaynor
Minden brand make up the bulk of Cardi-
nal Shoe’s primary account.
“We wouldn’t be in business today,
if we didn’t run into Gaynor Minden,”
he said, of the global sales organization
founded in 1992 by Eliza Minden and her
husband, John Minden. Their pointe shoe
was launched in 1993.
“By 2000, when I stopped making
dress shoes, we were already making a
small production of pointe shoes. By 2002,
we were making about 20 percent of the
shoes that we make today. We’ve grown
almost five times since then, thanks in large
part to the efforts of the Gaynor Minden
sales force,” Bass said. “By 2002, we were making
In 2003, Cardinal Shoe attracted
about 20 percent of the shoes
another customer in Dance Paws®, a
company based in Cambridge, Massa- that we make today. We’ve
chusetts. Their footwear product, made of
spandex and elastic, is designed to help grown almost five times since
save the soles of dancers from blisters and
skin burns. It comprises a much smaller
then, thanks in large part
percent of the shoe company’s products to the efforts of the Gaynor
than the pointe shoes.
“Gaynor Minden has sales people Minden sales force.”
throughout the world and they have a
warehouse in the UK. We ship to the
— Richard Bass, president,
UK on a weekly basis, and they in turn,
ship to the common market countries in Cardinal Shoe Corporation
Europe,” he explained.
When the unique virtues of the pointe
shoe’s modern construction caught on,
success was especially gratifying “when
ballet companies reported that their
prima ballerinas and soloists had fewer
injuries and extended their professional
careers,” he said.
The upshot is Cardinal’s exclusive
relationship with Gaynor Minden led to
the development of the world’s premier
— and only — patented, ergonomic and
shock-absorbent ballet shoe.
SHOPTALK! 23
 FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Front

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CARDINAL SHOE

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CARDINAL SHOE

door/main entrance for Cardinal
Shoe Corporation; Over view of
the production floor at Cardinal
Shoe in Lawrence, MA

Resilience, Innovation and electric costs,” he said. American Ballet Theatre, The Boston Ballet,
Green Energy Changing production needs called the Bolshoi Ballet, The Mariinsky Ballet, The
“All our pointe shoes are handmade. for consolidation. The factory now uses Paris Opera Ballet and The Royal Ballet.
Every operation has to be introduced by only 20 percent of the 160,000-square-
hand, and you have to have skill,” Bass foot facility for pointe shoe production. Its The Pointe of the Matter
said, of the customized, labor-intensive current 52 employees, including the skilled In 2012, Cardinal Shoe became a
process. “Strategic inventory management workforce that builds the pointe shoes, are third-generation company when Bass’s
practices had to be implemented and we located on the second floor. son and daughter joined the team. Jon
learned to service and create our own Finished shoes are brought downstairs Bass is manufacturing supervisor and
manufacturing equipment, in-house.” to Gaynor Minden’s first-floor warehouse, Jill Masterson coordinates production
Bass introduced further value to the where they get packed and shipped to in- and handles customizing with a comput-
product with just-in-time manufacturing. dividuals, retailers and dance companies er-operated CAD machine.
Early in the venture, he developed a in 92 countries. “They give us the orders, “We can get it down to the millimeter.
2-D CAD system to help speed up the we build the shoes to meet the orders and Dancers are very particular,” Master-
process of duplicating and changing they ship and sell.” Bass said. The big son said, of the individually-sized ballet
patterns, providing custom pointe shoes factory’s remaining space is rented out to shoes demanded by all kinds of dancers
in less than a week’s time. about 23 independent businesses. with different shaped feet.
“This is what the world wants — instant Today, Cardinal is the exclusive man- “We are definitely growing. Our
gratification, i.e. their shoes right away. ufacturer of both Gaynor Minden pointe product is so advanced compared to
This is a big departure from our biggest shoes and Dance Paws®. Currently, the anything else. We have taken so much
competitor in England who requires nine factory has 55 employees and is one time with research and development
months to a year for any custom order. The of the city’s largest employers. A true and have so much pride in the product
CAD system allows us to alter patterns on survivor, it is the only shoe factory in we make,” she said.
an as-needed basis and to tailor a pointe operation in Lawrence. The Gaynor Minden pointe shoe
shoe specific to a dancer’s need. Some- The pointe shoes produced today by incorporates an ergonomically-curved
times, we need to make right shoes different the Lawrence factory are a major player shank and toe box made of a flexi-
from the left,” he said. in the international market, with sales in 92 ble, engineered polymer that doesn’t
Around 2014, he installed 1,100 countries. They are sold to the world’s fore- weaken or lose shape. Shanks come in
solar panels to cover half of the factory most prima ballerinas at almost every ma- five different flexes, to accommodate
roof. “We literally have voided out our jor ballet company in the world including dancers’ individual needs.

24 FEBRUARY 2019

Another modern material used is
high-performance Poron® 4000, a foam
lining that is built into the shoes.
To make the soles, the company uses
split suede. As an option, lightweight gar-
ment leather is used on shoe tips; otherwise,
tips are made of satin. Leathers are sourced
from Law Tanning Co., LLC, of Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, a company that tans cowhide
(grain and splits), American bison, pig,
deer, elk and kangaroo.
Industrial thread used for stitching the
shoes is sourced from A&E Thread Co., of
Mt. Holly, North Carolina.
For the shoe’s outer covering, Cardinal
Shoe starts with a flat piece of satin. The
cloth is produced overseas and purchased
from Dela Inc., a laminator in Ward Hill,
Massachusetts, the next town over from
Lawrence. “They’re an important part of the
company. They actually buy the satin and
sell it to us laminated to the lining material.
No one else gives us the quality and con-
sistency,” Bass said.
The traditional satin color is peach.
But the company continues to innovate
and fine-tune its product line. About two
years ago, Bass came up with the idea of
offering a variety of colors for the Gay-
nor Minden shoes, like brown and tan, to
AS YOUR FEET HURT, SO DOES YOUR SOUL
F
irst developed in the early 19th century, the ballet pointe shoe enables
dancers to put their full weight on the tips of their toes. The maneuver
also elevates their height and leg length and creates the illusion of a
floating butterfly or weightless bird.
Traditionally, pointe shoes had a paper-and-paste construction that dates to the
19th century. That is, until a bold revolution took place.
A big round of applause for the creation of the first modern pointe shoes must go
to the ingenious, dancer-designer Eliza Gaynor Minden of New York City. The spe-
cial dance shoe, sold under the Gaynor Minden brand, is manufactured by Cardinal
Shoe Corporation in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Minden, an ardent and well-trained amateur ballet dancer and the daughter
of a ballet school founder, was appalled by “clomping” pointe shoes that hurt
the toes, wore out after one performance and could even cause injuries. Out-
raged, she wondered why ballet dancers, who in her mind are “elite athletes,”
had to deal with shoddy, unsafe footwear.
She turned her outrage into grit and determination. Borrowing her brother’s
band saw, she cut open a traditional pointe shoe. To her dismay, she found “card-
board, paste, burlap, little nails and even newspaper, inside,” she said, in a write up
at the company website, www.gaynorminden.com.
It was time, she thought, to merge the art of dance with modern technology and
develop a better pointe shoe. For eight years, she tested countless prototypes, trying
out different floor surfaces, climates and dancers of various weights, foot types and
ability. She also used a flex-test machine to guarantee the durability of the shank.
The patented result was “the first successful modernization of ballet’s iconic foot-
wear,” Minden said. She called the collaboration with Cardinal Shoe in Lawrence, “a
unique manufacturing process that is both state-of-the-art athletic shoe science and
traditional, artisanal craftsmanship. Every pair is inspected by hand.”
In 1993, Gaynor Minden, a family-run company, opened its doors. The Gaynor
Minden Boutique and its main offices are located in a historic, Victorian brownstone
in New York City. The boutique sells pointe shoes that start at $130 and dance
accessories. Eliza Minden is head of design, and her husband, John Minden, is CEO.
Now a global brand, with offices on three continents, the company ships to hun-
dreds of specialty stores nationwide and to about 85 countries and 200 professional
companies.
Independent medical research has confirmed that the Gaynor Minden pointe shoe
is “helping to promote safe and correct technique,” she said.
SHOPTALK! 25
 Family owned
& operated

