Custom Made Deerskin Clothing

Custom Made Deerskin Clothing SPECIALTY/SERVICES Specialty/Services 28-4-6 There is a company in Hartville, Ohio, that not only tans your deer and elk hides, but will also turn them into clothing and accessories for you. Custom Made Sportswear is a "ma and pa" operation run by Ken and Sue Vaughan, who've been in the business for over 40 years. Besides their tannery and sewing shop, the couple have a small retail store with a selection of their handcrafted deerskin apparel and other leather products in stock. "We also do alterations and leather repair," says Ken Vaughan. "About half of our business is with sportsmen wanting to have the hides they bring us tanned. Many of them hire us to make special order things for them from the hides. The other half of our business is regular retail." The Vaughans make things for their retail store using deer and elk hides they tan themselves. The couple also tans sheep and goat skins and sells sheepskin rugs for just $39. They make and carry a variety of leather items such as jackets, purses, wallets, gloves and rifle scabbards. Although prices do fluctuate according to the market, custom tanning of deer hides currently costs $29 per hide. "Many people don't realize that it takes between four and six deer hides to make one jacket," Ken says. "Once they're tanned, it will cost you an average of $158 more (currently) to have us sew you a jacket from the hides you supply." He says people often look through the styles in the retail store to see "what suits their fancy" before they order. According to Vaughan, the cost of having a custom-made jacket done at their store is comparable to purchasing something from another store that was made domestically, but it's about double of what a coat manufactured off-shore would cost. "We have a lot of repeat customers. We're dealing with grandchildren of our original customers now," Ken says. "People like to deal here because we have a lot of unique products. They like the fact that they can have one-of-a-kind things made." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Custom Made Sportswear, 6125 Smith-Kramer St., Hartville, Ohio 44632 (ph 330 877-9677).

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