About
Hello there, my name is Aaron Aiken and I am the lone craftsman making what you see here in my shop. That over there is a photo of me without the beard, which is how I look a majority of the year 🙂
The learning never stops, I am always changing and improving what I do and how I do it.
I believe perfection is over rated. Boring. Predictable. Anyone can do it these days. You can buy perfection from a store or make it with a machine.
Imperfection, on the other hand, offers texture, character, charm, personality, uniqueness.
Everything I make started out as something I wanted/needed for myself or a gift for someone else. Great examples of this approach are my leather cigar cases and my absolute one-of-a-kind hand-cut cigar matches. There is always purposeful intent behind why things are the way they are. I lose sleep most nights because my brain is usually busy working on a new design idea.
I hope something here in my shop sparks your interest. If you want to stay updated on my latest musings, ideas, products, and so on, I recommend adding your email address to the form below. Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
~ Aaron
P.S. feel free to drop me a note about the weather in your area or anything else.
Oh, and if you'd like to receive a friendly hand-written note from me that is something I do as-well. AND if you'd like to get a quick 10% off code for your first order you can do so by providing me with your email address.
Sustainable and Traceable Made-to-Order Premium Handcrafted Leather Goods.
Here’s what that means:
1. All leather goods are made by 1 person, me, Aaron Aiken (Sustainable and Traceable).
2. All leather goods are made in Harrisburg, PA, USA 🇺🇸 (Traceable).
3. All leather goods are assembled by hand (Sustainable).
4. All leather goods use veg-tan (i.e. chemical free) leather. Better for you and the environment (Sustainable).
5. All leather goods are made-to-order (i.e. no waste, Sustainable).
6. Unlimited lifetime warranty on all leather goods (sustainable).
BUY LESS, BUY BETTER
Leather Goods Assembled by Hand
All of my products, from start to finish, are assembled entirely by hand. All of my premium leather goods are cut by hand, prepared by hand, finished by hand, and assembled by hand. This includes all stamping, carving, and any other personalization made to each order. Why? Well, it is simpler for one thing. And slower. Slower by nature and by design. And slower means better. Better quality, better care, better attention to detail. I love the process of creating and am in no rush to ship an item out. I take the time each item deserves so that when you receive it you know that it was obsessed over for many many hours.
Leather Goods Made to order
Just as everything is assembled by hand from start to finish, everything is also made to order. Meaning that I don't keep inventory, there is nothing sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Each item starts when the order comes in and is made one at a time. The process starts first with selecting the leather to use in your piece, only the best will suffice. Next is cutting and other surface preparation for your order. Finally, and after several hours have passed, it is time for assembly. Assembling by hand is much slower, but ensures that your leather good will last longer and not let you down as you use the item. As you'll see repeated across this website: Buy Less, Buy Better.
Natural material for a natural process
Assembled by hand, made to order, and made using only the most natural leather available, commonly referred to as "veg tan" leather. Veg is for vegitable. Think organic material. The veg tanning process dates back 5,000 or more years and utilizes materials from organic materials such as bark instead of chemicals. This leather only gets better with use and age. This type of leather is 100% natural and, it is worth repeating, only gets better with age and use.
100% One-of-a-Kind Leather Goods
Assembled by hand, made to order, made using 100% natural leather. All of this provides opportunity for each and every item shipped to be unique. No two items are the same because no two animals are the same and no two days are the same. Your product is 100% one-of-a-kind as a result of the process the leather goes through from start to finish. Many hands interract with your leather piece as it moves through its lifecycle before it is shipped to you. And then you get to make it even more unique. As you use your leather product it will begin to take on characteristics of that use and will, you guessed it, get even better.