WELCOME TO TAIT LEATHER COMPANY !!

I’m Jeff, the founder of Tait Leather Company, and I’m glad you’re here. I might not be one for long walks on the beach, but I’m all about spending quality time with my family and showing them what hard work really looks like, day in and day out. My wife, though, has mixed feelings about my leather-crafting passion—so much so that she started her own podcast, probably just to escape my endless chatter about leather!

But let me take you back to where my journey into leather crafting began.

It was December 2019, and I was listening to a podcast about the lost art of crafting leather goods. As someone who enjoys creativity and working with my hands, I thought, "How hard can it be to turn a cowhide into a wallet?" Spoiler: It was much harder than I imagined. Humbling, even.

I started with a simple kit, a few hand tools, and took over our kitchen table. It quickly turned into a series of YouTube deep dives, trying to figure out why my stitches didn’t match up, why my wallet wouldn’t hold a credit card, and why it looked nothing like the picture. I never even finished that first kit.

So, what did I do? I went all in. I bought a half side of “cheap” veg-tan leather and some more tools, deciding to start from scratch. Little did I know that the world was about to turn upside down. The pandemic hit, and I found myself working 80-hour weeks at my day job. Leather crafting became the distraction I didn’t know I needed.

I began designing my own patterns, cutting my own leather, gluing my fingers together, and stabbing myself with needles more times than I care to admit. Over time, I learned what a 90-degree angle is supposed to look like (that was a game-changer). I started adding a quarter inch to all sides, and suddenly, the products began to take shape. From rough sketches to finished wallets, journals, and cardholders—I was hooked.

Fast forward to today—after years of trial and error, late nights, and lots of mistakes—I’ve turned a hobby into a passion and a business. At Tait Leather Company, everything is 100% handmade—no sewing machines or clicker dyes. Just two hands, ten fingers, and high-quality veg-tan leather. My only machine? A laser engraver for custom touches, if that’s your style. But if you prefer bare-bones craftsmanship, I’m happy to make it that way too.

If you’ve got an idea for something custom, from wallets to journal covers, or something you’ve been dreaming up, I’d love to bring it to life for you. I can’t wait for you to be part of the Tait Leather family and experience the care and dedication I put into every product.

Jeff Wilson
Founder, Tait Leather Company