Business Spotlight: Paige Leather
By Madi Dunbar
Imagine having a tote bag that is not only beautiful and functional, but also stands the width of time. That is exactly what Paige Leather brings to the table. Owner, Paige Albrecht, creates her purses, bags and accessories with chap-weight leather. Just like the traditional chaps the western world has known for decades, each of her pieces are meant to stand the test of time; bringing authenticity and functionality with every creation. With her creative, fashion forward but also classic designs, Paige has successfully brought her own personality into every one of her designs.
Paige says that her mom’s side of the family is all artistic which left a lot of room for her own artistic abilities to grow and shine. Her work was first noticed by equine associations looking for unique year-end awards who were interested in Paige’s drawings and paintings. In her art, Paige says she is always passionate about portraying the modern cowboy. “With most western art these days, you see a romanticized, idealized cowboy - you don’t see what it’s like working on a cattle ranch day in and day out. There are great stories to tell there.” she shared. Paige’s art is a homage to western culture, but Paige Leather also gave her the opportunity to cater to the boldness in women. Inspired by the pages of Cowboys & Indians magazine, she began with creating wide leather belts; the 'gunslinger' and 'corset' styles that are now so popular were born during this period. Her belts were originally a complimentary product to the art that hung from the walls of her art booths, but soon women were asking to purchase them as well. “The leather work really called to me. I attacked my leather working skills, wanting to do the absolute best by the pieces I created.” Paige says. Purses and accessories followed shortly after and were instantly loved by women both in the rodeo arena and on the city streets. Paige quickly fell in love with the making of her leather pieces. “I would go leather shopping and would fall in love with each different piece of leather, turquoise or concho I saw. The purses came from that organically, it was so fun to buy beautiful leather and create something special from that.” “I really believe in going big, or going home. You know, you grow up as a small-town girl and sometimes you think, 'I can’t do that, I can’t build this hugely successful company.' But I know I can. I try to be brave, I try to stay ahead of the curve. I think to myself, if I want to sell you something that is high end, I have embody that timelessness and offer you high-quality, classic pieces.”
Paige is always striving to create leatherwork that exceeds her clients expectations and believes that it all comes down to the small details in craftsmanship, quality supplies and design details that stand out in the crowd. Her end goal is for all of her goods to stand the test of time. “I don't believe "good enough is good enough" and am striving to make high end classic leather goods that have a raw western vibe.” Paige says when explaining her thought process when hand making her pieces. “Each piece is handmade, and one of a kind by me and I'm picky!” Her pickiness is obvious in her work. Paige prides herself in customer service and making sure each of her customers are happy with their purchase. “After everything is said and done I want the client to love their Paige Leather piece, enjoy the custom order process and feel welcome to give me feedback.”
“I eat, sleep and drink my leather business and this year my business has had some epic changes!” Paige shared. “'I recently bought a small piece of land that I set up my art studio/leather shop and its a freaking dream come true!” Her every day life consists of fulfilling custom orders, creating tradeshow & website inventory, riding her working cowhorse Spooky, which she consideres her daily therapy, and helping on her family's ranch and developing her new land. She points out that family is very important to her and she currently lives on her brother’s place where they train horses and show working cowhorses; A cowgirl through and through. When asked to share more about her personal life, Paige expressed her gratitude towards her friends and family when it comes to them supporting her business, “This year has taught me gratitude and humility.... my family, friends and yes, horses, are amazing. I'm blown away daily by their support and hope to repay them in kind.” You can find Paige’s pieces and learn more about her business on her website or follow her on Instagram to keep up with what all Paige Leather has to offer.
