Leather, Updates and Ideas!

I got to swing by the tannery yesterday to see what leather I could pick up to round out the choices for the bike shoes trial - always fun, and sometimes frustrating, it is the nature of how I procure hides. More on that later....

So now that I have all the colors I'll be able to offer, I'll go through my stock to see how much I have of what so don't promise six pairs of something I only have enough for three - or some similarly horrifying result.

There will be black - which is surprising since it's been years since I actually bought any (other than for trims and linings), plus there was one piece of red hide that should work as a softer alternative to the red latigo (see preceding posts for pictures of "those red shoes"). Unfortunately, there was no longer any more of the actual red latigo, so what I have in stock is it for the foreseeable future unless some company decides to order a several hundred feet.


Something I don't usually do, is go through the scraps bin. It's usually depressing to find a minuscule scrap of something gorgeous that I can't get restocked without thousands of dollars investment. This time I did, so there are some fun options for trims and possibly one unique shoe in one variety (it's a bit oily though):


Variety of leather is one of the benefits, as well as the downsides to being an individual artist/craftsperson/designer (whatever). I can usually come up with some pretty unique solutions to the needs of a customer by dropping by the tannery - even though sometimes it will come with a very hefty price-tag depending on what type of leather it is, as well as what grading it has. Horween specializes in very good quality leathers. I get to see a lot of samples that were made for specialty markets, and I have a huge library of swatches of ridiculously cool leathers going back to my student years. Unfortunately most of them will probably never be available to me, so I keep them for color and tannage reference and daydreaming.

The leather choice issue is also why finding a variety of crust leather that I can custom dye is so very appealing. If I could get a somewhat large quantity manufactured without committing to making hundreds of shoes all the same color, the volume pricing could potentially offset some of the cost of providing custom and semi-custom color options.

I do buy some upper leather from other suppliers - except for some premium Italian stuff, I keep having more bad experiences than good (mostly inconsistent quality). I don't feel bad about making those my last resort these days.
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I need to update my materials and make new cards and a new brochure type thing. I would really like to do some promotional items to sell, such as T-shirts and cycling caps. They would be printed with a variation of my header logo, so I've been shopping around screen printing shops and researching a particular cycling cap I like. I don't know if I'd be pursuing this while I'm working on the trial run, or afterward when I'm reviewing the trial and working out the logistics of a larger run.

I would love to hear from people any ideas on taking pre-orders or something similar. I'm wondering if using something like Kickstarter to graduate to the next stage might be something to consider.
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Some of you may have noticed that I took down my link to Etsy (as well as the pieces on it). I decided to try them out at a local boutique - Wolfbate & B-girls in Chicago's Logan Square. It's a pretty nifty shop, and people can see my stuff in person. I will probably gradually restock some items on Etsy, but I want to see how things go at the shop first.
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In an effort to make space (and a few dollars), I have one of my sewing machines up for sale on Craigslist here.

I'm thinking of holding a studio sale to make some space, and get rid of materials I probably won't ever get around to using - I keep buying fabric for projects that I don't have time to make. I'm going to be pretty hectic once the bike shoe lasts get here, so it needs to happen pretty soon - if at all.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Bike Shoes Update 7/12/11

This is just a really quick post to say that I've closed the pre-orders for my bike shoes trial run. The last model is on it's way to my last-maker. On order are twelve pairs of shoes to be made once the lasts come back.

While I'm waiting for the lasts, I'll be collecting supplies that need to be restocked and start discussing color and detail options available to the customers.

Then I get to be the crazed shoemaker!



In case you're bored with the same picture over and over again, I'll give you something new to look at next time!

There are a few details to work out, but there will be some more announcements to be made in the near future. I'm applying to participate in an event coming up that I'll post once I've heard back.

Cheers!

Bike Shoes Are Go! Plus a Boston Trip Recap

Fantastic news!

I seem to have met my minimum to start on the trial run of the bike shoes!

It would be great to get a few more people in on this, so give me a ring or send a message if you are interested. I plan on sending my bike last to be copied by the end of the week, so I need a final list of sizes by Monday, July 11th.

If you are local, it's possible that I can measure you myself (depending on time and your distance from me or proximity to CTA trains) - It's nice to talk to people in person - so it's preferable if it's possible.

Oh, and FYI: Because this isn't meant to be custom, you don't need to be local or follow a rigorous measuring protocol to take part in this.


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Boston was blast!

I was able to make the trip because there were a number of things going on - a high school reunion, networking with bike folks, pedorthics research and then on to a family reunion in Rhode Island to celebrate my parents birthdays. This trip was packed, and long and cool.

Did I mention long? It's been ages since I've left town for more than a few days - here I've been back a week and I'm still getting back into a groove, if you've made it this far into the post, you already know why I'm especially excited right now!

Out of shear luck, the tenants where I crashed in Boston were mostly involved with bikes somehow, so I got off to a great start meeting people just by staying put and hanging out (thanks Laurel!). Besides the where I stayed (and the reunion), I also got to to have a great time hanging out and catching up with some old friends!

I have rediscovered how bad my sense of direction can sometimes be by wandering around Boston. I probably would have been better off without trying to geek-out with the map program on my phone and just submitted to looking like a tourist - I can actually read a map, though you wouldn't know it if you'd seen me. Ha!

I still managed to stop by Geekhouse Bikes in Boston and Royal H Cycles in Somerville (as well as an unplanned visit to Independent Fabrications!). Thanks everyone for taking time out to talk, show me cool stuff and chat about how and why we make things.

I made it in to a few bike shops - both for eye-candy and to see what is what. Fitters at two locations of Wheelworks indulged me in conversation about how various fitting systems incorporate footwear issues (and vice-versa). Superb Bicycles in Boston was a pretty cool shop to visit - cool bikes and a cool selection of bike-centric clothing.

From Boston, I bussed it to Rhode Island to hang out with extended family (that I don't see often), immediate family (that I should see more often) and wish my parents a happy birthday!

My flights were mostly uneventful and now I'm back in Chicago!

Now, I have a bunch of stuff to make happen, so I'm signing off. I hope you've had a lovely Fourth of July weekend and you're looking forward to a great week ahead.

Cheers!