shoptalk! february 2015

Shop Talk!Febr

uary

201

5

With Boot & Shoe News

The Leather Retailers’ and Manufacturers’ Journal

Since 1984 www.proleptic.net $6.50

PendletonShow ReviewSouthstar Supply Company

Avila’s Pro Shop Spradley Hats

ISA TanTecNick-O Sew

Pendleton Show ReviewSouthstar Supply Company

Avila’s Pro Shop Spradley Hats

ISA TanTecNick-O Sew

Farewell & GodspeedHuber Gillaugh PassesFarewell & GodspeedHuber Gillaugh Passes

Hermann Oak Russet Skirting LeatherCarves Like Butter and Stamps to an Incredible Depth

The unique color, the way it oils so evenly, the clean flesh, firmness and its excellent yield give your work a uniqueness like no other. Our leather is crafted to last a lifetime. Your work of art will keep its body and beauty long after others sag and fade.

Bowden Leather CompanyEl Paso, TX915-877-1557

Goliger Leather CompanyVentura, CA800-423-2329

Hide & Leather House, Inc.Napa, CA 94559707-255-6160

Montana Leather CompanyBillings, MT406-245-1660

Oregon Leather CompanyPortland, OR503-228-4105

Panhandle Leather CompanyAmarillo, TX806-373-0535

Sheridan Leather OutfittersSheridan, WY888-803-3030 Weaver Leather, IncMt Hope, OH800-WEAVER-1

Buckskin Fur & Leather Co.Calgary, Alberta T2H 1J2888-723-0806

Birdsall LeatherBotany, NSW, Australia011-612-9316-6299

Logis de CordesFirminy, France33-04-7761-1916

Toowoomba SaddleryToowoomba, Qsld, Australia011-617-4633-1855

Craft & Company Ltd.Suginami-ku, Tokyo, Japan011-81-3-3393-2222

Star Trading Co.Maniwa, Japan011-81-8-6742-8004

Kyoshin Elle & Co., LTDTaito-Ku, Tokyo, Japan011-81-3-3866-3221

For wholesale service call, 1-800-325-7950 • Or, call the dealer nearest to you.

Saddle Crafted by Aurélie JouanAAJ’s French Western Saddlery

SKIRTING • HARNESS • LATIGO • HOLSTER • RAWHIDE • TOOLING

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

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Herman Oak Aurelie Jouan Ad 09_2014.indd 1 9/24/14 6:57 PM

Farewell & Godspeed ...................15Pendleton Show Review .................22Southstar Supply Company ............26Avila'sPro Shop ...........................34Spradley Hats .............................40New US Tannery .........................44Nick-O Sew ................................46

Shop Talk! is published monthly (ISSN 1547-0121) by Proleptic, Inc. Subscription rates are $36 annually, $39 (US) for Canada and Mexico, and $54 (US) for all other countries. Shop Talk! is the official monthly publication of the Saddle, Harness, and Allied Trades Association (SHATA). SHATA members receive a $4 discount on annual subscriptions. For more information on subscriptions, advertising rates, or SHATA membership, contact us at (828) 505-8474 or www.proleptic.net

The Leather Retailers’ and Manufacturers’ Journal

with Boot & Shoe News|

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ShopTalkLeatherMagazine

Laugh Lines6

Hide Report 9

Boot & Shoe News

24

News, Notes & Queries

53

Classifieds60

Nick Pernokas (c) on the set of "Bail Out" , a TV show that was being filmed in Fort Worth in 2014. On left is stuntman Jeffry Summer, and on right is actor Sheril Rodgers.

The handsome briefcase shown on the cover of this issue was created by Nick who may be reached at (254) 967-6183.

Pg.40

Shop Talk! FEBuAry 2015 | 5

6 | FEBruAry 2015 Shop Talk!

Laugh LinesA ThoughtfulValentine’sDay Gift Eli asked hisfriend, Amos, whether he had bought his wife anything for Valentine’s Day. “Yes, I did,” said Amos. “I bought her a belt and bag.” “Well, that was very kind of you,” Eli said. “I hope she likes them!” “So do I,” replied Amos “Hopefully thevacuum cleaner will work better now.”

Q: What did the Valentine card say to the stamp?A: Stick with me and we’ll go places!

Q: What did one snake say to the other snake?A: Give me a little hug and a hiss, honey.

KnocK, KnocK!Who’s there?

olive!olive Who?olive you!

Q: Why did the banana go out with the prune?A: Because it couldn’t find a date.

Q: What travels around the world but stays in one corner?A: A stamp

When a woman on the staff of a school

became engaged, a friend and colleague offered

her some advice.

“The first ten years are the hardest.”

“How long have you been married?” the newly

engaged woman asked.

“Ten years,” her friend replied.

Q: Why is lettuce the most loving vegetable? A: Because it’s all heart.

Q: What did one pickle say to the other?A: You mean a great dill to me.

"I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste." David Bissonnette

6 | FEBruAry 2015 Shop Talk! Shop Talk! FEBuAry 2015 | 7

Phil, a smart and handsome young man dressed very fashionably, walked into a local bar where he noticed a woman gazing at him with big brown eyes. She kept staring. Phil felt flattered so he walked up to the woman and said in his deepest voice, “I’ll do anything you wish, beautiful lady, for just $20 but on one condition” The woman appeared to be in a trance and asked in a low whisper, “What’s your condi-tion?” Phil answered, “Tell me your wish in just three words.” There was a long pause before the woman opened her purse and handed Phil a $20 bill. Then she looked deeply into his eyes and said, “Clean my house.”

"It’s better to have loved and lost than to do forty pounds of laundry a week." Laurence J. Peter

"If love is the answer, could you rephrase the question?" Lily Tomlin

"Instead of getting married again, I’m going to find a woman I don’t like and give her a house." Groucho Marx

"My boyfriend and I broke up. He wanted to get married and I didn’t want him to." Rita Rudner

"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you." Winnie the Pooh

"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love." Sophocles

Happy Valentine’s Day to Everyone!

8 | FEBruAry 2015 Shop Talk!9 | FEBruAry 2015 Shop Talk!

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8 | FEBruAry 2015 Shop Talk!9 | FEBruAry 2015 Shop Talk! Shop Talk! FEBruAry 2015 | 9

THe Hide RePORT

your gloBalperSpective

At times people seem to have become addicted to tragedy. They really don’t want to share good news. Lots of leather people are like that—they’d rather swallow their tongue than admit to making money. What you hear is that, “Times are tough! Prices are out control! Margins are tight!” Every-body is always waiting for the other shoe to drop. The anticipation of global disaster gets wearing to be honest.

Friends, after reading through different reports about the hide and leather markets, I come away feeling that things, generally, are in pretty good shape. Why is that? I read about new tanneries being built around the world, from Ethiopia to Vietnam. Luxury brands for all sorts of products are doing well—and people lay off luxury items when times are tight.

Sure — you can point to this or that company losing money, like Coach, but it’s not the trend. And people will talk about “slow downs” or “lost revenue” and you always have to stop and say (real loud sometimes), “BUT WAIT!! Compared to

what???” Sales were up 15% last year and they’re only up 8% this year — is that a loss? OK — that’s a “decline in sales” but it seems like a “decline in sales” is often a meaningless — or misleading — term when a company is still making a profit. It would be nice if the figures were put into context.So it seems that the business analyses I read are actually relative in nature, not absolute truths as to the financial state of any particular company. Again, the commentaries seem to want to play down a company’s accomplishments while making it sound as if they are operating in a hostile world, fighting against the odds, and barely making it.

When all is said and done, friends, I am very, very hopeful about 2015. It really looks like it could be a good year for us all—maybe not “re-cord setting,” maybe not “the best sales ever,” and why does it have to be! Whatever happened with “enough”?

It doesn’t matter who’s in the White House or what the stock market did or didn’t do. What matters is that you stand up on your hind legs

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every morning, wash your face, get dressed, eat breakfast, and get to work because those are the only things you have any control over. And smile because it’s good to be alive and feel the sun on your face.

Please Note: The following information was dated from the early part of January 2015, so by the time you read this, it will be outdated. However, the information is still useful in that it should give you some idea of what’s happening in the global leather industry. Enjoy!

Mexican Government Makes Credit AvailableMexico’s federal government is renewing for 2015 a finance program to give tanners and foot-wear producers in the state of Guanajuato access to credit.

National finance institution Nafin will offer com-panies in the Guanajuato leather sector credit of more than $60 million in total.

Local industry association CICEG said it hoped its member companies would take advantage of the offer which could give them access to afford-able loads for sums of up to $300,000 each.

Vietnam’s Exports to Italy Increased by 18%Vietnam’s exports to Italy in the first eleven months of 2014 reached $2.5 billion, up 18.2%

compared to the same period last year, the Min-istry of Trade and Industry reported.

Among them, Vietnam’s exports to Italy include mobile phones and accessories for a total of $913.4 million, up 9% from the same period last year and accounted for 40% of total exports, fol-lowed by footwear which reached $238 million.

Italy is the largest export market for Vietnam.

Chinese Manufacturing ContractsChinese manufacturing contracted in December for the first time in seven months in another sign that the slowdowns in the world’s No. 2 economy are quickening, according to a survey of factories in mid-December 2014.

HSBC’s [a bank] preliminary purchasing manag-ers’ index fell to a seven month low of 49.5 from 50 in November, based on a 100 point scale in which numbers above 50 indicate expansion. It was the first time the index dipped below 50 since May when it was 49.4.

It’s the latest in a string of week data on China’s economy which is struggling to meet its full year growth target amid weak global demand. China’s economy expanded at a five year low of 7.3 percent last quarter [2014], below the official full year target of 7.5 percent. [Editor’s Note:


Shop Talk! FEBruAry 2015 | 11

Would that the US economy had done so poorly in 2014—only 7.3%!!!]

China’s communist leaders, who have expressed confidence they can manage the slowdown, cut interest rates unexpectedly in November in a sign that they were worried growth was falling too sharply.

High-End Sneakers a TrendFerragamo creative director Massimilano Gior-netti knew sneakers had truly arrived as a fash-ion statement when, at a formal dinner in Rome, he spotted a former Italian senator of a certain age wearing them with a pinstripe suit. . . .

Ferragamo, which is celebrating the 100th an-niversary of company founder Salvatore Ferraga-mo’s emigration from Italy to the US where he entered the luxury business through fine leather footwear, launched a new collection of sneak-ers in December 2014. They include color block high-tops and sneakers in exotic skins with prices ranging from $540 to $3,400 for crocodile. . . .

Birkenstock and Concept Debut CollaborationBirkenstock is keeping the cool factor going this season, thanks to a design collaboration with Concepts, a Cambridge, MA-based retailer. The limited edition, co-branded collection debuted in-store this past December 20, as well as online at Cncpts.com and retail for $160. . . .

The unisex collection includes two styles—a natural leather version that gently conforms to the shape of one’s feet over time and one in bright orange felt. . . .

How to be a Luxury Brand[This is portion from a larger article on how lux-ury brands continue to be seen as making high-end products and able to charge commiserately.]

. . . . The point of the big groups is to foster prof-itable growth, but too much of it or the wrong sort can tarnish a luxury brand. In 2004, Gucci set itself a goal of doubling its sales within eight years. To achieve that, the company produced many more canvas double-G dappled handbags than was healthy for the brand.