match the skin tone of different ethnicities.

“This is a great benefit to dancers of all nationalities,” he
said. “Ballet is an art form that increasingly attracts more and
more dancers from diverse racial backgrounds. I am proud to
service the needs of this growing sector.”
He pointed out that American dancer, Michaela DePrince,
born in war-torn Sierra Leone, and today, a lead dancer for
Dutch National Ballet (DNB), wears espresso-colored pointe
shoes manufactured by Cardinal Shoe.
How does the shoe company stay competitive in a
fierce global market?
THE LARGEST PRODUCERS “I’ve seen terrific shoes come out of China. Look at the
athletic shoes. The reason why our shoes are made in the U.S.
OF SADDLE WOOLSKIN is that we’re too small a niche. Entrepreneurs would have to
IN THE WORLD spend a fortune to set up. We were already here,” Bass said.
“Gaynor (Minden) sends us batches of orders. Our
We Have In Stock: shoes last at least 10 times longer than traditional pointe
Saddle Woolskins · shoes,” Masterson added.
Skirting · Latigo · Bridle The company operates as a close-knit team. “We only hire
& Harness · Leather for from within. About 60 percent of those who work for us have rela-
Saddle Seats · Plugging tives who also work at Cardinal Shoe. Lawrence is a city of about
Leather · Veg Lining · 80,000 people. About 80 percent of the population of Lawrence
Strap Leather · Belt is Hispanic. Probably 90 percent of our employees speak only
Leathers · Shoulders & Spanish. My son speaks fluent Spanish and went to school in
Culatras · Natural Veg ·
Spain and Puerto Rico,” Bass said.
Sole Leather · Oil
The business offers paid vacation, health insurance and
Tanned · Pull-Ups ·
an IRA retirement plan. And, as an incentive, after three
Crackle · Double-Face
Sheepskin Shearlings · months every employee gets a bonus for production quotas
Nubuck Crazy Horse · achieved by the production team, based on the quality of
Floater Rawhides · Calf the shoes made. “It is measured by the quantity of the quality
Skins · Suedes shoes we make,” he explained.
“I think all people have great work ethics, if you give them
6021 Scott Way
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF EDUARDO PATINO

City of Commerce, CA 90040

the dignity they deserve,” he added. “We treat everybody
Ph: 323-588-1818 the same, and people rise to the occasion. They can go as
Ph: 800-421-6154 high as they want, as long as they show us they can make the
Fx: 323-588-3288 finest ballet shoes in the world.”
www.isl-np.com
sales@isl-np.com
OPPOSITE PAGE: Gillian Murphy is a Principal
Orders ship same day. Dancer at American Ballet Theatre (New York City)
Call for samples & pricing.

1-800-421-6154
“We are definitely growing. Our product
is so advanced compared to anything
else. We have taken so much time
with research and development
and have so much pride in
the product we make. . . .
Our shoes last at least
10 times longer than
traditional pointe
shoes.”
—Jill Masterson, Contacts
Cardinal Shoe Corporation
production, 468 Canal Street
Lawrence, MA 01840
Cardinal Shoe Richard Bass, president
1-603-401-7557
Corporation Richardbas@aol.com
www.cardinalshoe.com

Gaynor Minden, Inc.

140 West 16th Street
New York, NY 10011
1-212-929-0087
www.dancer.com
https://www.instagram.com/
gaynorminden/
Also on Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube

Dance Paws LLC

Cambridge, Massachusetts
1-617-945-3044 

SHOPTALK! 27
 BACKGROUND IMAGE BY SRIKANTH SANTHINATHAN ON UNSPLASH; ALL OTHER PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF LARSON LEATHER

Larson Leather stocks all of the traditional

colors in ostrich. Their ostrich inventory carries
many hard to find colors.

28 FEBRUARY 2019
Larson
Leather Company
More Than Exotics
By Nick Pernokas

W
hen John G. Mahler started as a sales-
man for a heel company in Chicago
in 1948, he couldn’t have guessed
at the events that were happening on the other side
of the world that would affect his family. In South
Africa an effort was being made by local ostrich
producers in the Klein Karoo region to revitalize
the floundering ostrich business. Once the market
was reestablished for meat, the next thing was to
find a way to use the ostrich byproducts. By 1969,
a local tannery had been founded in Klein Karoo to
tan ostrich skins. The beauty of the leather made it
very popular with the high-fashion industry. In the
1970s, the durable ostrich leather was found to be
great for making cowboy boots and it took off in
America. Political turmoil in South Africa made it
difficult to obtain in the United States, but when it
was, it came through John G. Mahler.
In 1978, John’s nephew, Chuck Larson,
joined the John Mahler Company. Riding the wave
of ostrich leather popularity, they sold exotic leath-
ers, primarily ostrich, to the boot and shoe trade.
In 1992, John Mahler passed away. Chuck and
Dave Durland started Durland-Larson Sales, Inc.
Eventually Chuck’s son, Eric Larson, joined the
family trade. When Dave Durland retired, Chuck

