How it all started…

In October of 2012, I found myself uprooted and upended from my life as a Navy sailor stationed in Norfolk, VA. I unfortunately was given a medical discharge due to a previously unknown medical issue, and now was a civilian starting a new life with my lovely wife, a daughter of the Twin Cities, back on her home turf. The following year, my wife finally was able to bring me out to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, and from then I was hooked, especially on the leather shops there!

Shop after shop of beautifully crafted leather goods, it was almost overwhelming…and truly inspiring!

Around 2015, I resolved to dip my toe into the ocean of leathercrafting and picked up some basic supplies at my local Tandy Leather store. I slowly took to the craft, making myself a regular fixture at that Tandy until my job circumstances changed, and I took a part-time job there. I went from wading in to just jumping headfirst into the craft!

Submerged in this crafting environment, my talents and techniques grew under the tutelage of my management staff and several local leatherworkers, including a few of the leather shops at MN Ren Fest. I grew much more in confidence, and received a lot of encouragement from friends and relatives to start selling my craft. Even after leaving that job, the people I bonded with and the connections I’ve made are still valuable to my growth as a crafter and as a person.

Behind the scenes in all this were my struggles as a Disabled Vet and neurodivergent individual, trying to make sense of the massive upheaval in career paths and life guidance, and now trying to readjust my own self-care plan to bring me back to a good place. Having ADD/ADHD, Depression, and Narcolepsy is a tough hand to be played for sure, but one of the biggest saving graces was my leatherwork. My wife noticed that I was happiest when I was creating and crafting.

In April 2019, I decided to pull the trigger and actually start this as a genuine business, a small side hustle to supplement income. Toward the end of the year, finding myself in a job that, while financially rewarding, was taking a severe toll on my mental health, I made one of the biggest steps toward living my best life and quit.

Since then, my focuses have been maintaining my household, raising my beautiful daughter, caring for my three furbabies, loving and caring for my amazing wife….and dedicating myself to my craft!