I'd love to make something for you! How did it all begin...
Sometime back in 2007, I started getting the urge to learn an "old world" skill, something meticulous and hands on that had been passed down from generation to generation. I've always been interested in all things history, and I wanted a creative way to put my love of history into something tangible. After a weekend visit to Charleston, S
C and seeing all the wrought iron all over the city, I just KNEW I had to be a blacksmith. After careful consideration and a nagging vision of me burning my tiny house down, I decided I needed to settle on something less.....dangerous. During this one year, both of my parents passed away. I was in my mid-twenties, was relatively newly wed, and my wife had just given birth to our first child. To say I was in a mental state of complete chaos would be a massive understatement. In the midst of all this chaos, I had something of an epiphany where I just knew the craft I should undertake was leather working. On a whim one day, I headed over to the local leather craft store and picked up my first craft kit. It had everything I needed to get started, including a couple of starter projects. I was INSTANTLY hooked! I went back to the store probably 3-4 times every week and soaked up as much information as possible. I bought and read every book I could get my hands on; I joined every forum in existence; I wholly threw myself and all my grief into learning everything I could about leather working. It kept me grounded, and it kept me sane. And as an added bonus, I sort of had a knack for it! So in May of 2008, I opened up the shop and haven't looked back since!! FAST FORWARD TO TODAY
We live in an age of fast-food and cut corners, all in the name of quantity NOT quality. Since the first day that I started selling my leather products, quality has been priority number one! In fact, I WILL NOT place my maker's mark on an item that doesn't make me proud. To me, Magnolia Leatherworks is more than just a hobby or just a business. It's a connection that I feel with the past, both in the old-world craftmanship of leather working, and with my own personal journey overcoming the tragedies that prompted me to start working with leather, and I want you to experience that through the thoughtfulness and care I take with each item.
-sam
