A ‘DYING ART’ LIVES ON
Clark Morelia is creating vibrant — and affordable — leather products in Swissvale
Rob Hackett and Jocelyn Avila fell in love with the craft of leather work in 2019, when they began making small items at home as a way of branching out into a new art medium.
“We were just kind of messing around,” said Ms. Avila, 33, a project manager in the tech industry. “Our friends knew that we were doing this and we started making some things — gifts or something they had asked us for.
“And then we were like ‘this is really cool.’ It was summertime and all these markets started popping up. So we decided to apply to a couple.”
Ms. Avila and Mr. Hackett, 35, an adjunct professor in sculpture and printmaking at the University of Pittsburgh, were accepted into every market to which they applied.
That success inspired them to start their own business.
First, they researched the market. And they found that there weren’t many other leather crafters in the Pittsburgh region.
Then, they took the leap: Clark Morelia — a leather works company named after a mash-up of the co-owners’ middle names — had a soft opening at its Swissvale studio the last week of 2023.
In their new space, they handmake goods using leather deemed undesirable by larger manufacturers, opting for a so-called flawed product so they can create more affordable items.
“We want to make our products as accessible and as affordable as possible,” Mr. Hackett said. “The big companies are doing a lot of treatment to the leather to have a super consistent finish because they require everything to be identical. We don’t feel that need.”
Keeping costs down
But just as they were launching their business, COVID shut the world down.
So Mr. Hackett and Ms. Avila spent lockdown time honing their craftsmanship, and soaking up different techniques.
As time passed, the co-owners realized they would need more space. Their house in Wilkinsburg began to fill up with tools and cow hide.
They secured a studio last March in Swissvale. There, they have a small storefront to showcase items, and a large work area in the back filled with crafting tools, work benches and mounds of leather.
Mr. Hackett and Ms. Avila source products from three leather manufacturers: Maverick Leather in Bend, Ore., Horween Leather, in Chicago, Ill. — which provides leather for footballs and basketballs for the NFL and NBA — and Wickett & Craig in Curwensville, Clearfield County.
“We have a mix,” Ms. Avila said. “We buy a lot of these one-off hides, second- or third-run leather. The benefit is that it’s a little bit more affordable. Helps us to keep our costs down.
“The problem with it is there are bug bites or scratch marks or the dye maybe isn’t super consistent. But it’s nothing that impacts the quality of the actual hide.”
The standard cost of a hide of leather (which is 3 feet by 8 feet) can range from $300 to $400, Mr. Hackett said.
But by purchasing leather that is considered “second-run,” they pay $120 to $150 a hide.
‘The strongest way to do it’
By choosing second-runs — which ensures that no one piece is the same as the next — the co-owners also create products that are unique from one item to the next.
“Having variety lets us offer different colors and options,” Mr. Hackett said. “Sometimes, we find a hide that we love, we buy a few sides of it and then — that was the end of a run. So that leather doesn’t exist anymore.”
But, he added: “It’s nice to be able to change things up and offer things in different leathers.”
The process of making a wallet or bag can take hours to days depending on the design, Ms. Avila said. The co-owners deliberately cut and sew and punch holes, then glue together pieces of leather, all by hand.
There are ways to speed up the process.
But they prefer to work by hand. Doing so allows them to keep costs lower because they don’t have to invest in expensive machinery, they said.
Doesn’t compromise the quality of what we’re making, but significantly saves time, we try to invest in it,” Ms. Avila said. She cited an industrial sewing machine they recently
purchased. “We don’t use it for everything,” she said. “We use it to put zippers on.”
But they hand-stitch the bottom of all bags, she said, “because we know that’s the strongest way to do it.
“That’s what makes us feel good about its longevity.”
‘Something kind of magical’
WhenClark Morelia first started selling its products, it was through local artists’ markets and e-commerce platforms.
Now with a storefront, the owners are excited not only to increase in-person sales, but also to share the process of leather work.
“Being able to have people come in and experience the leather firsthand is really something kind of magical,” he said. “People like to touch it. That’s why you fall in love with these objects — because of how they look, feel and smell.”
They hope to eventually teach classes at the studio where patrons can learn how to make wallets and other items, Ms. Avila said.
But for now, they are excited to start sharing the “dying art” of leather work.
“We genuinely love this craft,” Mr. Hackett said. “I now understand, when we were learning, why people were so generous with giving us information. It’s because when it’s something you love, you want to share it with people.”