The trick is to polish a brand to a high sheen and then to disseminate the glow through the full


$21.50

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$19.50

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product range without letting it dull [Status by association.] Hermes and Chanel have lately been better at this than the big groups’ main brands. That is not because they are small: Hermes has 315 stores and 3.8 billion euros in revenue, and Chanel’s sales are three-quarters the size of Louis Vuitton’s. But each company has its own knack for teaming exclusivity with accessibility.

Hermes starves the market. Customers have to wait six months or more to buy its most famous products, its Kelly and Birkin handbags, each one handmade by a single craftsman. Although Hermes makes an estimated 70,000 Birkins a year, prices on the secondary market can be 50% above the retail price. . . . Hermes sells plenty of less expensive products, including scarves, wal-lets, and towels. But 500 euros will merely buy you an expensive scarf, not a cheap handbag. . . .

Makers of luxury have come to realize that the paradox of industrial craftsmanship can be pushed only so far. To captivate new clients and keep older ones on board, brands will have to invest shopping with a sense of occasion and give ordinary customers some of the individual attention that has been lavished on their biggest spending ones.

Increasingly, that is what they are still doing. When Burberry launched a perfume last Sep-tember, it gave customers a chance to inscribe bottles with their own initials, both in shops and online.

Customers still want to hear the story that luxury tells, perhaps more than ever as the world comes to seem more rootless and mass produced.


First Pig Leather Processing Plantin CambodiaIn a bid to compete with producers of cheap factory-ready leather, Mong Reththy Group is building Cambodia’s first pig skin processing factory. Mong Reththy said the work on the $8 million plant had already started and was slated for completion by late 2015. . . .

“While [Chinese plants] import pig skin at about only $2,000 per tonne, they can sell it back after processing it to leather for about $30,000 [per tonne],” Reththy said, adding that the majority of the factory’s produce will be reserved for export.

Cheat Khemara, senior official at the Gar-ment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC), said that there are around fifty facto-ries in Cambodia that produce shoes and bags and require leather as a raw material. . . .

Boots Drive U. S. Holiday SalesMany retailers were optimistic that they would finish the year on a high note, and they had good reason to think that: consumer confidence was up in December 2014, and the sale of boots was leading the way.

Michael Wittenstein, general manager of Karavel Shoes in Austin, TX, said holiday sales outpaced last year’s due to, in part, better weather. “Last year, people didn’t want to get out on the road,”

he said, referring to icy roads. But this year’s un-seasonably warm weather brought shoppers out.

Boots were a top seller. “We didn’t have enough,” said Wittenstein. “Based on last season, we stuck with short boots on low heels, and they all did very well.”

Briana Moteberg, owner of Jackson Bootleg-ger in Jackson Hole, WY, said holiday sales exceeded those of 2013. “It was attributed to Sorels,” she said.

Sorel was a strong seller throughout last year, Moteberg said, so the store is increasing its buy for this year. . . . Also a strong seller was Dansko’s new faux shearling lined boot. . . .

Dee Mooney, co-owner of Footwise in Corvallis, OR, said some categories did better than expect-ed while others came up short. “Birkenstock did well this season. We expected it to and it did. We found that some of the boots and winter product suffered a little by not having the cold weather we’ve had in the past. However, low, casual boots, especially from Teva and Dromedaris, sold well.

Reebok Plus Horween LeatherAt its best, leather is butter soft and the cream of the crop is the Horween version of the material. Reebok serves up a slice of supple realness with


Selection Weight November December January Price Last (lbs.) (early) (early) (early) January (early)

Heavy Texas Steers 66-68 $108-110 $104-106 $98-100 $97-98

Heavy Texas Steers (Hvy) 74-78 $117-118 $112-115 $109-113 $105-108

Branded Steers 66-68 $113-114 $108-109 $96-98 $97-98

Branded Steers (Hvy) 74-78 $120-122 $111-113 $106-108 $104-106

Colorado Steers 66-68 $103-105 $99-100 $94-96 $95-96

Butt Branded Steers 66-68 $113-114 $113-114 $108-109 $104-105

Butt Branded Steers (Hvy) 74-78 $117-118 $115-117 $101-103 $101-103

Heavy Native Steers (Hvy) 74-78 $120-122 $116-118 $116-118 $108-110

Heavy Native Heifers 48-52 $95-97 $91-92 $87-90 $88-90

Branded Heifers 48-52 $92-94 $90-91 $82-86 $85-87

Heavy Native Cows 48-52 $72-74 $68-71 $66-67 $79-84

Branded Cows 48-52 $62-65 $57-60 $53-57 $66-68

Spready Dairy Cows 48-52 $85-88 $77-82 $75-79 $85-87

Native Bulls 100-110 $85-90 $82-87 $78-83 $84-87

this latest release which lets [Chicago-based] Horween leather run rampant all over the upper.The sneaker is treated in wheat colored leather and given a cream colored outsole for contrast. Wheat colored seams pop up on the midsole as well to keep things consistent and even the brand-ing is given a boost by the use of embossing as op-posed to the normal sewn on tags or embroidery.

Demand for Sheep Hides FallsAustralian and New Zealand farmers are having a tough time selling lambskins as China’s tanner-ies face slowing demand for the products, partic-ularly from Russia, and as Beijing cracks down on some chemical intensive processing plants.

In Australia, lambskin prices were down by close to 85% last year. Sheep farmers are also be-

ing hit in New Zealand where prices have fallen as much as 40%.

China’s government is under rising pressure from a rapidly merging middle class to address the country’s air, soil, and water quality. In May, China began regulating tanneries and other fac-tories believed to be contributing to pollution, targeting smaller outfits in particular. . . .

China is the biggest importer of sheep and lambskins, receiving about 74% of all skins exported worldwide, while remaining one of the top five sheep and lamb skin producers, according to FAO [UN Food and Agricultural Organization] data. Turkey, Russia, and Italy are smaller importers of the skins.


Farewell & Godspeed

Beiler’s Mfg. & SupplyMaNuFacTuRiNg addReSS

290 S. Groffdale Rd.Leola, PA 17540(717) 656-2179

MaiN OFFice & WaRehOuSe3025 Irishtown Rd. Ronks, PA 17540(717) 768-0174

Manufacturers of Leather, Nylon or Biothane Products like Halters, Harnesses or other Equine or Pet Related items. Distributors of Harness & Saddlery Hardware. Leather, Leather Oils, Biothane

& Nylon Webbing plus other Equine Products.

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

Huber W. Gillaugh 1933-2014

the harness trade has lost one of its most knowledgeable histo-rians with the passing of Huber gillaugh on christmas eve, 2014. Huber lived in lewisburg, oH, and is survived by his wife inge-borg. He was a lifetime member of the carriage association of america and a founding member of the ohio valley Harness Shop, a group dedicated to the preservation of historical harness and car-riage company catalogs and memorabilia. Huber was an avid collector of unusual items related to the harness and leather trades.

it was Huber who came up with the idea to have an annual harness makers’ get-together back in 1970 along with the late Joe Bowman of Bow-man Harness Shop in Millersburg, oH.

Huber was also a sales rep for Schutz Bros. of N. Manchester, iN, for over forty years. He

468 CANAL ST., STE. 201, LAWRENCE, MA 01840

was also retired from the city of Dayton and was a Korean War veteran, having been the recipi-ent of two purple Hearts. Huber was a gentle soul, a member of the german Baptist church, and

held in high regard by all who knew him.

Many thanks to eli Miller of Mesopotamia, oH, for sending in this note.


GOOdS& SeRViCeS

iNveNtory and eQuipMeNtand upDateS

Leatherwork Tutorial DVD's by Cary SchwarzReviewed by Nick Pernokas,

Senior Feature Writer

When I look at the tools and information available to leatherworkers today, I can't help but think, "I wish that had been available when I started out." Cary Schwarz's ever expanding collection of educational DVDs is no exception. Cary is a member of the TCAA and a well known saddle maker from Salmon, Idaho. Now he is giv-ing other leather enthusiasts a glimpse into what goes on in his shop as he works on various projects.

I think anyone who is interested in leather carving would benefit from watching the floral design and the floral carving videos. Cary has some unique ideas on how to lay out a pattern that will have you thinking outside the box which is what art is supposed to be about. There are some great drawing tips included as well.

Cary's DVD's on saddle construction are geared towards the "Buckaroo" style saddle, but, as he covers rigging, fork cover, seat , and cantle binding installation, he touches on a lot of techniques that can be applied to any style saddle. Cary also shows some ways to use tools that you may not have tried.

I watched his DVD on making bucking rolls skepticallybecause, frankly, I probably won't ever make one . By the end of it, I was glad I had watched it because it's full of tips on how to countersink parts to make them fit better, putting welts in, and trimming hard to reach liners. If you build bags or cases, you'll enjoy this one.

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but I think any old dog could pick up a few from Cary Schwarz's Saddle Maker Series. To find out more about new titles contact Cary at www.caryschwarz.com. Stay tuned to Shop Talk! for a visit with Cary in his shop in Idaho.


* Of course, the thing that folks in North and South Dakota start thinking about this time of year when business gets a little slow and they get hunkered down by the stove is what they can do to increase sales so why not make ice cream! That’s obvious. Get a little orphan looking child with a sad face and a sadder story and I bet he or she can charge $5 a scoop when it’s 10 below and the snow is blowing hard.

OK—we got that figured out. Now you need a first rate ice cream churn and, boy!, do I have exactly the thing for you! Step right his way, ladies and gents! For only $7,915 I can provide you with a fully mo-bile, self-contained, fully automatic DOUBLE 20 qt. rig powered by a 3 hp “hit-n-miss” John Deere engine, dripping with so much charm-ing nostalgia that your customers will simply swoon with joy as they give you their money hand over fist— please keep the change!

Or perhaps this hydraulic powered unit (no ice, no salt!) for the lower price of

$4,750—

Of course for the winter months, you might consider using chains on the tires for better traction.

For these and other interesting products (including lots of 12v gadgets, nice reel mowers, etc.), please contact Georgetown Sales, 375 Old Dam Rd., Chris-tiana, PA 17509, (610) 593-5193. Who knows—may-be they could use leather carpenter aprons? Work belts? Sheathes? Suspenders?

But tell me this—when did ice cream machines get so %#@*&%! expensive??? Somebody better call the Hillbilly and report the situation!

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Chap, Saddle &Tooling Leather!The best grades from the best tanneries!

Hermann Oak #1, or A & B grades only!Skirting, Harness, Strap, tooling, etc.

Large clean sides of chap leather!Same types and colors always in stock!

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Outstanding service!

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Goliger Leather Company800 423-2329 Fax 805 650-1742

email: [email protected]

Visit our website: goligerleather.com

* You never know what he’s got on hand and or where he’s going to be! That’s Roy Peakes who’s forgotten more about machinery than most 10 other people know. He goes to a lot of auctions so you never know when he’s going to be in YOUR area to either pick up or drop off!

To find out what sort of used machinery he has in stock or might be looking for, please call Roy at (508) 769-8899. You can write Roy at 5 Sibley St., Auburn, MA 01501.

*Are you looking for zippers, wax, thread, leather, dies, dyes, shoe findings, tools? Then you better call Paul Friedman at Lewis Sales—(978) 682-3587. Paul has a huge warehouse full of STUFF! Shelves and shelves, boxes and boxes. You never know what he has on hand and he ships all over the world!

