My name is Rob, but that's Alpha to you.
I grew up in San Diego CA on the beach. Imperial Beach to be exact. In my early 20s I moved to Indianapolis Indiana with a couple of guys in search of something. I didn’t know what I was searching for at the time. I was 22, found a job and was working. My friend Jerold and I were spending time at the local leather bar “the 501”. It was a brick building two stories high and frequented by many of the leather community of the time. Jerold and I made friends with the owners of the bar. There was an upstairs that had burned out at some point in the past. Jerold had a construction background and negotiated a deal with the owners to clear, clean and remodel the upstairs portion of the bar to enhance the space and in return we would get space for a leather shop. I was an apprentice in the shop.
The summer of ‘92 I spent every evening and weekend in that bar working on the construction of the space. It happened quickly and went really well. The shop came to be and was stocked with hides, a sewing machine and all the needed metal to make clothes and gear. I continued to work my day job, in the evenings I spent 4 hours or more learning how to make gear. I learned how to maximize the space of a hide when drawing out patterns, cutting leather, using all the various tools to add snaps, grommets & rivets to garments or other items. This was my life for two years. It was amazing, I worked and focused on learning a craft. 1992 - 1995 was a scary time to be a gay man. Jerold was getting sick and would not be able to continue to tutor me and needed to go home to Texas so he could figure out end of life stuff. The shop no longer had a curator. I was left on my own. Feeling incomplete, I continued to live and work in Indiana till 1997. I returned to San Diego in 1998.
I started working with leather gear. I made small items and they would sell fast. It was not my primary source of income and I didn’t have the finances to open a shop or build an empire. I continued to hone my craft. In 2004 I purchased my first industrial walking foot sewing machine. I had no idea how to sew or even how to thread the machine. I taught myself and learned from my mistakes along the way. I had a passion to make things. Leather was my medium and I needed to create. I started slow and momentum grew, I have since taught myself how to measure the body and draw and adjust patterns for clothing and gear. Here I am some 30ish years later still hamming out gear with passion. Creating visions and building dreams with hides from all over the world. Some of my favorite projects are when someone brings me something from a loved one or a friend that is no longer with us. They have a vintage piece that they want to modernize and memorialize their loved one. Those are so wonderful and special to be able to help create something they will wear and cherish.
Get in contact if you have a project, or a vision or simply would like some new gear. It's my pleasure to create something just for you.