SHOPTALK! 29
RIGHT: Dave Durland and Eric teamed up with a competitor and
and Chuck Larson formed a partnership known as Kelly-Larson
partnered in an earlier
Sales. Now the company has morphed into
incarnation of Larson
Leather; BELOW: the Larson Leather Company, with Chuck
Visitors to the Bedford, and Eric at the helm.
Texas headquarters “What we’ve tried to do is go from selling
of Larson Leather can
exotics to being a full-line house for the boot
check out some of the
colors and finishes and shoe trades and the belt trade,” says
available on this rack Chuck, vice president of Larson Leather.
of ostrich skins. The Their offices in Bedford, Texas, include
Bedford showroom is
a showroom where a customer can check out
still being expanded,
but really only shows their wares, but their warehouse in El Paso
some of the huge has a 17,000-square-foot warehouse and
inventory available at showroom facility, manned by five employees.
the El Paso warehouse;
A customer can look through the warehouse
OPPOSITE PAGE: Chuck
Larson holds a caiman and see 50-60 color and finish combinations
at a caiman crocodile in the ostrich alone. Customers like getting to
farm in Colombia. see the full inventory, rather than having a skin
selected for them. Larson Leather does qualify
what product that the craftsman intends to use
the leather for, so they can direct them to the
size and quality that will best suit the job.
“It’s a nice way to work with the customer.
We can bring them in the warehouse before
we work with them in the back. They may see
something they didn’t know we had,” says Eric
Larson, president, owner and third-generation
Larson in the business.
Their primary customer (market) in El Paso
is the booming local boot and shoe industry.
Their customers range from the larger boot
manufacturers to hundreds of smaller shops.
Many buyers come across from Juarez, Chihua-
hua and Leon, Mexico.
“A lot of those customers like to come in
the warehouse and they like to see what they’re
getting, before we ship it down to them in
Mexico,” says Eric.
“We have better quality, pricing and finish-
es than they can get in Mexico,” says Chuck.
Larson Leather sources their exotic

30 FEBRUARY 2019
 Larson Leather sources their exotic
leathers worldwide. Their ostrich leather
comes from . . .South Africa. . . . They
obtain caiman from Columbia, stingray
from Thailand and other leathers from
England, Brazil and Zimbabwe.

SHOPTALK! 31
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leathers worldwide. Their ostrich leather comes from the largest
ostrich tannery in the world, Klein Karoo in South Africa. The Lar-
son’s relationship with them goes back to the 1970s. They obtain
caiman from Columbia, stingray from Thailand and other leathers
from England, Brazil and Zimbabwe.
“You have to go where the animal is to get the product,” says Chuck.
They recently installed a photo studio at the warehouse, so
customers can immediately see new leathers and finishes on their
website when a shipment comes in.
“There’s always something new available,” says Brenden “TJ”
Grassmann, product coordinator. “We want people to be able to
see what’s new. Business moves pretty quickly and we think we
should keep up with it.”
Larson Leather is evolving into a broader scope of service.
They want the customer to come to them for any of their leather
needs in the trade, not just the exotic leathers.
When Eric Larson started working for the company in
1999, the primary leather they sold was ostrich. Since then,
they’ve branched out to become a one-stop-shopping experi-
ence for the boot and shoe industry.
“We want to sell them all aspects of the leather, from soles, heels
and shanks to upper leathers,” says Eric. “We don’t just do boots either.
We supply the handbag, wallet and belt trades as well.”
This results in a large inventory. Larson tries to have enough
available so that the customer is never in a bind on finishing their orders.
For example, they stock 8,000 ostrich skins as well as 5,000 caiman
ABOVE: The ostrich leg skins offer more
patterns and color. RIGHT: The Pirarucu
skins come from a predatory fish
in the Amazonian area of South
America. The stoned finish gives
it a truly unique look.
crocodiles, in a wide variety of colors at any given time.
Larson Leather attributes some of their success to their willingness to
sell one skin to a small shop, on up to a large wholesale order for a larger
company. This creates more work for them, but they feel that it’s worth it.
“A big part of our business is our flexibility,” says TJ.
Larson Leather does numerous leather shows including Denver and
the Wichita Falls show. They try to keep abreast of what the “hot” fashion
colors will be, as well as the type of leathers that will be popular by talking
to the boot makers there. They also keep up with what the fashion trends
are in Europe through the Milan Leather Show in Italy. Generally, the hot
colors in mainstream fashion there will show up in the United States, even
in the western industry, in the next year.
The distance between Bedford and El Paso creates a lot of hus-
tling on the part of Chuck, Eric and TJ.
“We are on a plane all the time,” laughs Chuck. “We take turns
going down there for a few days every week.”
The Bedford headquarters offer them easy access to the DFW airport,
which is convenient for national travel and also close proximity to some of
their largest customers’ headquarters. El Paso, on the other hand, is an in-
ternational city with its thumb on the pulse of the American boot industry.
Both locations are an integral part of Larson Leather.
“This is, by far, the best year that we’ve ever had,” says Chuck.
“The economy is good, there’s a bit of an Urban Cowboy going on
around the world and we think we’ve built a reputation with our
customer base, so that they come to us first for leather. That takes a
long time to establish. And we take pride in it.”
LARSON LEATHER
1812 Reliance Parkway
Suite G
Bedford, Texas 76021
www.larsonleatherco.com
Phone 915-592-0404
(El Paso)
Phone 817-399-0044
(Bedford)
SHOPTALK! 33
 “I sell a lot of unusual, used
saddles, custom-made stuff.
I kind of specialize in Wade
saddles – Buckaroo-type
saddles – and there’s a real
niche for that stuff.”
—Charles Jackson

34 FEBRUARY 2019
 Jackson’s
Western
Store
Evolving with the Times

By Liisa Andreassen

W
hen I visited Jackson’s Western Store in Asheville,
North Carolina, a few days before this past Christ-
mas, it was a bit like visiting Santa’s workshop.
Upstairs was a colorful retail shop and downstairs was the
leather shop and its artisans. Whether filling a custom order for
a gun holster or crafting a new belt to be added to the inven-
tory, these leathersmiths were busy bees. One of the owners,
Charles Jackson, led me on a tour of this 14,000-square-foot
piece of real estate that’s home to many interesting artifacts…
in addition to a serious selection of saddles, cowboy boots,
western wear and more.