Paul is at 468 Canal St., Ste. 201, Lawrence, MA 01840. If Paul doesn’t have it then you probably can do without.

* We got such a nice note from Daniel Yoder at

Yoder’s Harness Shop, E 14994 State Road 82, La-Farge, WI 54639, whose motto is, “Making Quality Affordable”.

Daniel writes that he sells those handy LED Lenser rechargeable headlamps—

These are great for sewing after dark or when you need a little extra light! There is a 300 lumen model and an 850 model. You can recharge or use alkaline batteries. Handy!

Daniel also makes wholesale nylon halters in dif-ferent sizes, weights, and with different hdw. This includes both large and small draft halters. Also dif-ferent sizes of neck ropes. He even has mule harness!

If you’re too busy, then you might contact Daniel and talk about him doing some private labeling for you!

18 | FEBruAry 2015 Shop Talk! Shop Talk! FEBruAry 2015 | 19

That’s a win-win for everyone!

* The folks at Keystone Leather sell Argentine cut soles as well as leather sole bends, and 11 iron belly strips for $7.45/lb. They have treated soles as well as some very nice sole leather from Belgian for those customers wanting the BEST!

Contact: 2100 Reach Rd., Williamsport, PA 17701-8783, (570) 329-3780

* Sun Bias has recently started carrying a new bonded nylon thread called Strongbond for people looking for a long-wearing, high quality thread. It comes in 10 and 16 oz. spools, and there are 100 colors in many sizes. Buy a spool or a case. Give it a try! It’s described as consistent, machine friendly, and colorfast.

Sun Bias also carries variegated thread in sizes 69, 138, and 277. Black and white nylon thread is avail-able in sizes 33 to 554—that’s big!

Please contact: 1718 N. 1st St., Milwaukee, WI 53212, (800) 425-4747.

* Here’s a company that you might like knowing about—Keystone Air Power at 60 Elco Dr., Myer-stown, PA 17067, (717) 866-9224. They carry a whole lot of DeWalt and Milwaukee tools that use battery packs—big selection. They carry battery operated LED area lights and work lights—handy. Lots of air powered tools like drills, routers, miter saws as well as air motors.

The American Donkey & Mule Society Established 1967—Serving Longears and their

owners for over 40 years. World’s Largest Single Source of Information and Services for

all sizes of Donkeys, Mules & Zebra Hybrids.

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8149 Twp. Rd. 662 | Dundee, OH 44624Ph: 330.359.0147 | Fax: 330.359.0196

Manufacturers of• Old Style formed steel eveners

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10 | January 2015 Shop Talk! Shop Talk! January 2015 | 11

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THE HIDEREPORT

THE INSIDE SCOOP ON HIGH LEATHER PRICES

Please Note: The following information was dated from the early part of Deceber 2014, so by the time you read this, it will be outdated. However, be that as it may, the in-formation is still useful in that it should give you some idea of what’s happening in the global leather industry.The short and skinny is this: hide prices are backing off slightly; however, one sparrow does not a summer make. For prices to back off any at all, prices would have to decline for several months in a row. Tanners and manu-facturers alike are hoping that the market has stabilized and they can avoid further increases—at least for a while. The truth of it is that demand for leather goods—including cars with leather upholstery—is strong.Generally speaking, the news from around the world is very encouraging—businesses are doing well plus there are a number of interesting technological developments in the tanning industry, several of which are mentioned below.The items here have been extracted from reports that ap-peared on www.hidenet.com, the leading source for infor-mation about the global hide market.PLEASE NOTE: In the “Hide Report Chart” at the end of this column you will note that prices in EVERY hide cat-egory are down.Enjoy!

Leather Prices Fall First Week of DecemberPrices for Heavy Texas Steers continued their slide again during the fi rst week of December. After fi nish-ing in a range between $104 and $106, early business was done at $104 but prices at the close of 12/5/2014 were $103 on 64/68 lbs. averages.Prices for Branded Steers also fell, trading as low as $100 and $99 during the fi rst week of December on average weights of 64/68 lbs. Colorado Steers fell to $98 and $97.Butt Branded Steers were down $2 to $108 and $108.50 on 68/70 lbs. Heavy Native Steers dropped as much as $2.50 to $106 on 64/68 lbs.


Repair ■ Sharpen ■ New Handles◉ Round Knives ◉ Stitch Groovers ◉ Custommade Tools◉ Bench Knives ◉ Stock Tools ◉ Old Blades Reshaped

1550 County Road 207 ■ Blanket, TX 76432

Danny Marlin Knives

Custommade Knives & Tools for Leatherworkers

(254) 842- 5405

Hudson Machine Co.Western Supplies Co.

Schaefer Machine Company, Inc.Ferd, Schmetz Needle Corp.

New England Needles Inc.Pfaff Pegasus of USA, Inc.

& many more

3100 E. Main, Grand Prairie, TX 75050(972) 262-8652 or (972) 262-3101

Fax (972) 262-3251Leather Machinery, Dies & Supplies

Bogle greenwell Machinery corp.

www.boglegreenwell.com

Since 1953

InduscoAcme Staple Co.Adler America Inc.Chandler Machine Co.Manufacturers Supplies Co.Campbell Bosworth Machinery Co. Sale or Lease of New & Used Machinery

Consolidated Sewing Machine Corp.Randall Leather Machine Corp.Quick Roll Leaf Mfg. Co., Inc.

Fortuna Machine Co.Jado Machine Co.

Juki AmericaSinger Machine Co.

Representatives & Distributors for:

* Londonderry Brasses casts high end brass pulls and other hardware for woodworkers. You never know—if you have a small piece of brass hardware that needs to be made then you at least give them a shout. Contact: P O Box 415, Cochranville, PA 19330, (610) 593-6239, www.londonderry-brasses.com.

* Countryside Manu-facturing has come out with an improved design for their pony and mini gig saddles. The saddle is de-scribed as “Now made with a shaped bio punchout on top instead of a straight bio strap. Also with new gig saddle bottoms.”

Countryside is also having a sale on hdw. while supplies last--#200 snaps, #121 buckles, #5, Conways, #56 snaps, #2002 snaps, and more!! Get on their mailing list!

Also sale on their “soft grip” coated webbing in black and orange, from 5/8” to 2”.

Contact: 504 S. Humbert St., Milton, IA 52570.

*There are any number of fascinating doodads, gizmos, dust collectors, and jigs in the Rockler Woodwork-ing and Hardware catalog. Something that caught this reviewer’s eye is their assort-ment of glue applicators! They have small brushes for

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ELASTICS Woven H D 1” thru 3” & Ex H D,

also knitted & braided types.

PLASTIC & METAL HARDWARE for webbing & miscellaneous items

Grommets Washers3 colors & Snaps 39 cap colors.

Firewood Bundle Webbing Handles

Automated Hot/Sear Cutting on webbing, Elastics and Hook & Loop. For no-fray ends use Hot cut-ting on webbing for belt tip ends.

2-1/4” Electric Webbing & Rope Cutters for cut it yourself.

Self-Locking Nylon Ties (Cable Ties)4” thru 15”.

BIAS or STRAIGHT CUT fabric binding tape slitting

SINGLE & DOUBLE folded Bias Tapes * 200+ colors.

CORD EDGE PIPING 200+ colors & Asst. Cord Fillers for horse blankets.

Up to 200 Catalog color pages available. Save paper order as needed from our catalog index pages

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real tight places, rollers, guides, etc. And you have to think to yourself—would that work in my shop? Or maybe something similar could be created.

Rockler is some place that could can buy all sorts and configurations of knobs. And they have hardware for chests like hinges. So you never know what you’re going to find that might excite your imagination and prove to be useful.

Contact: 4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN 55340. (800) 233-9359, www.rocklerpro.com.

Another real good source for 1,000’s of miscellaneous items and supplies is McMaster-Car Supply Co., P O Box 54960, Los Angeles, CA 90054, (310) 692-5911. Very handy catalog to have.

Many tanneries will be represented, as well as �nished products for both days, including Moser Leather • Newman Leather •

Wickett-Craig • Auburn Leather • Smith’s Tack Shack •R&C Country Tack • Southern Saddlery • Tandy Leather •

Hillside Harness Hardware • Larry Fonseca Rawhide Stirrups • Saddle Trees and Western Decor • Rocking 'S' Tack and Saddles •

William Smith Tannery • and much more

William Smith will be hosting a hands on tanning seminar(for a small fee).

Tandy will be hosting a basic carving seminar.Seminars will be held Saturday.

Mention Western Leather and Equipment Show for French Lick Hotel discount or call Lanes Hotel for their discounted rate of $69.95. 812-936-9919

Check out our website at www.moserleather.comFor auction items visit www.auctionzip.com,

enter our ID number 8433or look under Cox Auctioneers.

For Hotel Reservations:888936-9360 • Group Code 0314WWL

Show and Auction starts at 9 am on FridayShow on Saturday starts at 9 am till 4 pm

See Auction Zip for terms of sale and updated consignments.


2014 Pendleton Showby Vandy douglas, Sheridan Leather

Here are the highlights from the 2014 Pendleton Leather Show:

It was held November 7 & 8, 2014, in Pendleton, OR, at the Pendleton Convention Center. We gave away over $1,200 in "Leather Dollars" that could only be spent at the Trade Show with the vendors.

“Thank you” to Leather Machine Co, Shop Talk!, and Hansen's West-ern Gear for their donations. We had several door prizes and thank you to Bee Natural and Tandy Leather for their donations.

There was increased customer traffic to the show this year, up at least 25%. Many vendors commented on this. People also enjoy increased sales: nearly all vendors reported the best ever sales numbers (for this show), and a couple vendors have already asked for additional booth space.

2015 plans: we are planning on at least the same number of Classes. The construction to the additional class-rooms will be completed and we will have access to those. Also we want to establish a saddle contest and

exhibit for next year. Many details need to be finalized, but we do know the saddle competition will feature all roughout saddles.

As always we plan on building the audience and vendor selection via advertising (Publicatons, Facebook, websites), Leather Dollars, door prizes, and involvement from the community in Pendleton, OR.

Please check www.pendletonleath-ershow.com for updates or call 307-674-6679. Thanks!

gRS was a new vendor this year and plans on coming back in 2015 with the addition of a class during the show.


Luke harris of Sheridan Leather and the Pendleton Leather Show

Paul Van dyke attended promoting his new Sheri-

dan Schools of Saddlery.

Leather Machine company sold out at the show

Bob Douglas

two shops

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BOOT & SHOe NewS

people and proDuctS and placeS

SSIA 2015 The next SSIA convention will be held this com-ing July 19-20, at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Philadelphia, Valley Forge, PA. For reservations, call (610) 337-1200 or visit www.ssia.info/conven-tion/index.asp.

Writers Wanted! We are always on the lookout for material to be included in our Boot & Shoe News—that includes suggestions about stories you’d like to see us do as well as jokes, reminiscences, short articles, infor-mation about new products, and interesting pic-tures! Maybe tell us about your worst customer experience or strangest repair job you ever did. If

we use what you send then we’d be happy to give you a free year’s subscription to Shop Talk! Wow!

So get something together and please send us—we do pay for features. Contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, or e-mail: [email protected]. We really would like to hear from you!

Right now we are looking for the oldest shoe re-pairer in the US (still active) and the youngest shoe repairer working at least part-time on a reg-ular basis. Let us hear from you!

