Help a Startup Leather Crafter

I have started a leather craft and shoemaking business and I need your help with the cost of machinery and materials to make this dream a reality.

I started my journey four years ago when apprenticing with shoemaker Sara McIntosh in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago. I helped her fulfill orders and organize her workroom in exchange for instruction on how to make shoes and other leather accessories.  She was a great help to me, and she has since gone on to launch the Chicago School of Shoemaking and Leather Arts, where I was one of the first pupils. 

While working part-time as a bartender, I’ve made shoes and leather goods for friends and clients—taking custom orders and working out of my apartment in San Francisco.  I have been trying to do enough leatherwork to make ends meet, and I started an Etsy page for the bags, dog collars, dog leashes, and leather cuff bracelets that I make by hand.  Feel free to take a look at my Etsy page for James Dorsey Handcrafted.


To really get my business off the ground, I ask for your help acquiring machines andtools that can boost my rate of production. I currently sew every stitch by hand or with my over-taxed, 30-year-old Singer sewing machine. I feel that I’ve been able to do some great work, and I will continue to do much hand-sewing for my future projects.

But I need to upgrade my sewing machine to one that is more efficient, and I need to get a specialty walking-foot sewing machine capable of sewing leather and thick fabric.  The everyday workshop machine that I'm looking at costs $500. The specialty walking-foot machine that I am looking at costs $1,500.  With these two machines, I will be able to expand my product line, speed up my manufacturing, and add shoes back to my line-up.

I have been making due with beginner leather tools and inexpensive leathers to start my Etsy page, and now I would like to improve the tools and materials for my shop.  The average cost of materials like leather hides is  $125-$250 each, thread ($40-$60 each), and specialty tools (leather punches, irons, needles, and other) that total over $1000.