The Backstory
One of Asheville’s oldest family-owned businesses (third
generation), Jackson’s, like many western shops, started out as a
trading post. It was 1938 and Stonewall Jackson (no relation to
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JACKSON’S WESTERN STORE

the famous general), Charles’ grandfather, opened the doors in

downtown Asheville. Stonewall was a traveling salesman born
and raised in southeast Georgia and fell in love with Asheville,
so he and his wife relocated to the city.
“It was a different time – a time when it was a common
occurrence to see a horse-drawn carriage moving along the
train tracks,” Charles says.
They started out selling mostly dry goods and clothing, and then
his two sons, Thomas and Julian, took the shop to the next level. In

SHOPTALK! 35
ABOVE: Boots line the shelves at
one of Asheville’s oldest family-
owned businesses Jackson’s
Western Store; RIGHT: Working
for the company for more than
40 years, Larry Wade knows
his way around the shop and
definitely knows how to work a
piece of leather; OPPOSITE PAGE
FROM TOP DOWN: The whole
Jackson family from left, Nathan
Jackson, Brittany Jackson, John
Jackson, Charles Jackson and
the kids, Cayden and Jackson
Paul; Second-generation owner,
John Jackson is busy in the
shop cutting leather pieces for a
custom knife sheath; PREVIOUS
PAGE: Third-generation owner
Charles Jackson says they sell a
lot of used saddles, especially
Buckaroo-type saddles.
36 FEBRUARY 2019
1946, when Julian got out of the service af-
ter World War II, they started offering feed
and seed, leather repair, harness making
and a line of western clothing that was new
to this part of the country.
As the business grew, so did the need
for more space. A piece of land in a
prominent part of town became avail-
able and in 1973, the building began for
Jackson’s Western Store’s new home. John
Jackson, Julian’s son, took the harness/
leather shop to new national heights with
custom, hand-made leather goods that
were largely sought after. Charles Jack-
son, Thomas’s son, became a staple of the
saddle/tack business. Today, this dynamic
duo continue to juggle multiple tasks from
crafting saddles and selling horseshoes to
writing checks and balancing books.
Changing Times
“We do whatever it takes to keep
the doors open,” he says. “We all do a
little of everything.”
 Some of their popular items made in-house include brief-
cases, holsters, knife sheaths and some saddles. Charles still
does leatherworking and says that’s what he enjoys most.
He learned the craft from previous generations and talks to
other leather makers in the business. He knows a lot of saddle
makers and goes out of town for conferences and talks to them
about how they do what they do.
“I really just picked it up. You can’t get worse at it,
you’ve got to get better, so it’s just practicing day in and
day out,” he says.
They have the help of other family members, too. Quite
often you’ll find Charles’ daughter, Brittany, behind the
cash register and his son, Nathan, helping customers get
suited for a saddle. One of the leathersmiths, Larry Wade,
has been with Jackson’s for nearly 40 years. He’s also
considered family. Meanwhile, the next generation can be
found playing in the playpen in the rear of the store, in an
office which doubles as daycare.
Charles says that roles are continually shifting.
“I miss working in the shop,” he says. “When my father
passed away in 1999, I had to come upstairs and that was a
challenge. I was used to the workshop, not the business side,
but I’ve had to figure it out.”
He says he also misses some of the slower pace of previous
years, but time marches on.
Currently, Jackson’s employs 15 on a regular basis and
hopes to maintain its reputation in the industry. Despite chang-
ing times, business remains good.
“You just don’t have the population of horses that there
used to be,” he says. “But, we keep moving along.”

Niche Markets
Charles says that they ship products all over including the
Netherlands, Italy, China and Russia.
“I sell a lot of unusual, used saddles, custom-made stuff,”
he says. “I kind of specialize in Wade saddles – Bucka-
roo-type saddles – and there’s a real niche for that stuff.”
Speaking of unusual, one of the more oddball requests that
Jackson’s has received came from Ringley Bros. and Barnum
& Bailey. They were in town and asked Charles to come over
and measure two of their horses.
“They were just huge horses,” he says. “They wanted
saddles made with a platform where tigers could ride,” he
says. “These saddles had swells in the front and back and the
tigers could just jump right up there. We’ve also made some

SHOPTALK! 37
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harnesses for camels, miniature horses ABOVE: The long view of the
and goats. There’s been a lot of stuff 14,000 square-foot space at
over the years.” Jackson’s Western Store, a
western retail store and working
leather shop that has been
Down the Road a staple in Asheville for over
For the past 30 years or so, there’s 80 years; LEFT: Rick Sluder, a
been talk of a major highway coming leather artisan at Jackson’s
Western Store.
through where Jackson’s now sits.
“A meeting the other day made me
think that this is about to happen three to
five years down the road,” Charles says.
“So, my charge now is to begin looking
around for a new location – maybe
something bigger.”
So, will there be a fourth generation
to take the reins?
“I want the boys to come to me and ask
to work here. I don’t want to push them into
it, but I’m hopeful,” Charles says.

Jackson’s Western Store

641 Patton Ave
Asheville, NC 28806
1.866.254.1812

SHOPTALK! 39
 Coyote
Couture
By Johnny D. Boggs

G
ail Orrick didn’t know what to expect. Here she was, debuting a new line of furs at the
Cody High Style fashion show in Cody, Wyoming, in 2010. She was such a newcomer
she had to ask one of her first customers to loan back a scarf she had designed so she
would have enough items for the runway that night.
Besides, Orrick’s furs weren’t mink, but coyote – or coyot’- the official pronunci-

PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID MARLOW; BACKGROUND GRAPHIC CREATED BY GARRYKILLIAN  FREEPIK.COM

ation for Orrick and her partner Sam Chambers, who supplies the furs. “Free-range,
organic” coyote, sure, but coyote nonetheless; an animal usually shot on sight by
cowboys, ranchers and predator hunters.
Orrick is still amazed by the crowd’s reaction that night at the Buffalo Bill Historical Cen-
ter, now the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
“When my collection came out on the runway at the museum that evening, the cowboy
hats that flew up in the air were unbelievable,” Orrick says. “Nobody had really seen anything
with coyot’ in fashion, the way I was highlighting the hide.”
Less than 10 years later, Orrick’s Aspen, Colorado-based Coyote Couture (Coyote-
CoutureColorado.com) keeps impressing clients and critics by offering fur accessories
such as capes, scarfs, stoles, wraps and vests, with clients across the country ranging
from ages 20 to 92. Orrick might be best known for her coyote chinks. “I’m pretty sure
there’s no other in the world,” she says. “They’re pretty spectacular.”
Yet, how Coyote Couture came to be is almost as amazing as its products (prices
ranging from $875 to $2,400).