Send Us Your Picture! Please take a snap of you working at the bench or posing in front of your shop and send it to us! Please identify everyone in the picture and

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SMILE! Don’t make a fuss and just do it! If you mail a photo then we will return it. Contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, e-mail: [email protected].

Just do it!

MBG Reaches Every Repair Shop

I bet you didn’t know that. But, yes—My Buyer’s Guide! reaches dozens of custom boot makers and ALL the shoe repair shops in the US. As well as 100’s of shops that combine boot/shoe repair with things like saddle and harness work. For as little as $189. Why not take advantage of this great, effective, and affordable opportunity to at-tract new business? Deadline is March 7, 2015. In print and online at www.mybuyersguide.net.

Contact: My Buyer’s Guide!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: [email protected].

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Springfield Leather Company1463 S. Glenstone Springfield, MO 65808 1-800-668-8518 www.springfieldleather.com

SLC...Helping our customers to be successful by providing supplies, value, and help you can count on! Springfield Leather Company is so much more than just a leather store!

Dog to human translation... Y’all sure know how to keep us BUSY! Thanks for another GREAT year!

very weekday, John rebrovick sits at an antique desk near the front of South-Star Supply co. in Nashville, proudly

helping sewing enthusiasts around the globe. “We’re sort of like the Dollar general Store for the sewing industry,” he says. “i’m glad to have a place to come every day.” the portraits of three patriarchs in the family watch over Rebrovick while he fills orders for sewing machine needles, scis-sors, pattern papers, and specialty items

SouthStar is Small But MightyPlayer in Sewing Accessories

by Jennifer Fulford, east coast Bureau chief

needed by sophisticated sewers, not spe-cifically leather workers, but also embroi-derers, apparel makers, canvas workers,

E



Abrasives AccessoriesAdhesives also see Glues Advertising Air Puri� ers Alligator Hides & Finished GoodsAluminum Molds—see Holster MoldsAngora Animal Health Care Animal Hides AnvilsApparel Apparel Patterns ArtArtisan MarketsAssociations & Museums Australian Saddle Trees Australian Saddles & Tack Automotive Accessories Automotive Leathers Awards Awning Fabrics & Supplies Axes Backpacks Bags & Handbags BandagesBaseball Glove ReconditioningBeader Blades Beeswax also see Leather Supplies Bells Belt Blanks Belts—Whsl, Retail, Custom Bindery EquipmentBit AccessoriesBits Black Powder Supplies BlanketsBlind Irons Books, Tapes & Videos—Whsl, Retail, Used Boot Accessories Boot JacksBoot Making & Repair Boot Shapers Boot Tops—Stitching & Inlay Boots—Wholesale Bouncers Box Toes Brackets-Tack, Saddle & HarnessBraided LeatherBraided Rawhide

Holster MoldsHolstersHoof CareHook & Loop HornHorse Collars Horse GroomingHorse Health CareHorse HideHorsehairHorsehair Products Horseshoes Human Hair Industrial SignageInsectant Repellant Instructional Videos Jewelry—Western & Equine Jewelry Findings Juggling CubesKangaroo Keepers Kersey Lining Keys & Key Making Equipment Knife Sheaths Knives Laces Lap Robes Lariats Lasts—Shoe & Boot Lead Ropes Leather Leather—Belt & Lining Leather—Bison/Bu� alo Leather—BridleLeather—Bu� Leather—ChapLeather—Deer Leather—Elk Leather—EnglishLeather—English Calf Leather—Exotic Leather—Garment Leather—Harness Leather—Kip Leather—LacingLeather—Latigo Leather—Lining Leather—Moose Leather—OstrichLeather—PatentLeather— PigTool CollectorsTool Sharpening & Repair

Tools—CustomTools—LeatherTop Beading Tracking Software-Shoe & Boot RepairTrade Shows Trail Riding Supplies & Saddles Training Aids Treeless SaddlesTrooper Saddles also see Canadian Trooper Saddles Trophy Saddles TroughsTrunksTubing—Aluminum & Stainless Steel TwineUpholstery—Polyurethanes & VinylsVaccines Vacuum Cleaners Vehicles, Carts, Buggies, Parts and Instructional VideosVinylWalking Sticks Wallets, Belts, Finished Goods Watch Bands Watch Fobs Water TanksWaterproo� ng also see Conditioners Wax Webbing—Nylon, Polypro, Cotton Webbing Cutter Weight Lifting Belts Welting Western Saddle Trees Western Saddles & Tack also see Custom Western Saddles & Tack Western Saddles & Tack Repair also see Custom Western Saddles & Tack Wet Rawhide also see Rawhide Wheelwright Tools Whips also see Bull Whips and Driving WhipsWholesale Leather Goods Wood Saws Wooden Rakes WorkshopsWoven Saddle PadsYak Hair Zippers

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Aluminum Molds—see Holster Molds

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Apparel Patterns

Artisan MarketsAssociations & Museums Australian Saddle Trees Australian Saddles & Tack Automotive Accessories Automotive Leathers

Awning Fabrics & Supplies

Bags & Handbags

Baseball Glove Reconditioning

also see Leather Supplies

Horse HideHorsehairHorsehair Products Horseshoes Human Hair Industrial SignageInsectant Repellant Instructional Videos Jewelry—Western & Equine Jewelry Findings Juggling CubesKangaroo Keepers Kersey Lining Keys & Key Making Equipment Knife Sheaths Knives Laces Lap Robes Lariats Lasts—Shoe & Boot Lead Ropes Leather Leather—Belt & Lining Leather—Bison/Bu� alo Leather—Bridle

Training Aids Treeless SaddlesTrooper Saddles

also see Canadian Trooper SaddlesTrophy Saddles TroughsTrunksTubing—Aluminum & Stainless Steel TwineUpholstery—Polyurethanes & VinylsVaccines Vacuum Cleaners Vehicles, Carts, Buggies, Parts and Instructional VideosVinylWalking Sticks Wallets, Belts, Finished Goods Watch Bands Watch Fobs Water TanksWaterproo� ng

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boot and saddle makers, anyone who puts needle and thread together commercially. Sales at SouthStar hum right along, keep-ing rebrovick and a staff of about six busy throughout the year.

in SouthStar’s 2,000 sq. ft. distribu-tion office, out of the way of retail traffic on nearby Briley parkway, rebrovick and staff are the kings of small items, in par-ticular needles and scissors. SouthStar’s vast selection of scissors – Heritage, Fiskars, Wiss, gingher – could be the subject of its own article. “a lot of them have gone out of business over the years,” he says. “there’s only one major uS scissor manufacturer left, Heri-tage. We have them and push them.” rebrovick, 56, the co-founder of South-Star with Bill Starks, has been running the company for twenty-five years. Starks is still involved with the business, part-time. rebrovick started in a similar company,


cutters exchange, operated by his father, who took over from rebrovick’s maternal grandfather. cutters exchange, founded in 1917, was a much bigger company based in the South with hundreds of employees in offices around the US. Cutters Edge closed shortly after SouthStar opened due to mar-ket changes. SouthStar has always been a much smaller operation. “We started out thinking we would make our money off of apparel-making manufac-turers because levi’s and oshkosh and all those companies were still all over the united States,” he recalls. “NaFta came in and that was the end of that.” Since then, rebrovick has established a long-standing customer base of smaller mom-and-pops and budding entrepreneurs who buy via a summer/fall brochure and the


“I like the creativity of ourcustomers. I like to seeentrepreneurship. They stickit out and work long hours.”

company’s website which has been online since February 1998. He’s proud to have been an early adopter of e-commerce. on his desk is a new order from France. as re-brovick puts it, SouthStar has been selling online since before 9/11, “obamanomics,” and y2K. He says a recent website upgrade went live in July. “We have over 5,000 items on the website right now, so it is very data heavy and complicated,” he says. “But it’s doing real well.” SouthStar doesn’t sell fabric or sewing machines, but he can and does direct many customers to the right sources. He enjoys finding new customers wherever they may come. recently, he’s been taking orders from NaSa for space suits and from theater groups for costumes.

Rebrovick, a tall fatherly figure, brings a sense of gratitude and a plainspoken Southern drawl to his work. He is genuinely entertained by stories about his customers who surprise him with their ideas. For ex-ample, he tells of the ex-cia agent from the 1960’s who started a home based business to sew small pouches for hearing aids (now eclipsed by tech advances). the agent’s wife liked to sew. “i like the creativity of our customers. i like to see entrepreneurship,” he says. “they stick it out and work long hours.” like his customers, persistence is the key to SouthStar’s longevity. and if the clock started when his great grandfather went into business, the company’s history goes pretty far back. at the turn of the 20th cen-tury, leonard Beard Fite owned a dry goods store on the public square in downtown Nashville and “sold notions and fabrics and other things there,” rebrovick says. Fite went on to run cutters exchange. as far as sewing hotbeds, Nashville is a good place to be, according to rebrovick,


• Shoe & Boot Repair• Saddle Makers• Harness Makers• Holster Makers• Custom Leather Goods

• Auctions• Wholesale Sources• Classifieds• Industry News• Monthly Specials

(828) 505-8474 • Fax (828) 505-8476www.proleptic.net • [email protected](Not available to current or former subscribers.)

Serving Professional Leather Workers & Manufacturers Since 1984

but so are Boulder, portland, or, Se-attle, la, and San Francisco. From his view in the balcony, he’s watched change after change affect the sewing industry. right now, a labor shortage is afoot. “the biggest problem is finding people to do production work. it’s very hard nowadays,” he says, and, if a company reaches a critical mass, the pool of workers trained in production methods and sewing is infinitesimal. “I’m not just talking sewers. i’m talking supervi-

sors, the whole nine yards.” SouthStar’s product line hasn’t changed nearly as dramatically as the industry itself, mainly because the com-pany focuses on es-sential low tech tools rather than machines

and technology. Nevertheless, he and the folks who answer the phone at SouthStar still spend a good amount of time trying to teach people to sew or to troubleshoot a problem. it’s a frustrating aspect of the busi-ness because a huge need exists for educa-


•Collar Pads•Back Pads•Pulling Collar Pads•Breast Collar Pads•Lots of Sizes•Lots of Colors! We have a large selection in stock & ready to ship!

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harness shops & dealers welcome

tion yet little is available for newbies. “a lot of times people call here and they don’t know what it is they need to order. For example, sewing machine needles are a complete mystery to most people. there are a gazillion different types of needles, they

have all these aliases on the box, and so it really takes some experience and knowl-edge to get somebody successfully through a needle order,” rebrovick explains. customer education extends to other items, even pattern paper. there’s waxed paper, craft paper, manila paper, dotted pa-per, and plotter paper. there are chemicals in many varieties – foam and fabric adhe-sives, silicone, Teflon, degreasers. And, of course, scissors come in a wide range of sizes and types. Scissors, rebrovick says, are a fluid market because good vendors are hard to come by. Some items and com-panies just disappear. the perforated pow-der co. went out of business years ago, so no more powder stamper, the low tech way to transfer a pattern onto paper. the impro-

vised version is the trusty old sock. if it’s an oddball item and it pertains to sewing, more than likely SouthStar has a few in stock. Forty-five mm blades? “Tons and tons” go out the door, he says. if you’d like to receive the SouthStar


Now with

double steel

wedges

product bulletin, send a note to John re-brovick at p o Box 90147, Nashville, tN, 37209. SouthStar’s phone is (615) 353-7000 and fax is (615) 353-7155. e-mail orders to [email protected] or place them on www.SouthStarSupply.com.


