Dale Shannon, an owner of Mountain Crafter’s Custom Leather, shows off some
of his goods.Map
3918 Big Spring Gap Road
• What: Gun holsters, belts and custom leather goods
• Company: Mountain Crafter’s Custom Leather
• Address: 3918 Big Spring Gap Road, Pikeville, Tenn.
• Telephone: 423-881-3168
• Owners: Dale and Cathy Shannon
• What’s special: Dale Shannon said he uses a higher-quality leather for his designs, which are created to meet the customer’s specifications. “I use a 10-ounce leather, which is thicker than you get in the store,” he said.
• The origin story: Shannon lived on a ranch in Florida before he moved to Eugene, Ore., in the 1970s. There, he was trained in leather working at a saddlery school. He worked for the school until he moved to Collegedale in 1982. In 1984, he relocated to Pikeville. Shannon has since freelanced designing and tooling saddles locally for Crates Leather and Big Horn Inc. He started making his own leather goods in the 1990s.
• How long does it take to make: Shannon said he typically takes orders and measurements from a stall at Chattanooga Market. His aim is to turn orders around in a week. More complicated orders can take two weeks.
• Where it’s sold: Sundays at Chattanooga Market
• What it costs: Holsters $25-$300; hand bags $75-$250. Prices increase, depending on the complexity of the tooling involved.
• Future expansions planned: Shannon’s leather work has been shipped as far away as Japan, Ireland and Austria. He said he hopes to expand his foreign customer base in September by selling goods and networking with European executives at an event he and other local artists were invited by Volkswagen to attend.
• Lessons of the trade: “When you’re competing with other people for their money, you need to be able to sell a product they can afford,” Shannon said. “Being able to do it fast and knowing where to buy the leather really helps out.”