Mindy, most people know who you are, where you are. I love your store. Everyone loves your store. Tell me something about what you do here, what you’re trying to do and what is your goal for your business.
So the focus of my store has always been on quality leathers, jewelers, and other designers, whether they be designers from this area, a lot from Europe and Italy, specializing in fine leathers, a lot of wonderful shoes and bags. We represent designers that I’m passionate about and my clients have become passionate about as well.
What are some of those favorite products that you tend to keep purchasing and bringing in?
We’ve worked with Henry Beguelin, which is a very well-known designer from Italy for many years, Officine Creative known for their beautiful hand stitched bags and shoes and belts. Marsèll, another wonderful line from Italy. Guidi, who not only has fabulous leathers. They’ve had a tannery in Italy since the 1800s. Every one of their boots is made single handed, one boot at a time, all hand cobbled.
I also work with a wonderful designer from Japan on our sneakers, who does a very unusual sneaker and amazingly comfortable. And that’s the thing about our shoes. Not only do they look good; they have to feel good. And so, we really work with a lot of people who have special needs with their feet, like we all do as we get older, and so having a comfortable shoe that also looks fabulous, very important. And then we still have a belt workshop here where we make custom belts.
So if a person came in and said, I’d like to have a 2-inch wide belt with a silver buckle, do you do the whole thing or the buckle is outsourced?
No. Normally, they would either be purchasing a buckle from us or they would have a buckle. They would come in with a buckle they already had. And then we would be making the belt to go with. I would produce hides and leathers and skins and see what they had in mind, do their measurements, and then we would make the belt according to those specs.
You probably sell more shoes than anything, or bags and shoes?
I would say our shoes and bags, yes, would be our number one and two. Also, we have a lot of belts already made up, so we do a lot there. And we have wonderful jewelry and a lot of great cashmeres and beautiful jackets. So it’s a nice balance.
What were you doing before you got into this? What were you doing in Santa Fe?
Many different things. But my background was art and design, and I did some art programs for children. I also worked with, I did some blacksmithing, some silversmithing, some weaving. I did all those things here; I came in ’78. I’ve had my shop here on Canyon Road for 30 years.
Obviously in 30 years, there’s been changes on the road. There’s been businesses that have come and gone. One of the changes is that we still physically make things here in the store. We still make our belts. Back when I came to Santa Fe, we had weavers, potters, and painters on the road. So those are changes I have seen on this road, but there’s also been some lovely additions over the years. And so you have some of the things that you miss that were once here, and then you have things that you’re glad are now here.
SUBSCRIBE TO SANTA FE MAGAZINE HERE!
Photo SFM