Avila's Pro Shop: CowboyGear for Show Horses

by Nick Pernokas, Senior Feature Writer

"When I was thirteen years old, I was stay-ing in cow camps and riding thirty mile circles,” says Joel Gleason. "You learn in cow camps how to save your own life." Joel's dad had moved the family to south-western Montana from Utah when Joel was ten and had taken a job running a 127,000 acre ranch for a family there. There were 3,000 mother cows and 10,000 sheep. While other kids were playing cowboy, Joel was living it. It was demanding work. "I didn't want to go home in the fall because I was having so much fun. Sometimes it wasn't

pleasant though and sometimes I was scared." Doctoring cattle and taking care of horses in this wide open country taught Joel self-reliance and how to get himself out of a jam. His future lay with another type of horse though. The first show horses that Joel ever saw was in the 1957 when famous Texas horseman Rex Cauble stopped at the ranch. He was passing through and made arrangements to keep his cut-ting horses in some of the shipping corrals. Joel still remembers how good the horses looked with their pretty heads and big hips. The ranch boss allowed Cauble to work the horses on



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The Gleason’s Montana ranch and shop are on the edge of the Flat-head Indian Nation and has a gorgeous view of the Mission range.

some cattle while they were there, and Joel was amazed with what the horses could do. "The old bang tail horses we had on the ranch couldn't do anything like that," says Joel. "That was my first experience with a trained show horse.” From then on show horses became a big part of Joel's life. There was another equine activity that was popular in the Sheridan, MT, area. Fifty miles from the nearest movie theater, Joel and his friends had to create their own entertainment. Joel recalls, "You weren't anybody if you didn't ride bucking horses." Joel rode saddle broncs until 1969. In 1965, Joel joined the Navy. When he got out, he enrolled in Dixon Junior College where he was on the rodeo team. In 1969 he was in a



bad wreck on a saddle bronc and was hung up. That ended Joel's rodeo career. Joel went to work for a land development company in St. George, UT, where he took care of the stables, and guided clients on trail rides to see the property. The company moved him

Joel and Lynn Gleason run Avila’s Pro Shop by themselves.

Custom boot � Saddle Makers' Roundup

For Information Contact:Eddie & Kathy Kimmel, Kimmel Boot2080 CR 304, Comanche, TX 76442

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around to different developments until he ended up in Parker, CO. It was there, in the early 70’s, that he met his wife Lynn. At about the same time, Joel went to work for Middlepark Land and Cattle Company. His boss was a knowl-edgeable horseman named Bobby Goodman, and Joel learned a lot from him. Joel and Lynn leased a small place and went out on their own, training halter and pleasure horses in Elizabeth, CO, for the next six years. When the area began to get built up around them, the Gleasons knew it was time to make a move. They heard through some friends of a beautiful place in Pablo, MT, that was all set up to train horses. Having family in that area sealed the deal, and that piece of property has been their home for the last thirty-seven years. In 1981, Joel became a judge for the Ameri-can Quarter Horse Association. The Gleasons


trained horses full-time until 1986. That year the tax laws changed for the worse for horse operations, and this af-fected many of their custom-ers. In 1987 the stock market fell, dealing another blow to horse owners. "I could see then that we weren't really a necessity any-more," says Joel. "I told Lynn that we needed to find some-thing else." Joel became a factory rep for American Hats and the English division of Blue Ribbon Leath-er. He also repped for a small Colorado whole-sale company called Cowhorse Equipment. Their products were mostly high quality strap goods like reins and headstalls, and Joel found that it was easy for him to sell this kind of mer-chandise. In 1989, the Gleasons bought Cow-horse Equipment from Ron Berndt and began to produce the equipment themselves. They'd used this type of gear for their entire lives and knew how it was supposed to feel, look , and perform. "I could see it was something that we could do until we were old."

Cowhorse became a full blown corporation, and, in 1992, it became the parent company of Avila's Pro Shop. The Gleasons formed Avila's Pro Shop as a means of having a retail outlet for the products that Cowhorse was wholesal-ing. They felt this could be an alternative to all the thirty day accounts that they had to set up with retailers. The Gleason’s experience in training show

horses for twenty-five years would play a large part in the success of this new venture. A good friend of the Gleasons was Bob Avila, a top horseman in the show horse world. They

"It's not how much youmake but

how muchyou keep."

-Joel gleason

Lynn handles most of the production of reins and headstalls while Joel takes care of sales and office work.

Joel’s office is filled with artwork and awards accumulated over a lifetime in the horse business.

"It's not how much you make but how much you keep." Joel found that he kept increasing his gross income but his net wasn't increasing at the same rate. Joel had a high quality boot line that he believed in, but he was having to stock $90,000 worth of boot inventory all the time. He could sell 300-600 pair a year but figured that he need-ed to sell 1,200 pair to make money. A friend who was a business consultant looked at his books in 2006 and told him that his boot inven-tory was eating him alive and that he should get rid of them. Joel also was carrying a top line of jeans, and his friend told him that Avila's Pro Shop wasn't a department store and to get rid of them as well. The strap work produced the highest profit by far and continues to be the cor-nerstone of the business. Joel had also started a saddle business by then. "Saddles are like refrigerators. They're a large ticket item, and you have to spend a lot of

money to keep them in stock," says Joel." I don't know of any store that can sell them at a full margin." Joel limits the number of saddles that they carry. They offer Bob's Custom Saddles for a production saddle, and then have a custom saddle

Joel’s trailer can be set up at a show as an attractive shop or the merchandise and fixtures can be moved inside a building to be an attractive display.

had both been on the quarter horse show circuit, and, if Bob needed an extra exhibitor for one of his horses, he'd get Joel to help. Joel had a lot of respect for Bob's training ability. When Joel started making reining horse headstalls, he sent some over to Bob to try. Bob called him and said, "Joel, this is really good stuff!" Everyone in the horse industry knew who Bobby Avila was, and Joel realized that not as many knew who he was. He asked Bob if he could use his name for marketing the new retail part of his business. Bob said sure, and Avila's Pro Shop became an endorsement relationship that has lasted twenty-two years. The key to this has been good communication between the two. "He's been the best partner that anyone could have," says Joel." I still pay him the same amount I did then, and we still own all of the business. He's been a major force in our sales, and we al-ways consult with him on new products." Joel carries other products besides what they make. He tries to not get emotionally invested in what he carries even if he really likes the prod-ucts. It's the margin that's important.

An indoor arena that the Gleasons once used for training horses, now houses Cowhorse Equipment, and Avila's Pro Shop.



The inside of the trailer stays battened down for traveling. Some items remain on cane hooks, while others, like reins, are carried in bar-rels. The display cases can be removed and set up inside a building if required. All of the Gleason's sales are over the phone, the Internet, or at shows.


maker, Tim Piland, who makes their own line of Cowhorse Equipment saddles which are a high end saddle. Joel feels that when you control the source, you can control the price. Joel provides all the materials which include Hermann Oak Leather and forged dee rings. Joel purchases his latigo from Matt Foster at Maverick Leather. The Gleasons make 30-40 pair of reins a day with Lynn doing most of the actual manufactur-ing. "I love the leather work," says Lynn. “It's the office work I don't like to do." They have tweaked their rein production pro-cess over the years, and Joel admits that it took at least eight years to get the oiling process just right. He credits a lot of their processes to Phillip Cheaney who helped them quite a bit. The reins are all edged by hand, then rubbed with white saddle soap and a piece of 10 oz. canvas. Joel es-timates that in their best years, they cut up about 600 sides of harness leather a year. "There are still people who like things done one piece at a time. The reins are a telegraph line to the horse's mouth. If he wiggles his tongue, you can feel it with our reins." Joel sells Tom Balding bits which are very high end. He uses several different silversmiths for his strap goods and Lynn's headstalls, de-pending on what he can spend for each project. Joel say that the most important thing that they pay attention to the finish of their edges and the consistency of the stitches which are good indicators of a work’s quality. They use single needle sewing machines just because they are easier to keep working. Joel has had to adapt to the economy of the last few years by cutting costs and using the In-ternet more. His volume is down, but his profits are actually up. Joel takes his 42’ cargo trailer and booth to about a dozen horse shows a year which allows people to actually feel the prod-

ucts. Joel never runs down the competition but shows why his product is a good one. "We don't have the marketing capabilities of some of the large companies, but, by the same token, we're not going to go broke trying to be something we're not." The Gleasons will continue to handcraft their strap goods in the shadow of the beautiful Mis-sion Mountain Range. The indoor arena that is their shop also houses some of the rabbits Lynn has rescued. They also share their place with the rest of their extended family of cats and their beloved sheltie, Cindy Sue. "I don't think we'll retire. We'll probably just drop dead in the shop," laughs Joel. Joel repeats an old saying about being suc-cessful that a famous horse breeder once told him. "You need to drive a stake in the ground on the horizon then keep walking towards that stake." It looks like Joel has stayed on the path. To contact Joel or Lynn, call (800) 234-6771 or visit www.avilaproshop.com.


Jim Spradley bends over the dusty hat that he's hand stitching while the owner of the hat, a sun-burned cowboy, sits out in the main store, idly spinning his spur rowels. The cowboy's horse stands in the stock trailer outside the front door of the shop. He's all saddled and ready to go to

On the plains of Southwest Texas, Big Bend Saddlery has found a way to utilize some of their property profitably while also bringing potential customers to their location with a complimentary business in an adjoining building.

Spradley Hats: You CanFeel the Difference by Nick Pernokas, Senior Feature Writer

work, so the horse dozes in the West Texas af-ternoon heat with one hip cocked. Time passes a little slower in this part of Texas, between the Big Bend region of the border and the Davis Mountains. What will be has been, and man and beast adjust with their indifference.

Jim talks as he sews the new sweatband in. "This hat wasn't fitting him so I'm just fixing it so it'll fit a little better." He laughs, "That's our plan, but since I didn't make it, there's no guarantee."It will probably work out because Jim knows hats. At sixty-three, he's built them for twelve years. Jim's the owner of Spradley Hats in Al-pine, and he's been at the current location be-hind Big Bend Saddlery for eight years. His wife,

A saddled horse waits patiently in a stock trailer for his owner in front of Spradley Hats.

Many of Jim’s customers are cowboys from ranches in the Al-pine area. These guys are waiting for a hat repair so they can get back to work.

Jim fixes a cowboy’s hat while he waits. His motto is that, “Ev-erybody’s important.”


Judy, works for Big Bend Saddlery. Jim's son in law, Adam Holmes, works in the small hat shop with Jim.

"I've been involved with hats since I was in college, forty years ago," says Jim. Canadian born, Jim grew up in Midland, TX. He came to Al-pine when he went to Sul Ross Univer-sity. Jim also spent some time in New Mexico, cowboying and ranching and still runs a few cows of his own.

All Jim builds are 100% beaver hats. He doesn't make any blends. He has three different qualities. He starts with the "Beaver 100" for $800.00 which takes him a couple of weeks to build. His next level is the "Beaver Deluxe" which is lighter weight than the "Beaver 100". It takes three weeks

to build and sells for $900.00. This hat is very similar to the old "100x" hats that were made in Fort Worth in the 60’s and 70’s. His top of the line, and the lightest weight, is the "Silver

Jim Spradley’s Silver Select is his top of the line hat and has a beauti-ful finish.