40 FEBRUARY 2019
SHOPTALK! 41
“My clients are from
all over the country,
and they have said,
‘When I walk into the
room, I want to make a
statement.’ And that’s
PHOTOGRAPH BY MATT TIMONS

exactly what my furs do.”

—Gail Orrick

42 FEBRUARY 2019

PHOTOGRAPH BY MATT TIMONS
Orrick “grew up in Malibu with the Beach
Boys,” but came to Aspen in 1972 as a single
mother, thinking the Colorado Rockies would
be a good place to raise her daughter. Although
she had always loved fashion and studied
interior design, she ran her own company that
provided financial support for a variety of busi-
nesses until Coyote Couture came along.
The back story began in 2006, when
she met Chambers, her neighbor whom she
describes as “the ultimate mountain guy,
doesn’t want to be around very many people,
not very talkative, but loves to hunt.”
“Yeah,” Chambers agrees.
Chambers had left central Wisconsin in
1987. “The Midwest is cold and dreary and
gray,” he says, “and I’m not really a big fan of
dreary and gray all winter long.” Besides, Col-
orado offered more opportunities for someone
PHOTOGRAPH BY DAVID MARLOW
interested in home construction and hunting... OPPOSITE PAGE: Custom Coyote
especially predator hunting. fur and buffalo leather chinks.
Chap maker Ivan Stoltzfus;
“I’ve always hunted everything I could,” ABOVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
he says. “Big-game seasons are over by the Coyote fur vest paired with
middle of November and after that all you’ve custom designed copper choker
got left are rabbits, and that’s about it. So and belt. Shown during Santa
Fe Fashion Week in 2014; Large
unless you’re hunting coyot’s and bobcats, coyote fur stole lined with silk
the season’s over pretty early.” charmeuse and styled with a
Under Colorado wildlife regulations, black velvet evening gown.
coyotes and other fur-bearing mammals can Photograph taken on location
in Santa Fe, New Mexico;
be hunted, with proper licenses, year round PREVIOUS PAGE: Designer
with an unlimited bag limit. Gail Orrick, wearing a custom
“Sam hunts the coyot’s with a rifle,” Orrick deerskin buffalo nickel Coyote
points out. “He doesn’t trap. People get a little Couture vest, paired with
long coyote fur collar. Custom
apprehensive about fur in general, but these hat from Burns Custom Hats.
are predators that are killing baby calves, baby Turquoise earrings from KB
deer, baby elk. This type of hunting will go Hansel Jewelry.
on regardless of my business. We’re doing
something to help that whole circle happen.
SHOPTALK! 43

Otherwise the hide would get thrown away.”
Chambers likes hunting coyotes for
another reason.
“Predators are a lot more fun,” he says.
“It’s pretty challenging. Coyot’s are pretty
damn smart. They’re not the easiest things to
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF GAIL ORRICK
scarf was gorgeous and that she wanted one.
“I was surprised,” Orrick said. “I said,
‘Sure. I’ll make you one.’”
It might have ended with that, two coy-
ote hides turned into two scarfs, but a few
weeks later Chambers and Orrick went on a

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF GAIL ORRICK

hunt. It takes some skill.”
One day in 2009, Chambers dropped
by Orrick’s home to show off some coyotes
he had killed, and Orrick had a brainstorm.
She asked if she could have one of the hides
to make a scarf.
“One, I love coyot’ fur,” Orrick says.
“And two, I wanted something warm around
my neck in the mornings and evenings when
I’d go feed my horses.”
Chambers agreed, Orrick selected a coyote
and when the fur came back from a tannery,
Orrick sent the hide to a seamstress.
“It’s super simple,” Orrick says. “Just the
hide, which is sewn together so that it’s a cyl-
inder with a slit in one end. You slide the other
end through and cinch it up around the neck.”
One evening, while entertaining girl-
friends, Orrick was going to feed her horses
and threw on her coyote scarf and Carhartt
jacket. One of her friends stopped her, said the
pheasant-hunting trip in Kansas.
“Once again,” Orrick says, “Carhartt
jacket, fur around my neck, we’re hunting with
a couple from New York City and his wife goes,
‘That’s gorgeous. I want one.’”
“While we were having lunch,” Chambers
adds, “I went out and shot a coyot’.”
Chambers isn’t joking.
“That’s the coyot’ we used for her
scarf,” Orrick says.
Well, there’s no closed season or
limit on coyote hunting in Kansas either,
although a hunting license is required to
hunt and sell. Besides, they were also at the
ranch to hunt coyotes.
Encouraged by a friend, Orrick applied
for the Cody fashion show the next year and
– “to my surprise” – was accepted. Those
results exceeded Orrick’s expectations, but
Cody High Style was just the beginning.
Her furs have been paired with famed
FROM TOP DOWN: Coyote
furs back from the tanner. “I’m
always amazed that people
would find what Sam and I do
all that interesting,” Gail Orrick
says; As a child, Gail Orrick,
pictured around age 8, grew
up living and riding horses in
Malibu, California. Today she
owns two quarter horses plus
a mini for her granddaughter;
OPPOSITE PAGE: Sam Chambers
hunts coyotes only when the
hides are good, which, without
giving away trade secrets, he
says usually runs from October
through February.

44 FEBRUARY 2019
 “Predators are a lot
more fun. It’s pretty
challenging. Coyot’s
are pretty damn
smart. They’re not
the easiest things
to hunt. It takes
some skill.”

—Sam Chambers
PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBIN PROCTOR

SHOPTALK! 45
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46 FEBRUARY 2019

