Lyons Leather Co. Solves the Age old Question of What Bag to Use!

Looking for the perfect bag that fits every occasion? Spring Market Featured Artisan, Lyons Leather Co., will have you set with her leather “Bee” bag and accessories! Sustainably and respectfully sourced, non-toxically tanned with a super-dialed in system design, this is the essential bag for all occasions.

You've followed a traditional path for an entrepreneur...you had a problem and you developed a solution. Would you share how and why you created Lyons Leather Co.?

In 2019, I became determined to solve a problem that I faced for over a decade. Every time I traveled, went to an event, ran errands, or did anything at all I was faced with the conundrum: what bag do I bring? My shoulder purses were cute, but uncomfortable. Backpacks were useful, but not always cute. The decision to not wear a purse inevitably meant losing something. The classic fanny pack wasn't easy to dress up when the occasion called for it. Bringing multiple bags drove my inner minimalist crazy. I wanted something I could wear cross-body when hitting the grocery store, throw around my waist for a quick hike, and over the shoulder to get fancy. It needed to be cute, practical, and versatile. Big enough for the essentials, light enough to forget it was there. One day, I was packing for a trip and did one last internet search for the convertible, lightweight, leather pouch of my dreams. When I didn't find what I wanted, I decided I would just have to make it myself.

This would be a good time to add that I am not a leatherworker by trade. But the drive of wanting something this badly, for this long, forced me way out of my comfort zone. I dropped whatever I was doing and made my first of many trips to Tandy Leather. I purchased the basic leather working tools, and got some tips from the pros (shout at ladies at Westminster Tandy). I bought some beautiful North American deer and elk skin hides from a small tannery on Etsy. For the next few years, I worked around my full time job in our spare room to figure out the design for the pouch I was now fondly referring to as the “Bee.” I continued selling and gifting my prototypes to friends and family who loved them, the word started to spread until I ultimately had 100+ people on my waitlist.

In 2021, we moved from Denver to beautiful Lyons, CO and I finally got my own workshop. In 2022, I received the gift of a lay-off from my full-time job and officially launched Lyons Leather Co. In addition to the Bee, there were a variety of other leather goods I wanted to make in the same style–small-batch, lightweight, versatile products that were designed for outdoor adventures, travel, and daily life. I continue to design and prototype everything in our collection in my garage workshop. We make small batches of each product and color in the collection. When a color sells out, there’s always a chance it could retire for good! I change up the colors in the collection every quarter too.

We understand that you care deeply about where you source your materials to make your leather products. What led to your partnership and why?

Yes, sustainably sourcing my leather is super important to me. While I loved working with the hides from my original Etsy source, they were expensive. When I realized I needed to scale production to meet demand, without having a ridiculous price point, I knew I had to use cowhide. From doing my own research, I knew I wanted to source cowhide that was vegetable-tanned (chromium/chemical-free). Vegetable tanning is an organic process that dates back to 6000 BCE and uses natural tannins found in plants or bark. While it is more expensive, it is much more environmentally friendly than chemical tanning and it also creates leather that ages beautifully over time. I also knew I wanted to source my materials in an ethical way to minimize waste and ensure the whole animal was used respectfully.

After researching tanneries throughout the world, I found LeFarc Tannery. Le Farc was founded in 1994 and is ranked one of the most sustainable tanneries in the world. Not only are they solar-powered, but they are a member of the Leather Working Group which means they recycle hides that are by-products of the food industry. Additionally, they have a proprietary system that treats wastewater and repurposes leather waste by turning it into collagen. Lastly, they pride themselves on supporting the local community with corporate social responsibility programs as well. They were one of the only tanneries to meet all of my requirements in a materials partner and so far our work together has been really amazing.

What inspired your original bag design and how has your product line evolved?

I had dreamt about “the Bee” for over a decade and by the time I made it, I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted it to look like and what purpose it should serve. Starting in 2019, I worked around my full time job in my spare room to figure out how to actually make the convertible pouch of my dreams since I had no prior leather work experience. Inspired by the marsupial, I wanted it to be pouch-shaped, so I traced a medium salad bowl and cut it in half to make the pattern for the body. I wanted the strap to be adjustable and spent A LOT of time thinking about alternative ideas to the traditional buckle hardware. Ultimately, the heavy duty snaps I chose were not just cute, but super functional. They allowed the pouch to easily transition between a fanny pack, sling bag, and shoulder bag in a fun, unique way. It took me two small-batches and lots of customer feedback to evolve the pocket system to what it is today: two panel pockets with snaps, a small Daily Wallet pocket, and a small zipper pocket for change, earrings, etc. Since the Bee came out, I have been adding new products that create a “system” for the Bee including a Travel Wallet, Daily Wallet, and Keychain. The collection will continue to expand based on customer feedback!

Are you creating anything new for our upcoming market?

Yes! I have a few new products to share at the market. The first is the Travel Wallet , which fits a passport or small notebook, change, currency, clear ID pocket, boarding pass, etc. It’s something I always wanted every time I traveled, so I finally made it for myself before a trip in 2020. I finalized the pattern and prototype this year and it’s definitely a permanent addition to the collection. Another item is the Keychain! I had a lot of customers tell me they wanted an easy way to access their keys in their Bee, so I designed a simple, old-fashioned keychain that hooks on the o-ring for easy access. Finally, for now, Biggie Bee, a new, bigger version of the original Bee, will be coming out in our new Spring Collection colors!

What are you looking forward to about participating in Firefly Handmade Markets?

I am most excited about connecting with people (customers and shoppers) who are locals just like myself.

Connect with Lyons Leather Co at Firefly Handmade Spring Market, April 29 & 30, on Old South Gaylord Street, Wash Park, in Denver.

https://www.lyonsleatherco.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lyonsleatherco/