Select" for $2,200.00. Each quality of hat body comes from a different felter. "A lot of people think you can get a thin hat from sanding and you can. But you ain't got a hat," says Jim. "You have to start out with finer hair, to get the thinness and the light weight. I could take that $800 hat and sand it down but after a while you'd notice hair coming out of it."When you feel the unfinished hat bodies on the rack, you can definitely feel the difference. In the higher quality hat, the hairs don't show in the felt. The light colored hats are clear but there are many colors available.

"They're all good hats; it's just the difference of weight," says Jim.

Jim uses an old "conformateur" to measure the head size and shape so that the hat fits proper-ly. He then makes a last of each customer's head

so that the finished hat can be shaped perfectly. These blocks that the hat bodies are finished on are a little wider at the bottom so the fin-ished hat will fit just right after the sweat band is put in. The leather sweat bands are sewn in away from the felt so that they grip the wearer’s head. The cloth liners aren't put in until the hat is shaped. Jim prefers to shape the hat for the customer before the hat leaves the shop. His hats are really tight to begin with, and he puts them through a lot of heat and pressure which makes them hard to shape with just a teakettle.

"These things will fight you the whole time, "says Jim. In fact he begins putting in a crease before he starts steaming the crown. He be-lieves that a hat doesn't have to be stiff to hold

Each customer has a last made for him that duplicates the shape of his head.

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a crease. Jim actually likes them a little pliable.Word of mouth is still Spradley Hat's best sales-man and has allowed them to ship hats as far away as England and Hawaii. Singer Red Steagall and Western artist Bruce Greene both sport Spradley hats. His wait time to fill an order is 6-8 weeks. Jim usually calls the customer a month before he builds the hat to firm it up.

Jim’s shop is extremely neat to keep his hats clean.

Out on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, in a place where yesterday is just around the corner, one man labors at a centuries’ old profession. Jim Spradley's goal has been to create hats "that don't just look good at a distance but feel good in your hand." I think he's achieved that.

If you'd like to find out more about Spradley Hats, call 432-837-3061 or go towww.spradleyhats.com.

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New US Tannery on the Board for Germany Company


A new tannery is set to go into production soon in Mis-sissippi. ISA TanTec, a Ger-man company, is opening its first U.S. tannery in Vicks-burg and is scheduled to start tanning in early 2015.

The company states the deci-sion to open a tannery responds to the growing demand for locally produced leather in the U.S. and because shoe manufacturers are “shifting part of their production to America.”

“Several renowned brands have asked us to help them in this strategy through the production of leather in this region,” Thomas Schneider, founder and CEO of ISA TanTec (also known as ISA Industrial Ltd.), states in a news release last June about the tannery opening.

ISA TanTec is a leading producer of high quality leather for the shoe industry. Its customers in-clude Timberland, Wolverine, Deckers, Clarks,

Keen, and New Balance, among many others. ISA TanTec says it is investing about $10 million in the new ven-ture and has long range plans for up to 370 jobs at the Vicksburg facility, called Mississippi TanTec Leather, Inc.

“I am proud to welcome ISA TanTec as a mem-ber of the Mississippi business community,” said Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, quoted on the company’s website, www.LiteLeather.com. “Our state looks forward to a great partnership with the company, and I wish them many years of success.”

A spokesman for Leather Industries of America (LIA), the trade lobbyist for the leather industry, says the opening of the new tannery is indica-tive of the shift in shoe production away from China and back to North America. Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and the U.S. are see-ing the fruits of the transition, primarily due to


increased costs of production in China and the tight turnaround needs of shoemakers to meet market demands.

“It’s a fashion driven industry,” says John Wit-tenborn of the LIA. “TanTec buys Texas Native Steer, so it’ll be close to its supplier.”

According to TanTec CEO Schneider, the Vicksburg tannery “will allow ISA TanTec to ship directly to customers within the United States.” In addition, he says, the new facility will be “more flexible and fast” for customers in Central and South America.

The new tannery will meet strict environmen-tal requirements as designated by the Leather Working Group, an industry environmental consortium. The company meets those stan-dards with its two existing plants in Vietnam

and China. This is the first U.S. tannery for TanTec.

“This new company,” Schneider says in a June 2014 company newsletter, “occupies a land of 52 acres, will be redesigned, equipped with the most advanced tanning technology with Lowest Impact to the Environment (LITE®) and utiliz-ing all optimized experiences from our Siagon TanTec and Heshan TanTec operations.”

For more information, see the company’s web-site www.LiteLeather.com. The tannery address is 101 Tantec Way, Vicksburg, MS, 39183. To contact the company, e-mail: [email protected].

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CHEMICALS!


Nick-O Sew onPositive Trajectory


Despite – or because of – his youthful-ness, Nick pittman has taken his dad’s business and run with it. “i’ve been

doing this since i was in diapers,” says Nick. For thirteen years, pittman has been the working brains and hustle behind Nick-o Sew. He entered the day-to-day operations at his dad’s commercial sewing machine business straight out of high school. His dad advised him that there’s more money sell-ing machines than working on them, and his advice has stuck. “My dad said he’d throw a wrench at me if he ever saw me working on one,” pittman says. “He said you can make more money selling them than working on them, so he never really wanted me to work on the machines.” Nick-o Sew, headquartered in Stanton, tN, was a moonlighting job that grew into

a lucrative enterprise. His dad, Frankie, 60, founded the business and named it after his oldest boy, likely with little forethought that the company would end up in his son’s hands. Before the handoff in 2011, his dad might sell a million dollars a month in prod-ucts. Nick’s still trying to top his dad’s sales record by selling machines of all kinds for heavy-duty and small-scale uses. He’s coming close. His latest strategy responds to the global economy. Now that factory sewing is gone in the u.S., he’s buy-

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ing up the last batches of machines from old sewing interests. and he’s branched out into importing machines from overseas, especially china, where commercial sewing migrated from the u.S. Because china’s factories are in a downturn from the global recession, Nick is snapping up machines

by the scores in bulky shipping containers delivered right to his facility in western ten-nessee. and he tries to send out shipments just as large to buyers overseas. “i’ve been over there for six years now, and every year they speak more english,” he says. “i go to buy machines, new and used. i think the manufacturing of sewing machines will always stay in china. i don’t think it will move to other countries.” the chinese have improved their ma-chine designs, he said, but the Japanese machines – Juki and Seiko – are still more valuable here. “the chinese machines, you get like an a, B, c quality machine,” he says. “ten years ago, they were really, really bad, but they’ve learned from their mistakes. and the chinese machines are pretty good now.

they’re reliable.” pittman is a busy guy. in 2006, he rebuilt the company headquarters in Stanton, vis-ible from interstate 40 between Memphis and Nashville. the place is nicely deco-rated, clean, spacious, and full of sewing

machines, particularly for leather and uphol-stery. it’s also full of taxidermy. an ostrich, a lynx, and a mountain lion are among the animals displayed in his conference room. pittman, when he’s able, likes to hunt big game. to fund his bow hunting safaris in British columbia and africa, he runs winter



excursions for deer and turkey hunters in Missouri and Kansas with a friend. (See www.PrairielandOutfitters.com) Because of smart phones and mobile technology, he’s able to stay connected to his main business while he’s away. if it weren’t for email and texting, what would a CEO do? “i love the internet,” he said, recently back from an elk hunting trip in the West. “i started doing e-Bay, and it was a little bit of a pain, because you have people who don’t understand the machines … But e-Bay and craigslist are the two best advertisements i have, and they’re free.” No disrespect to Shop Talk!, of course, he immediately adds. He’s all about working angles. obviously, the business has changed since his dad ran Nick-o Sew. pittman

focuses on service, repairs, and sales, pri-marily to small operators. He’s fairly protec-tive of his service staff – six machinists who are as good as gold to pittman. two of the men commute 88 miles combined, one way, every weekday to come to work in Stanton. one lives in Mississippi. occasionally, a

desperate client will beg for one of the men to make a factory “house call,” but it takes a lot of cajoling for pittman to agree. usually, the fix isn’t a difficult one but the lost time is costly. He says the labor vacuum for repair-men (and women) is the biggest headache in the u.S. sewing industry, and many sec-tors, such as auto upholstery, furniture, tarps, tents, and canvas awnings, feel the pain. “there are no mechanics in this busi-ness. it’s a dying breed,” he says. “that’s why I opened the St. Louis office. I have three up there.” a year ago, pittman opened a second location near St. louis, following his buyout of a & B Sewing Machine co., a family busi-ness dating from the 1930’s. He didn’t want the staff dispersing, and the former owner is now his general manager. He wanted the second location for sales, too, but he also wanted to be closer to his farm in Missouri, where he goes to relax. So far, the results have been good. He’s seeing good foot traffic in the 5,000 sq. ft. showroom in St. charles, Mo. Nick-o Sew’s main location in Stanton encompasses a 10,000 sq. ft. showroom and another 10,000 sq. ft. warehouse, under one roof. His repair crew sits smack in the



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center of the facility, each man at a bench, working on a rebuild or repair. reabon Sanders, gene Dickerson, and les Baxter have untold years of combined experience between them and an easy rapport with each other and strange women reporters welding cameras and promises of fame. “all my father’s friends, who are either 60

to 80 that were in this business, don’t have the desire to go after it,” he says. “there is still a lot of sewing done in the states. peo-ple don’t realize how many items are sewn. people always think of the textile business, the clothing business. that is gone. i mean, the gloves, the shoes, the jeans, all that’s gone, but there’s a lot of specialty sewing.”

52 | JANuAry 2015 Shop Talk!

For instance, every other year he goes to a parachute show. But pittman is concen-trating less on trade shows and more on online sales. His 7,000+ machine inventory is about as large as he’d like it to be. When containers full of machines come in, it’s a major process to sort through and deter-mine the viability of each product. He has an offsite storage facility for machines that won’t see the light of day. Maybe in another twenty years they’ll be museum pieces. like his father, he has a mind for all the details. “i enjoy it,” he says, though he admits in high school he’d tease his dad about selling out. “at that time, dad would tell me to go get something, when we had 13,000-14,000

machines. and he’d tell me where to go get something, ‘Second shelf in the l-shaped warehouse on the third row,’ or whatever, and I’d ask how do you know where that is? and he’d say ‘When you pay for it, you know exactly where it’s at.’ and that’s true.” to reach Nick pittman, president of Nick-o Sewing Machine, it’s best to send him an e-mail to [email protected]. the head-quarters are located at 7745 Highway 76 in Stanton, tN, 38069. the phone number is (731) 779-9963 or (800) 526-4256; fax is (731) 779-9965. in Missouri, the showroom is located at 124 point W Blvd., St. charles, Mo 63301. the phone is (636) 724-3800. the website is www.NickoSew.com.

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Fire Destroys Home/Saddle Shop

The following information comes from Robert Raber at The Working Cowboy’s Choice in Coal-gate, OK. Thank you, Robert.

On the night of January 10, a fire completely destroyed the home and saddle shop of Alvin Brenneman, wife Lydia Ann, and eight children. Thankfully, everyone escaped unharmed, but there was a total loss of the families personal be-longings and saddle including a clicker, bandknife splitter, sewing machines, tools, and materials.

