History of Rigal Leatherworks

After making the above holster, I went to my local library and found a book on leather craft. I also called a leather store to ask questions and placed an order for a book specifically about holsters and for my first leather hide, a vegetable tanned double shoulder. That one piece of leather cost around the price of one finished holster, and I was able to make at least 10 holsters with it. One of those holsters is pictured below. It was made for my grandfather. I also started experimenting with other projects like knife sheaths, belts, and wallets and with carving and stamping leather. (I don’t do much of the carving and stamping these days.)

Over the years, all of my leather work was done for myself or for gifts. Around 2015, I had been making several one-layer veg tan belts and decided that I’d like to try making a two-layer belt. At the time, all of my stitching was done by hand. Hand-stitching a belt would take a tremendous amount of time. So, I started researching industrial sewing machines. That’s the point where I began thinking I need to sell my work, to help fund this purchase. However, I was blessed by a generous donation. My parents offered to buy the sewing machine for me. The business idea was delayed a bit while I gain confidence in using the new machine. During this time, I was churning out lots of belts for family members, and friends began asking for belts, also.

In 2017, I finally decided I needed to put a price on these items. I played around with some business name ideas and by July 2017, Rigal Leatherworks, LLC was official. Almost everything I did at that time was priced at material cost plus $10 (which was never enough to cover overhead and taxes), but it was still basically a hobby where I was reimbursed for most of my expenses. Through the years, I’ve taken on many custom projects and enjoy a challenge. In 2019, a friend asked me if I had ever thought about bible rebinding. I initially wrote that off as too difficult and not my typical type of leather work. But he persisted. In February 2020, I started rebinding bibles. My first bible experiment is shown above.  The business grew exponentially after that. A little while later, I was asked to make a tote, and that generated more business. As the business grew, it came to my attention that my family wasn’t seeing much of me, and they weren’t seeing any benefit of my work in our household budget since I was just barely covering my costs. At the advice of some close friends, I started putting numbers into a spreadsheet to calculate cost, overhead, a fair hourly rate, and a minimal profit. I then tried to balance that with what I thought the market would bring (which means some items are priced below what was calculated). I created my first small catalog in 2022 before deciding that I need to finally make this website. At this time, Rigal Leatherworks is still my side job that is operated secondary to my other full-time job.  (Rigal Leatherworks sometimes requires a 40+ hour week on top of my other job.)

About Chad

I was born and raised in West Monroe. I have an accounting degree and have worked as an accountant/financial analyst for 27 years. Rigal Leatherworks is my “second job”, but you’ll find me in the leather shop almost every evening and on the weekends. I have a strong faith in God and rely heavily on His Word to guide all aspects of my life. While I believe it is my right to tell you about Jesus, I also believe it is your right to live your life the way you choose within the law. My favorite place other than being home with family is Yellowstone. The park is the most amazing place I’ve ever been. In 2021, we were fortunate to be able to locate a wolf den and observe the wolves (with a large litter of pups) for several days.

I met my wife in junior high and began dating her in high school. We have now been married for 26 years, and I love and value her more today than I ever have. She decided later in life that she wanted to teach, went back to college to get her Master’s degree (earning an A in every class), and currently teaches 2nd grade. She is one of the most creative people I have met. She can draw, write, and fire off witty comments like no other. We have 3 of the most amazing and unique children.  Our oldest is a lot like her mother, in appearance and personality. When she was very young, I joked that she’s going to be a lawyer when she grows up due to her always stating her case, debating to support her opinions, and standing up for what she thinks is right. In 2023, she married the man she’s loved since they were both in middle school. Our middle child is an awesome artist that started showing an uncanny ability to draw facial expressions that conveyed emotion even when she was still drawing stick figures. She now loves drawing cartoon wolves and those expressions have carried over to her current artwork. The youngest is a sponge that craves knowledge. When he gets interested in a topic, he reads and remembers everything he can find. One summer, he became interested in the presidents. He not only memorized every US president, in order (and can tell you what number they are on the list), he can also tell you which party each represented. He is quick to answer and confident in his response when he is quizzed on this knowledge. He didn’t get that from me. He just discovered football and has to watch every single game… ALL of them!

We also have a bit of a cat problem. Early in our marriage, my wife and I decided that 2 cats were ideal and 3 was the absolute maximum. And we followed that rule for over 20 years, then something happened (I blame the Covid lockdown and my kids).  We shifted from buying fancy cats occasionally to rescuing and fostering cats… often, and that got a tad out of control. If you’re allergic to cats and plan to come by the house, I can meet you in the shop or put the cats away ahead of time (whatever is best for you)!  One of our cats is the welcoming committee. He has never met a stranger and will likely be in the middle of everything if I don’t put him in the bedroom. 

All images and logos are copyright Rigal Leatherworks, LLC.

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