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF GAIL ORRICK
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF GAIL ORRICK
FROM TOP DOWN: Gail Orrick’s
Aspen, Colorado, cabin. “I am
inspired every day by the beauty
that surrounds me,” she says.
“My rustic lifestyle and simple
cabin reflects how I treasure
the outdoors, silence, big skies
and great views. The interior
showcases my love for western-
inspired design”; Another day
in the life of a horse owner, Gail
Orrick, in Snowmass Village,
Colorado.
couturier Frank Agostino’s evening gowns
for a charity fashion show in Philadelphia.
Orrick’s designs have also been shown at
the Western Design Conference in Jack-
son Hole, Wyoming, the Santa Fe (New
Mexico) Fashion Week, and Designers at
the Essex House in New York. She is also
the invited designer to show at the C.M.
Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana,
during the annual art auction benefit; she
can be seen at Cowboy Christmas during
the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas and
did a trunk show for the 2017 Christmas
grand opening of fashion mogul (and star
of CNBC’s reality show The Profit) Marcus
Lemonis’s store in Aspen.
“My clients are from all over the coun-
try, and they have said, ‘When I walk into
the room, I want to make a statement,’”
Orrick says. “And that’s exactly what my
furs do on the runway.
“People are shocked when they see
the fur. It’s so beautiful. I can say that the
furs from the animals Sam hunts are some
of the most beautiful in the country. I get
compliments all the time from people
who are knowledgeable about fur, about
how beautiful the fur is and the variation
of color – they can have more red tones,
which I happen to prefer. A lot of coyot’s,
you’re going to just have the gray and a
stripe going down the middle of the back.
Our coyot’s are completely different. I
would love to buy furs like we have, but it’s
impossible. I’ve actually asked. They say,
‘We want to buy your furs.’”
The reaction has surprised Chambers, too.
“What most people think of fur is what
I grew up around in Wisconsin,” he says. “I
had friends who would trap mink and otter
and muskrat, stuff like that. That’s what
people typically think of for fur, maybe some
bobcat. Most people don’t think of coyot’ as
something worth keeping.”
The biggest challenge for Orrick is
finding skilled workers in fur and leather.
Currently, she sends her hides to a leather
master or a fur specialist. “It allows more
versatility,” Orrick says, “and it also allows
me to get the top person to get my leather
work and the top person to do my fur.”
Her designs continue to evolve.
“I’m constantly thinking what I can
make out of coyot’ fur,” she says. “I think
about what would look good on a runway.
I continue to lean toward high fashion. It
looks beautiful with an evening gown or
cocktail dress.”
She has even introduced cross fox and
silver fox into her lines. “I needed to bring
in something different, and the cross fox
is red and black and a really gorgeous
fur,” Orrick says. “I’m surprised more
designers don’t use it in their collections.
Silver fox is black with silver tips, a lot of
white around the neck. The foxes I use are
unique and interesting.”
Orrick concedes that Chambers is better
at determining which hide will look better af-
ter tanning. “But once they come back, I see
all of the beautiful colors in the hide. I can’t
see that when it’s the middle of winter.”
Chambers knows why. “I see them on
the animal. She sees them when they’re
wadded up in a grocery bag before they go
into the freezer.”
You can probably picture the expres-
sion on Orrick’s face after Chambers’s
explanation. “Being around Sam,” Orrick
says, “is an adventure.”
The adventure at Coyote Couture con-
tinues. Where can it go?
“It’s fashion,” Orrick says. “It’s
unlimited.”
CONTACTS
Gail Orrick/Sam Chambers
gail@coyotecouturecolorado.com
970-331-9813
CoyoteCoutureColorado.com
SHOPTALK! 47
How to Tool a Feather
By Julia Clements of Burns Saddlery
Photographs by Clark Knight

Draw your feather pattern on tracing paper

MATERIALS REQUIRED

• Pencil • Swivel knife

• Tracing Paper • Bevelers
• Stylus • Mallet
• Leather • Spray Bottle with water

48 FEBRUARY 2019
 Spray leather evenly with water to
prepare to transfer pattern onto leather

Transfer pattern onto cased leather using a stylus

5 6

SHOPTALK! 49
 SKILL
Using your swivel knife, cut in the pattern onto the leather

for
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 Using a beveler and mallet, follow the cut lines to bevel your edges. Use a larg-
er beveler for long lines and a smaller beveler for shorter lines and tight turns. This is
what gives the feather depth.

11

10 12

Use your swivel knife to put in your You can leave the feather as is or add finishes such as paint or
finishing decorative cuts leather dye

13 14

SHOPTALK! 51
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Competitive analysis helps you make your business unique. Combine
them to find a competitive advantage for your small business.
USE MARKET RESEARCH TO FIND
CUSTOMERS
Market research blends consumer
behavior and economic trends to confirm
and improve your business idea.
It’s crucial to understand your consum-
THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND IN ITS ENTIRETY AT WWW.SBA.GOV. SBA, U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION WAS CREATED
er base from the outset. Market research
IN 1953 TO AID, COUNSEL, ASSIST, AND PROTECT SMALL BUSINESSES AND IS A GREAT RESOURCE FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS.
lets you reduce risks even while your
business is still just a gleam in your eye.
Gather demographic information to
better understand opportunities and lim-
itations for gaining customers. This could
include population data on age, wealth,
family, interests, or anything else that’s
relevant for your business.
Then answer these questions to get a
good sense of your market.
• Demand: Is there a desire for
your product or service?
• Market size: How many
people would be interested in
your offering?
• Economic indicators: What is
the income range and employ-
ment rate?
• Location: Where do your cus-
tomers live and where can your
business reach?
• Market saturation: How many
similar options are already avail-
able to consumers?
• Pricing: What do potential cus-
tomers pay for these alternatives?
You’ll also want to keep up with the lat-
est small business trends. It’s important to
gain a sense of the specific market share
that will impact your profits.
You can do market research using ex-
isting sources, or you can do the research
yourself and go direct to consumers.
Existing sources can save you a lot
of time and energy, but the informa-
tion might not be as specific to your
audience as you’d like. Use it to an-
swer questions that are both general
and quantifiable, like industry trends,
demographics, and household incomes.
Check online or start with our list of
market research resources listed below.
Asking consumers yourself can give
you a nuanced understanding of your
specific target audience. But, direct
research can be time consuming and
expensive. Use it to answer questions
about your specific business or custom-
ers, like reactions to your logo, im-
provements you could make to buying
experience and where customers might
go instead of your business.
Here are a few methods you can use
to do direct research:
• Surveys
• Questionnaires
• Focus groups
• In-depth interviews
For guidance on deciding which
methods are worthwhile for your small
business, the Small Business Administra-
tion provides counseling services through
our resource partner network.
USE COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS TO
FIND A MARKET ADVANTAGE
Competitive analysis helps you learn
from businesses competing for your po-
SHOPTALK! 53
 TIPPMANN KNOWLEDGE
tential customers. This is key to defining a competitive edge that

“THE BOSS”
LEATHER SEWING MACHINE
creates sustainable revenue.
Your competitive analysis should identify your competition by
product line or service and market segment. Assess the following
Sew: Leather, Nylon, Canvas, Urethane, Plastic, Sheepskin, Etc.
SEW WITH EASE! characteristics of the competitive landscape:
• Market share
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Your window of opportunity to enter the market
• The importance of your target market to your
Made in USA competitors
• Any barriers that may hinder you as you enter the
market
• Indirect or secondary competitors who may impact
your success
The SizeUp tool at sba.gov helps small business owners
discover how their business stacks up against competitors by city
and industry. It’s a market analysis tool you can use to:
• Create benchmarks against existing businesses
• Map where competitors, customers, and suppliers are
located
• Find the best places to advertise
Several industries might be competing to serve the same
market you’re targeting. That’s why you should make sure to dif-
ferentiate your competitive analysis by industry. There are many
methods for doing this, including Porter’s Five Forces analysis
(competitive rivalry, bargaining power of suppliers and bar-
gaining power of customers, threat of new entrants, and threat
of substitute products or services). Important industry factors to
consider include level of competition, threat of new competitors
or services, and the effect of suppliers and customers on price.