Any help getting Alvin’s shop up and running will be greatly appreciated. Please contact: Alvin Brenneman, 521 Val Rd., Rocky Comfort, MO 64861, (417) 628-3906, or Raber’s Saddlery at (580) 428-3143.

Nocona Revisited

We got a real nice PS from Wes Morton at Texas Turf Supply pertaining to his articles on the his-tory of his company and of the various leather

businesses in Nocona, TX—thank you, Wes! Hope you are enjoying retirement!!

Here’s what Wes wrote:

I can’t believe that I got ahead of myself so bad in my leather history pf Nocona to leave out No-cona Belt and Brazos Joe. Mel Chapman started Nocona Belt Co. in the last 60’s while still at Nocona Boot. In the early 70’s he left the boot company and, until the 90’s, Nocona Belt was a very important part of our economy. Tandy obtained it in the early 90’s and, after a few years, M & F Western Products bought it and it is now

k-k

OP

TIO

NS.

DOUBLE K LEATHER SALES, LLC205 N. MAIN, ST. CHARLES, MO. 63301OFFICE: 636-493-1833 • Toll-Free: 888-263-5277 FAX: 636-493-1825 • [email protected]

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Hide OPTIONSU.S. Heavy Native Steer (U.S. or South American)

Leather OPTIONS

Skirting • Latigo • Harness • Strap Craft Sides • Double Shoulders • Double ButtsDossets • Veg Bellies • Suede • Chap • Oil Tans

Top Grain • Full Grain 3/4 oz (10 Colors) • Motorcycle Saddlebag 7oz Black • Exotic Prints

Imitation Golden Fleece • Hair On Cowhides• BioThane (coated webbing) •

You have OPTIONS with Double K Leather

Double K Leather Sales Warehouse Locations:Atchison, Kansas • Houston, Texas

St. Charles, Missouri

VISIT Our New webSITe

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Educate & Communicate and Don’t Wait

(We ran a similar piece in last month’s “Boot & Shoe News” and thought it bore repeating.Enjoy!)

Believe it or not, that’s what advertising does or should do—EDUCATE! It’s like this: the world changes. The generation that always got their saddles and harness fixed have passed on and now this mutable world is inhabited by a tribe of zombie enamored spendthrifts that NEVER get their gear fix and one reason why that is that THEY DON’T KNOW BETTER. They are unin-formed.

Your job (if you want to keep it): INFORM THEM!

So start with the pups when they are young and trainable. Put ads in your local HIGH SCHOOL

operated out of Sulphur Springs.

Don Hendrix was involved with Brazos Joe Belt from the early 80’s to the early 90’s. They were smaller than the Nocona plant but still em-ployed people while in operation.There were also several saddle makers over the years. John Drake built saddle from 1905 un-til the late 30’s, early 40’s. His nephew Howard Paine started then and continued until the early 80’s. We also had a gentleman named “Preach” Taylor who was legally blind but built saddles out of his home in the 50’s and 60’s. Burl Jenkins had a shop in the late 70’s, early 80’s.

In the late 80’s and most of the 90’s there was a shop that was first run by Ronnie Creek and later Bobby Biddy.

Thanks, Wes! Would that be the Ronnie Creek who was one of “C’s” in Triple C Leather—now



paper (or web something). Put ads in your local COLLEGE paper (or web something). Or on lo-cal college radio stations. There’s 4-H. There’s Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts—just do something! Get out and let folks know that you are alive and kicking!

Friends—if you want to moan and groan and roll your eyes toward the heavens, I promise you this: your business will suffer. Get off your duff and DO SOMETHING. Anything! Change with the times. But don’t wait—educate!!

We Want Pics of You!

We certainly do. Snap a shot and send it to us.Maybe you working at the bench or standing infront of the shop. Please identify everyone in thepicture—and SMILE!

We’ll be sure to return any photos you send!Or you can e-mail us at [email protected] or mail pics to Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817,Asheville, NC 28816. Thanks!!! Don’t make abig fuss about it—just click and send. Amishreaders can do a quick sketch!

What Is It?

Last month we ran this picture—

And we got an anonymous call from “Rope Andy” at the Troyer Rope Mega-Enterprise, identify-ing this as a rope fid. I still think it’s for planting bulbs or perhaps “encouraging” employees who might be moving a little slower than they should. Or maybe it’s a MULTI-PURPOSE tool! Yeah!!!

Thanks, Andrew!

A Pyromaniac in the Office????

I had thought about entitling this item “Egg on My Face!” Especially after my rant last month about fire safety. Here’s the true story of a near tragedy:

We have a small but nice office. There are even gas logs that look great and keep the office toasty during the winter. The fire comes off and on with the temperature controlled by a thermostat. So there aren’t always flames in the fireplace. Which is probably the reason why my wonderful and talented bookkeeper sat a plastic wastebasket up next to the gas logs—so when the heat came on, the plastic wastebasket melted!! Thankfully, it did not catch fire.

So after a severe tongue lashing, my bookkeeper promised that she would never ever do that again—until the other day. When she had sat a

• 6 Million Yards in Stock• Sizes from 3/8” to 6”• 30 Colors Available

• TPU Laminated Fabrics• Tricot Fabrics• Mesh Fabrics• Hot Melt Adhesive Films• Webbing, Buckles,

Elastic, Zippers…etc

Neoprene Sheets Hook & Loop Fasteners Also Available

• Laminated with Nylon, Lycra, Terry, UBL…etc.

• Common uses: Wet Suits, Waders, Knee/Elbow Pads…etc.

SALES REP WANTED IN SOME TERRITORIES

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Neoprene Sheets

1793 Old Gradyville Road • Columbia, KY 42728

Wholesale Makers of Mini Harness, Cruppers,Carriage Harness, & Custom Show Harness

• Stitchmaster 441 machines in 9", 16½" also 25" throat. • Parts in stock for all 441 machines. • 1508 NH 5

Embossing Dies & Machines Over 50 di� erent styles of embossing wheels

WholesaleONLY



lasting Quality and StyleMatte FinishesMany colors

easy cleaningeasy Sewing

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voice: 800-357-5070 Fax 440-243-5326Email [email protected] Website www.ohiothane.com

CARDBOARD BOX AND A PLASTIC WASTE-BASKET in front of the logs!! Which I pulled back faster than you say, “CALL 911!!!!”

Then I headed to the hardware store and bought the BIGGEST fire screen available, rushed it back to the office, and set it up.

I can just hear all the catcalls from “loyal read-ers” when they learned we were working out of “temporary quarters” (my truck) after the house burnt down!

So the old saying is still truer than ever—Do as I say, not as I do.

I better make sure she’s has our fire insurance paid up—aPRiL!!!!

We Can Help—I Hope!

We got a nice note from Noah Schlabach at 73 Water St., Nicholville, NY 12965, which reads as follows:

I had a nylon shop for close to 20 years and then my work turned a lot to holsters, belts, pouches, etc. My boys didn’t get along with that work so then we moved up here to New York. Now it’s 10 years later and the boys all have their jobs, and I wish I could have my sewing job again. I still have my one good machine.

My question is could I get a sewing job from someone, helping to produce a product?

Noah—we hope that someone is looking for a willing worker and will drop you a line!

Harness Makers’ Get-Together

Gary Miller at Miller’s Harness called into let us know the correct number to contact him about the Get-Together is (217) 543-3238. The address is 431 N County Road 100 E, Arthur, IL 61911. The consignment auction is scheduled for July 16th and the Get-Together is on the 17th.

Did You Know?

That My Buyer’s guide! reaches every tack shopin the US? And every saddle shop, harness shop,English saddle store, and Western store? PLUS—100’s of manufacturers, boot makers, and everyshoe repair shop in the US. Need I mentionholsters makers? Belt makers? Bag makers?Makers of pet goods?

It does!


And you can reach these 16,000 potentialcustomers for as little as $189. I know—amazing!Deadline is March 7, 2015. Contact: My Buyer’sGuide!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816,(828) 505-8474, e-mail: [email protected]. In print and online at www.mybuyersguide.net.

Mid-Winter Sale - New Date!

We’ve that scheduled for March 10, 2015. Origi-nally, it was going to be kind of a small aff air, made up of mostly odds and ends that build up over time and don’t get into our Big Too Sales in the fall. BUT—it’s grown!! I guess there may be as many as 1,000 lots, including 100’s of stamps that have accumulated. And prices should be pretty good since we’d like to clear this stuff out!

We have extra special good selection of clicker dies, most of them made by Texas Custom Dies.

The sale will only be online at www.proleptic.net.Should be a sweetheart of a sale!

Mark Your Calendar!

* The new Wickenburg Leather Trade Show will take place this coming February 5-7, 2015, at the Wickenburg Community Center, 160 N. Valentine, St., Wickenburg, AZ 85390. The show is hosted by Tim and Maria Hansen at Hansen

Western Gear, (209) 847-7390. Call for a list of classes available.

* March 20-21—French Lick Indiana Trade Show/Auction in French Lick, IN. For all the de-tails about attending, consigning, or exhibiting, please call (513) 889-0500.

* The Weaver Auction is scheduled for June 17-18, in Mt. Hope, OH.

* The next consignment auction and Harness Makers’ Get-Together will be held on July 16-17 at Miller’s Harness Shop, 431 N. County Road 100 E, Arthur, IL 61911, (217) 543-3150.

* The next Custom Boot & Saddle Makers’Roundup will be this coming October 2-3, in Wichita Falls, TX. For all the details, please con-tact Eddie or Kathy Kimmel at 2080 County Road

Restores natural gloss


304, Comanche, TX 76442, (325) 356-3197, www.bootandsaddlemakerstradeshow. com.

* 15th Southwest Leather Workers Trade Show will be held at the Prescott Resort & Conference Center in Prescott, AZ. Hosted by The Leather Crafters Journal, 222 Blackburn St., Rhineland-er, WI 54501, (888) 289-6409.

* 22nd Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show will be held in Sheridan, WY, at the Sheridan

Holiday Inn, May 15-17. Hosted by The Leather Crafters Journal, 222 Blackburn St., Rhineland-er, WI 54501, (888) 289-6409.

Photographs in the carol M. highsmith archive, Library of congress, Prints and Photographs division.

ClASSiFiedS Buy or Sell or traDe

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 fifth 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 5). 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.

WANTED

Wanted: Brown polyester thread. Bonded. Sizes 277-346. contact: Ed Smith. E-mail: [email protected], (307) 765-2735.

Wanted: New subscribers from Louisiana, Mississip-pi, Alabama, and Hawaii. Now is the time to renew! give us a call at (828) 505-8474, e-mail: [email protected] or visit www.proleptic.net.

Wanted: Complete tool collections. contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: [email protected].

Wanted: Bench equipment. Any condition. Skivers, splitters, pressers, spotters, etc. Also parts and pieces—bolts, frames, springs, blades. We pay shipping. con-tact Shop Talk!, P.O. Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: [email protected].

Wanted: Equestrian and Western work including prints, posters, paintings, etc. contact: Shop Talk!, P O Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, www.proleptic.net.

FOR SALE

For Sale: New blades for 6” hand cranked split-ters; Standard Rivet #2 spot setters with staple dies; A-G flip top embosser; Fortuna top feed skiver; and more. Call for complete list of sewing machines and equipment. Buy, sell, trade. Can deliver. contact:

Roy Peakes, 5 Sibley St., Auburn, MA 01501, (508) 769-8899.

