From weekend adventures to work and special occasions, leather bags can be worn and enjoyed just about anywhere, making them the true workhorses of any wardrobe. But perhaps no one knows this better than artist and leather worker Kristin McDonough, who owns Hollis Leather, a local leather goods company that makes specialty leather bags and other products.  

Eight years ago, after failing to find the perfect sleek, but still affordable, leather bag that could fit any casual or formal outfit, McDonough decided to make her own. "When I would come across pleather bags, oftentimes they were cheap and would just fall apart—or, if they were real leather, they’d be too expensive,” she recalls.

It was then that McDonough opted to take a basic leather working class, taking on small projects. “I said to myself, ‘I’m going to do this until I can make myself the perfect bag.’”

Eventually, she constructed a statement-making bucket bag by using traditional leather crafting techniques but styled the bag to fit a modern, contemporary look. For McDonough, the best leather bags embrace a cool juxtaposition of old meets new, and hard versus soft motifs. For example, she loves taking pieces of leather in calm pastel hues and then crafting a clutch, shoulder bag, or tote in clean, minimal lines, while topping it all off with a dramatic, edgy piece of hardware. “Sometimes I might find a cool raw edge leather piece and base an entire bag around it but plug in modern details and colors,” she explains.

It wasn’t long until her family and friends noticed and started asking for bags of their own. Later a friend even asked if she’d consider helping out at her craft booth by selling the bags. After these early successes and with much practice, McDonough then made the leap into marketing her bags at craft shows and later art fairs by herself.

These early experiences taught her not only how to hone her salesmanship with customers one on one but also how to show off her unique, embellished and vibrantly-hued designs. “Selling in person really helped with showing off the leather products,” she says. “You can’t get the same tactile experience with leather unless you’re shopping in person—it’s a material nice to touch and see in person.”

Just like how she set out to make her own bag, McDonough today supports her customers’ desire towards customization. “I try to incorporate customization as much as I can into my work,” she says, “so I always bring leather embossing tools with me to the craft fairs where I sell my bags. It’s a quick, nice way to customize a piece.” She’s also open to adding another pocket to a bag or making the leather bag in an entirely different shade.  “I have a studio in the back of my shop, and it really helps facilitate customized bag making or modifying a bag. I love chatting with customers and working with them through the creative process, seeing what they're looking for and what I can do for them.”