We bought the business from Merlin just over a year ago, and before that we managed a ranch east of town. We knew Merlin from bringing in our own hides to tan.

The hardest part about getting into this career was learning so many new things and trying to start up a new business on top of that. Any new business requires so much hard work and time, but when you are working for something that is your own, it’s worth it.

We love doing something that combines things we love, like hunting, and be able to make a career of it. So what exactly is hide tanning? Tanning hides is taking the animal skin from rawhide to leather. After an animal is harvested, in order for the hide to be preserved the skin side needs to be turned to leather or it will rot. We start by fleshing and salting, and then use a series of chemical processes to create a soft leather. The end product is then used by taxidermist to create mounts, craftsmen and women to make fur products, or taken home to be enjoyed by our customers.

I look forward to walking you through the process and showing you around our shop!