FREE SMALL BUSINESS DATA AND TRENDS

HAND STITCHER SEWING MACHINE
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There are many reliable sources that provide customer and
market information at no cost. Free statistics are readily available
6(:/($7+(583 to help prospective small business owners.
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TANDYLEATHER.COM
Knowledge section will be a place for you to find
business advice and information. If there is anything
you would like to know, contact us at Shop Talk!
P.O. Box 6, Salina, UT 84654, phone (435) 565-
6052, fax (435) 529-1033, or email candace@
burns1876.com with your inquiries and we will do
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Fort Wayne, IN 46806 5R5800-286-8046
TippmannIndustrial.com
Consider these types of business statistics in your market research and competitive analysis:

Focus Goal Reference

General business statistics
NAICS, USA.gov Statistics, Statistical
Find statistics on industries,
business conditions
Abstract of the United States, U.S.
Census Bureau

Gain info on potential Consumer Credit Data,

Consumer statistics customers, consumer markets Consumer Product Safety

Segment the population for American FactFinder, Bureau of

Demographics Labor Statistics
targeting customers

Know unemployment rates, loans Consumer Price Index, Bureau of

Economic indicators granted and more Economic Analysis

Dig deeper into employment trends Employment and Unemployment

Employment statistics
for your market Statistics

Pay your employees fair rates Earnings by Occupation and

Income statistics based on earnings data Education, Income Statistics

Keep money by mastering Daily Interest Rates, Money

Money and interest rates exchange and interest rates Statistics via Federal Reserve

Production and Understand demand, costs and Consumer Spending, Gross

sales statistics consumer spending Domestic Product (GDP)

Track indicators of sales and Balance of Payments, USA

Trade statistics market performance Trade Online

Statistics of Use a wealth of federal

agency data on industries NAICS, Statistics of U.S. Businesses
specific industries

U.S. Small Business Administration (2019). Market research and competitive analysis. Retrieved from https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/plan-your-business/mar-
ket-research-competitive-analysis#section-header-5.

SHOPTALK! 55
 TENNESSEE Refurbished Vintage & Pre Owned
TANNING Leather Tools & Bench Machines
COMPANY

TRY OUR LINE OF

LUGGAGE LEATHERS BRUCE JOHNSON
PO Box 125
P.O. Box 967 • 915 NW Atlantic St., Tullahoma, TN 37338 Oakdale, CA 95361
(931) 455-3441 • Fax: (931) 455-3460 bruce@brucejohnsonleather.com
jclark@rawlings.com • lwilson@rawlings.com (844) 584-7866
www.tntanningcompany.com www.brucejohnsonleather.com

56 FEBRUARY 2019

WANTED
New subscribers wanted. Now is the
time to renew and see what you have been
missing! Give us a call at (435) 565-6052,
e-mail: candace@burns1876.com or visit
www.shoptalk-magazine.com
FOR SALE
CLASSIFIEDS ARE OUR BEST BUY!
Reach 1,000’s of potential buyers for as
little as $26.50!!
Tool for Chicago Screws. Install and
remove Chicago screws quickly and easily
in the shop or on the trail. $18.95 + $4
S&H. Call for wholesale pricing. Con-
tact: JP Tack Tool, Amy 309-253-7980.
E-mail: jptacktool@yahoo.com, Web
orders: www.jptacktool.com.
HAMLEY SADDLE ACADEMY –
Pendleton, Oregon. Saddle making
school and leather workmanship. Pedro
Pedrini, instructor. Many programs
available. Call Hamley’s (541) 278-
1100 (option 1); Parley Pearce (509)
386-4050; Pedro Pedrini (530) 742-
1911, or email pennyf@hamley.com.
FOR SALE: Mohair cinch cord, mane and
tail horsehair available in natural and dyed
colors. Instructional books and DVDs at
www.hitchingpostsupply.com 800-689-
9971 or 360-668-2349
FOR SALE: New Stitchmaster 441
Machines, new embossing rollers and
machines. Also available for sale: Custom
made embossing brass rollers. Contact:
Mose Miller at Millers Wholesale Har-
ness, 176 Turkey Run Rd, Hillsboro, KY
41049, leave a message at 606-876-4141
For all your leather and saddlery
needs, call Moser Leather (800)
874-1167 or (513) 889-0500. You can
visit our websites at www.moserleatherco.
com, or moser-leather-company.myshopi-
fy.com. Also keep us in mind for doing
your onsite, or online auctions from our
Western Leather and Equipment Auction
Division. See www.moserleatherco.hibid.
com for current online auctions. We sell,
you ship and get paid!! See www.auctionz-
ip.com and enter ID 8433 (Cox Auction-
eers) for current on site auctions.
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY for west-
ern boots sales and repair busi-
ness in San Antonio, Texas. Great
climate, economy and customers. Plenty
of boot sales and repair work. Established
29 year old business. One man opera-
tion with inventory of approximately 350
pairs of top of the line all leather western
boots. There are very few all leather
western boots left, I am a dealer for 4 boot
companies. Great boot repair business.
Complete line of immaculate boot repair
equipment. Could be expanded to include
saddle repair. No store front saddle repair
in San Antonio. Sales includes award
winning website (www.shiplerboots.com)
and company name. Also included is
database of 12,000 boot buying custom-
ers. Guaranteed lease in current location
for one year at $650 per month. Retiring.
866-250-3350 or 210-215-9158, email
info@shiplerboots.com $190,000.00
Complete Hat Shop for Sale: Con-
formiter, Brim breaker, Crown Iron, Bound
Edge Sewing Machine, Sweat band Sewing
Machine, Numerous crown blocks of all siz-
es, wood brim shapers of all shapes & sizes,
Brim Pouncer Bag, Gold Foil Embosser.
Contact Steve 208-681-4340
FOR SALE: 7 Belt Splitters, from ¾” to
2 ¼” $750.00 each. 4 Buffing/Sanding
machines $275.00 each. 3 USM Clicker
machines $750.00 each. 3 – 30 ton Hy-
draulic presses $400.00 each. 1 Hydraulic
Holster press $500.00. 1 Landis #1
sewing machine (nice) $950.00. 3 Union-
Lock sewing machines $350.00 each. 23
Marble slabs 28”x16”x3” $60.00 each.
1,000 Parts for Landis #16 (95% new
parts) $6000.00. 15 Landis 16 sewing
machines $700.00 each. Call (909) 593-
3624 Please no calls after 8pm PST
FOR SALE: Union Lock Stitcher,
custom made stand with speed reducer,
nice machine. Marvel CO. Please call
970-759-1122.
FOR SALE: Ferdco Pro 2000, like new,
stand with electric motor. $2,400.00.
Ephraim Byler, 13824 371st Avenue,
Canton, MN 55922. Phone: 507-481-
8112 Leave message.
DO YOUR CUSTOMERS NEED A
STURDY CELL PHONE CASE? We
handcraft 7 sizes in black and brown with
black trim leather. Contact: Sunrise Leath-
er, 7629 North 150 West, Rochester, IN
46975. Phone: 574-223-4207
SADDLE BUSINESS - MACHINERY &
INVENTORY FOR SALE: Including Juki
sewing machine, USMC splitter, Hudson
hydraulic press. Please call 256-605-2200
for pricing and list of inventory.
Classified ad rates are $26.50 for the first 20 words
and $.65 cents for each additional word. Words
(or groups of letters) fewer than three characters
are not counted when calculating the cost of the ad.
Street addresses are counted as one word. City,
state, country, and zip or postal code are combined
and counted as one word. Enclose payment when
submitting ads. Ads received without payment
will be held until payment is made. Ads must be
received no later than the first of the month prior to
the month you wish the ad to run (e.g. ads for the
February issue must be in our office by January 1).
Typed or neatly printed ads are preferred. We are
not responsible for mistakes due to handwriting.
Faxed ads must be typed and are accepted with
MasterCard, VISA or Discover only.
SHOPTALK! 57
 Quality Leather Goods YOUR
ALLIGATOR SPECIALISTS
From Our Family to Your Family

