Caleb Arthur
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Stories (2)
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Camp Leather Goods
My crafting journey starts like many others in that the COVID19 pandemic forced many of us out of work, wondering if/ever to return to our jobs. For those of us lucky enough to remain healthy, we still had the reality of unemployment to face. For myself, the spare time at home and financial fear was the exact push I needed to bring my crafting passion to life and into a full time occupation. While sitting on the couch playing video games was enjoyable, it simply did not pay the bills. I decided to revisit an old hobby I had dabbled with in the past, making leather goods by hand. Once it became apparent that my old employer was not bringing me back, I decided to get creative, I studied the craft further, purchased hand tools, remodeled a room in our house, created a website, essentially I was creating my brand. knowing very little about starting a brand let alone a business. I started with the more obvious things that I knew I would need, a logo, a name, but most importanly, what was my purpose? what could I share with the world? was it good enough? would they even care? I gave myself a deadline to launch an Etsy page, and marked it on the calendar as a way to keep me motivated. I posted a few small products, and before I knew it, my Etsy shop was up and running. To my surprise within the first week I made a sale, then another one, my wallets were starting to sell!! I will never forget the excitement of the the first sell, walking the package to the Post Office with a sense of pride in the package I was sending off. For my first coulpe months I walked every package to the post office, treating every mail drop like a slam dunk. As my sales continued, my confidence and curiosity began to grow. I started learning new techniques that would ultimately improve the outcome of my products, I received positive feedback and suggestions from my customers and friends. I decided to start my own personal website to act as a more professional home for my goods and my story. While Etsy was a great place for me to start, it's limitations didn't allow for the overall look and mood I was going for. I Studied the very basics of website design, and found that with the options available today, creating a website is quite simple if you are slightly tech savy. Now fully licensed and operating, Camp Leather Goods, is one of only a few Leather Goods companies coming out of WA state. I am proud to present my goods to the world, and take pride in my work. I have been constantly upgrading my tool collection and have added 2 industrial sewing machines, a laser engraver and countless hand tools. Leather crafting has vastly improved my quality of life, and given me a vision of what healthy success looks and feels like. I feel so grateful to be able to wake up every morning with a sense of purpose make something that my customers want and are proud to own. We have recently introduced our first born son Lincoln to the team and I am looking forward to teaching him the ways of a leather crafter. Please feel free to read more at my personal website www.campleathergoods.com. I am always available to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for taking the time and allowing me to participate. I hope to make you something soon.
By Caleb Arthur5 years ago in Motivation
Through Crafting I Found Freedom
My crafting journey starts like many others in that the COVID19 pandemic forced many of us out of work, wondering if/ever to return to our jobs. For those of us lucky enough to remain healthy, we still had the reality of unemployment to face. For myself, the spare time at home and financial fear was the exact push I needed to bring my crafting passion to life and into a full time occupation. While sitting on the couch playing video games was enjoyable, it simply did not pay the bills. I decided to revisit an old hobby I had dabbled with in the past, making leather goods by hand. Once it became apparent that my old employer was not bringing me back, I decided to get creative, I studied the craft further, purchased hand tools, remodeled a room in our house, created a website, essentially I was creating my brand. knowing very little about starting a brand let alone a business. I started with the more obvious things that I knew I would need, a logo, a name, but most importanly, what was my purpose? what could I share with the world? was it good enough? would they even care? I gave myself a deadline to launch an Etsy page, and marked it on the calendar as a way to keep me motivated. I posted a few small products, and before I knew it, my Etsy shop was up and running. To my surprise within the first week I made a sale, then another one, my wallets were starting to sell!! I will never forget the excitement of the the first sell, walking the package to the Post Office with a sense of pride in the package I was sending off. For my first coulpe months I walked every package to the post office, treating every mail drop like a slam dunk. As my sales continued, my confidence and curiosity began to grow. I started learning new techniques that would ultimately improve the outcome of my products, I received positive feedback and suggestions from my customers and friends. I decided to start my own personal website to act as a more professional home for my goods and my story. While Etsy was a great place for me to start, it's limitations didn't allow for the overall look and mood I was going for. I Studied the very basics of website design, and found that with the options available today, creating a website is quite simple if you are slightly tech savy. Now fully licensed and operating, Camp Leather Goods, is one of only a few Leather Goods companies coming out of WA state. I am proud to present my goods to the world, and take pride in my work. I have been constantly upgrading my tool collection and have added 2 industrial sewing machines, a laser engraver and countless hand tools. Leather crafting has vastly improved my quality of life, and given me a vision of what healthy success looks and feels like. I feel so grateful to be able to wake up every morning with a sense of purpose make something that my customers want and are proud to own. We have recently introduced our first born son Lincoln to the team and I am looking forward to teaching him the ways of a leather crafter. Please feel free to read more at my personal website www.campleathergoods.com. I am always available to answer any questions you may have. Thank you for taking the time and allowing me to participate. I hope to make you something soon.
By Caleb Arthur5 years ago in Motivation