Liquidating entire inventory. 7 hvy. Duty sewing machines—Cobras, Artisan, Juki’s. 2 embossing ma-chines. 12” USMC splitter. 12” Aperture band knife. 2 creasers. Singer 112 dbl. needle. 14” strap cutter. 3 Standard Rivet spot machines. 5 nylon hole burn-ers. 2 chap machines. 5 cargo trailer container loads of saddles, bridles, halters, leads, etc. No reasonable offer refused. contact: Ben Day, Western Specialties, 3106 Cedardale Rd., Mt. Vernon, WS 98174, (360) 708-4201.

Install and remove Chicago screws quickly and easily in the shop or on the trail. $16.95 + $4 S&H. Call for wholesale pricing. contact: JP’s Bridle & Equine Tool, 26266 E. County Road 700 N., Easton, IL 62633. (309) 562-7266. E-mail: [email protected], www.jptacktool.com.

Custom manufacturing available for leather or syn-thetic products serving the equine, pet, and related industries. Quality and personal service for your project. contact: Mud Creek Leather, 9415 W 300 S Topeka, IN 46571, (260) 593-0044. (R&B)

For all your leather needs. Call Moser Leather (800) 874-1167 or (513) 889-0500. You can visit our web-site at www.moserleatherco.com. (R&B)For Sale: The Pro-Concho Turner: The only one in the U.S. Makes removal of decorative conchos a snap! Used with electric drill. Take the fuss and bother out of a difficult job with the Pro-Concho Turner! Saves time, makes money! Rubber gripper



The “Word of the Day” istendentious .

protects the concho and makes removal or installa-tion easy. Only $29.00 plus $3.95 S&H, 6-inch steel shank, and rubber gripper. Ready to use! contact: Proleptic, Inc., P.O. Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: [email protected].

Wholesale Harness & Supplies! Brahma web, PVC sheeting, PVC belting, nylon webbing, nylon thread and hardware. We manufacture a full line of synthet-ic harness parts. In stock for immediate shipping, including blinds, gig saddles, molded curved crowns, cruppers, winker stays, and lots of die cut parts, etc. Ask for your FREE catalog! contact: Countryside Mfg., 504 S. Humbert St., Milton, IA 52570.

For Sale: “Making Harness: A Step-by-Step Guide”, $58 plus $5.50 S&H. Specs and instructions on how to make and repair six styles of harness from pony to draft, driving, team wagon and mule. contact:

Proleptic, Inc., P.O. Box 17817, Asheville, NC 28816, (828) 505-8474, e-mail: [email protected], www.proleptic.net.

For Sale: Pricing Guide: “How to Establish Prices for the Saddle Maker and Leather Worker.” Only $39.95 plus $4.50 S&H. contact: (828) 505-8474. (12/12)

For Sale: New and used Adler, Brother, Consew, Juki, Pfaff, Singer machines for sewing bio-plastic, canvas, leather and nylon. Available in single or double nee-dles, standard, long arm, flatbed, postbed, cylinder arm. contact: Bob Kovar, Toledo Industrial Sewing Machine, 3631 Marine Rd., Toledo, OH 43609, (866) 362-7397 or (419) 380-8540. (11/10)

For Sale: Tools for the Professional—Ol’ Smoothie swivel knives, blades, stamping tools, and more. con-tact: Chuck Smith Tools, Smith & Co., P O Box 2647, Valley Center, CA 92082. (760) 749-5755. Fax (760) 749-5355. E-mail: [email protected]. (R&B)

www.theleatherguy.org for all your leather, tool, and supply needs. Friendly, helpful staff at (507) 932-3795. (R&B)

For Sale: Schwabe Clicker double head $4500. Also 100-ton leather press $1000. Located in Bryant, AL Phone:423-939-0284 Email: [email protected]

SHOE & BOOT

Total shoe repair equipment for sale. All supplies go with it. Price $5,500. contact: Gerald Manor, Port-land, IN, (260) 726-4172 or (260) 726-4343. Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri. Noon to 4 pm

CLASSIFIEDAdsREALLY WORK

$26.50 FOR THEFIRST 20 WORDS


www.leathermachineco.com * [email protected]

LEATHER MACHINE CO., INC.

LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY ON ALL COBRA MACHINERY!!

COBRA Class 4Specifications:

*16 1/2” Arm* Best and most versatile presser feet in the business *Sews from 6 oz. to 7/8 ”*Thread sizes from 69 to 415**Triple Feed mechanism*Reverse stitches in same holes*Stitch Length from 3-22 stitches an inch*Sews leather, pads, blankets, webbing, canvas, upholstery, bio-plastics, & other materials* 28 LED Super Beam Lamp** Heavy Duty Speed Reducer* Digital DC Servo Motor* Accessories* Complete Accessory Package FREE!!

$2,695.00Complete

Christopher Andre (Slickbald Custom Leather)1st. Place in the Holsters and Gunbelts categoryin Sheridan, WY., using his COBRA CLASS 4

FINALLY!!An open toe center

foot for maximum visibility,only available on the

Cobra Class 4or Cobra Class 3...

it’s about time!it’s about time!

A. Lyons .............................................. 24American Leather Direct ...................... 7Artisan Sewing ..................... back coverBarta Hide .............................................. 9Beiler’s Mfg. & Supply ........................ 15BioThane ............................................... 5Beachy Blacksmith ............................. 19Bogle Greenwell Machinery Corp ..... 20Booth & Company .............................. 41Bowden Saddle Tree .......................... 12Brayer .................................................. 19Brodhead Collar Shop ........................ 17Buckeye Engraving ............................ 50Buckle Barn USA ................................ 15Buggy Builder’s Bulletin .................... 43Campbell-Randall ............................... 28Charles Hardtke .................................. 45Chino Tack .......................................... 51Chupp Blacksmith Shop .................... 47Chupp Brothers Wholesale ............... 19Coblentz Collar ................................... 52Cut Rite Dies ....................................... 23Danny Marlin Knives .......................... 20Double K .............................................. 53Fairview Country Sales ...................... 26Fine Tool Journal ................................ 10Foam-Tex ............................................. 24

Gfeller Casemakers, Inc ..................... 11Goliger Leather Co., Inc. .................... 18Hadlock & Fox Mfg. Co ...................... 49Hand Plait Leather .............................. 33Hansen Western Gear ........................ 10Harness Hardware ............................. 17Hastilow .............................................. 23Hermann Oak ..................... inside coverHide House .......................................... 24Hillside Harness Hardware. back coverInternational Sheepskin ..................... 41Kalico Products .................................. 57Kelly-Larson Sales ............................. 52Kimmel Boot ....................................... 36Landis Sales & Service ...................... 48Leather Crafters Journal .................... 26Leather Machine Co., Inc .... back coverLewis Sales Co ................................... 15Mid-River Sales ................................... 32Miller's Wholesale............................... 55Moser Leather ..................................... 21Mules and More, Inc. .......................... 17My Buyer's Guide ............................... 27N & A Harness Shop ........................... 43Nick-O Sew ............................................ 8Nutra-Glo ............................................. 35

Ohio Plastics Belting Co.. .................. 56Ohio Travel Bag .................................. 54Pecard .................................................. 41Perfectex Plus LLC ............................. 55Precision Saddle Tree ........................ 59Proleptic .......11, 29, 30, 33, 34, 35, 37, 44Raphael Sewing Machine/TechSew ...9, 42RJF Leather ......................................... 54Shelton-Reynolds, Inc ........................ 51Shetler’s Collar Shop ......................... 54Shop Talk ................................... 6, 20, 31ShoTan ................................................. 57Small Farmer’s Journal ...................... 50Smoke & Fire Co. ................................ 21Springfield Leather ............................. 25Steel Stamps ....................................... 48Sugar Valley Collar Shop ................... 44Sun Bias, Inc. ...................................... 20Sweat Pad Shop ............................ 19, 42TechSew/Raphael Sewing Machine ..9,42Schwarz Productions ......................... 16Tennessee Tanning ............................ 15Texas Custom Dies ............................. 18Toledo Sewing ...................................... 3Western Mule ...................................... 53Y-Knot .................................................. 21

AdvertisingDeadline for advertising copy is the 5th of the month prior to the month of publication. Invoices are due upon receipt. SHATA members who display the SHATA logo in their advertisement receive a 5% discount on display ads. 6 or 12-month prepaid advertising contracts receive a 5% discount. Discounts may not be combined (advertisers may receive either a SHATA discount or a prepaid contract discount).

Classified Ads20 words or less $26.50Additional words (each) $ .65

Display AdsFull Page $485.00Half Page $271.00Quarter Page $147.00Eighth Page $78.00(Color and guaranteed placement addi-tional)

Setup Charge$60 per hour with a $18 minimum. Line art may be inserted at no additional charge. $10 per photo.

Inserts$399 for one page —Maximum trim size: 8-1/4” X 10-3/4”

Shop Talk! • published by Proleptic, Inc.• P.O. Box 17817 Asheville, NC 28816 • email: [email protected]

$45 each additional page.Event flyers must be inserted 60 days in advance.All inserts must be shipped directly to printer.

Reduce - Reuse - RecycleRecycling old magazines, catalogs, and newspapers is one of the easiest ways to help the environment. To increase the supply of recoverable wood fiber and to reduce the demand on regional landfills, Shop Talk! urges its readers to support recycling efforts in their communities.

Shop Talk! is printed only with inks made from vegetable oil.

ADVERTISERS INDEXADVERTISERS INDEX


www.leathermachineco.com * [email protected]

LEATHER MACHINE CO., INC.

LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY ON ALL COBRA MACHINERY!!

COBRA Class 4Specifications:

*16 1/2” Arm* Best and most versatile presser feet in the business *Sews from 6 oz. to 7/8 ”*Thread sizes from 69 to 415**Triple Feed mechanism*Reverse stitches in same holes*Stitch Length from 3-22 stitches an inch*Sews leather, pads, blankets, webbing, canvas, upholstery, bio-plastics, & other materials* 28 LED Super Beam Lamp** Heavy Duty Speed Reducer* Digital DC Servo Motor* Accessories* Complete Accessory Package FREE!!

$2,695.00Complete

Christopher Andre (Slickbald Custom Leather)1st. Place in the Holsters and Gunbelts categoryin Sheridan, WY., using his COBRA CLASS 4

FINALLY!!An open toe center

foot for maximum visibility,only available on the

Cobra Class 4or Cobra Class 3...

it’s about time!it’s about time!

Distributors of Quality Hardware & Supplies for the Harness, Tack,

Saddlery, and Pet Industries

4205 Township Road 629Millersburg, OH 44654

Request your free catalog today!

Distributors of Quality Hardware

X• BioThane Coated Webbing

• Thoroughbred Leather• Quality Stainless Steel and Brass Saddlery Hardware

• Fiebing Products • WahlClippers • Fortex & Fortifl ex Products • Nylon Webbing

• Leather and BioThane Harness Parts plus much more

We manufacture our own line of leather riding and training tack.

We also do custom leather and nylon work.We also do custom leather and nylon work.

Large enough to serve you… Small enough to need you!

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

February 2015P.O. Box 17817 • Asheville, NC 28816(828) 505-8474 • FAX (828) 505-8476

www.proleptic.net

Shop Talk! with Boot & Shoe News 12 Monthly Issues $36

Canada & Mexico $39USOther Countries $54US

SHATA Members deduct $4

Check yourrenewal date

today!

shoptalk! february 2015

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