SINCE 1992

Manufacturers Of:
All kinds of horse collars for work, pleasure, and show.
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Offering Spliced & Un-Spliced Strips
‡ 3OX
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Pre-Cut Vamp & Counter Sets and Panels
Coblentz Collar Ltd.
C

 86‡0LOOHUVEXUJ2+
3K ‡)D[
3
Mark Staton Co.
+RXUV 0)‡6DW‡&ORVHG6XQ
+ 337-988-9964
9LVD0DVWHUFDUG$FFHSWHG
9 markstatonco.com
Please Call
P Call or Write
W for our new info@markstatonco.com
SDJH/HDWKHUJRRGV &DWDORJ DQGRU SDJH+RUVH&ROODU&DWDORJ 111 Bourque Rd., Lafayette, LA 70506

/DUJHVW6HOHFWLRQRI /HDWKHUV([RWLFVLQWKH0LGZHVW¹,QGXVWULDO6HZLQJ0DFKLQHV¹7RROV 6XSSOLHV

800-668-8518 www.springfeldleather.com

Thanks !
We couldn’t have done it without you.

Springfield Leather Company

1463 S. Glenstone • Spr ing f ield , MO. 65804

3URGXFWLRQ6HUYLFHV¹&XVWRP6WUDS 6WULS&XWWLQJ¹&XVWRP'LH&XWWLQJ¹%UDQGHG3URGXFWV¹3URWRW\SHV

58 FEBRUARY 2019
IHS ELP, LLC
1876 Media.......................................32, 38 & 46
A. Lyons & Co....................................................10
Allen Manufacturing USA ...................................61
American Leather Direct .................................... 62
Artisan Sewing Supplies.....................................16
Barta Hide.........................................................10
Bee Natural Leather...........................................12
Beiler's Mfg & Supply........................................12
Booth & Co. ......................................................12
Brayer .............................................................. 52
Brenneman's Leather Goods...............................61
Bruce Johnson Leather Tools ............................. 56
Buckeye Engraving............................................ 52
C Loy's Leather................................................. 32
C.S. Osborne....................................................... 5
Campbell-Randall ............................................. 46
Chino Tack.......................................................... 9
Claphams' Beeswax Products............................. 46
Coblentz Collar.................................................. 58
EC Leather.........................................................61
Fairview Country Sales...................................... 52
Fine Tool Journal .............................................. 32
Hansen Western Gear ....................................... 56
Hermann Oak..................................................... 2
Hide House........................................................10
Hillside Harness Hardware................................. 38
IHS ELP ............................................................ 59
International Sheepskin .................................... 26
John & Becky Custom Sewing........................... 52
Keystone Leather/RJF Leather...................... 9 & 9
Larson Leather Co............................................. 59
Leather Crafters.................................................. 7
Leather Machine Co. ......................................... 63
Mark Staton ..................................................... 58
Maverick Leather ...............................................12
Moser Leather .................................................. 56
Mules & More .................................................. 59
N & A Harness.................................................... 7
Nutra-Glo (Sunrise Supply)................................12
Orion Calf..........................................................10
Pecard Leather Care.......................................... 46
Precision Saddle Tree ........................................ 60
Sew What Supplies........................................... 52
Small Farmer's Journal ..................................... 56
Sorrell Notion & Findings.................................. 38
Springfield Leather ........................................... 58
Steel Stamps.....................................................12
Tandy Leather........................................back cover
TechSew ............................................................. 4
Tennessee Tanning............................................ 56
Texas Custom Dies............................................ 32
Tippmann Industries...........................................54
Toledo Sewing.................................................... 3
Weaver Leather..................................38, 50 & 61
SHOPTALK! 59
 Industrial Loo
Yoakum Texas 77995

6 FEBRU RY 2019
 for all your saddlery &
- DIE CUTTING
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New Items & Monthly Specials on Website

207-333-3385 7364 E. 38th St. Toll Free: 1 (888) 207.3305

Tulsa, OK 74145 Office: 1 (918) 583.0292
Info@AllenMfgUSA.com | www.AllenMfgUSA.com
ecleather@ecleather.net Fax: 1 (918) 583.0337
In Maine since 1974
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MADE IN USA

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For a free catalog and wholesale price list,
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SHOPTALK! 61
 Our Leather.
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SHOPTALK! FEBRUARY 2019
P.O. Box 6, SALINA, UTAH 84654
1 (435) 565.6052 | shoptalk-magazine.com

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