Hi, I'm Taylor Bennett.
I've been making leather goods out of a 400-square-foot workshop in Lexington, Kentucky since 2019.
I started this the way a lot of makers do — out of frustration. The wallets I bought at department stores fell apart within a year. The "premium" ones at $200 felt mass-made: same machine stitching, same dyed edges, same hollow weight in the hand. So in 2018 I bought a side of veg-tanned leather from a tannery in Pennsylvania, watched too many hours of saddle-stitching videos, and ruined my first three wallets.
The fourth one I still carry. By the next spring, friends were asking me to make theirs, and Taylor Leather opened.
What I make
Wallets, belts, journal covers, card holders, and the occasional small-batch run for groomsmen sets or corporate gifts. Everything from cutting the hide to burnishing the edges goes through my hands in this workshop. No contractors. No overseas finishing. If something I make ever fails — broken thread, popped stitch, hardware backout — send it back. I'll repair it free for as long as I'm doing this work.
What I use
- Leather: Wickett & Craig veg-tanned full-grain, from Curwensville, Pennsylvania. The tannery has been operating since 1867. They sell to working tack shops, saddlemakers, and the kind of leather people who care about hide quality more than price.
- Hardware: Solid brass from a small foundry in Connecticut. No plated zinc. The brass darkens slowly over years of carry — it's part of the patina.
- Thread: Ritza Tiger 0.6mm, waxed in beeswax. Same thread used on horse bridles and working tack. Comes in matched color to the leather.
None of those names matter to most buyers. But if you've shopped handmade leather you know what they mean — I'm using what working makers use, not what gets the lowest cost per piece.
Why this matters
When you order from me, you're getting an object made by one person in one workshop in Kentucky. I'd rather take ten days to do it right than two days to do it fast. That's the whole pitch.
If you want it sooner, I'll tell you so before you order. If I can't make what you're asking for, I'll tell you that too. The thing I want most is for you to carry what I made you for ten years and still like it.
— Taylor Lexington, KY
