Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alex Hall. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alex, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
It’s amazing what failure can teach you. Trial and error, over and over. Knowing little about leather and the tools of the craft forced me to start small and work my way up. Most tools and material are expensive and take time to pay themselves off. A cutting mat, hole punch and rivets allowed me to start creating things that i’ve always wanted to make. Hand-stitching came next. I have always loved the detail of stitches in any material.
I grew as fast as I desired, being a sponge and soaking up any new learnings and videos I could find. The real barrier to growth was capital for tools/machines. Having the right tool for the right project is crucial. Once I invested in a hand stitcher sewing machine, the game changed. Time was cut exponentially and the doors flew open. Even though it wasn’t the end all, be all machine, I found ways to get the projects done. Last year I invested in a motorized machine and again, more opportunities presented themselves with a more powerful tool.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Alex Hall. I’m a Creative Director by day for a marketing consultant group and maker by night. A father, husband and full time tinkerer. An avid outdoorsman and lover of functional art.
I’ve always been drawn to quality made products. Leather gave me an outlet to create goods that I would be able to use, be it jewelry or an axe sheath. Leather has a luxurious, yet rugged quality that can cross over various markets. Over the years I’ve grown to sell purses in women’s boutiques to shoulder-holsters at gun shops.
It all started with camp axe I inherited from my great grandfather when I was a kid. The sheath was old and hardly serviceable, so my dad took me to a guy that worked with leather. I was blown away by what he was able to create from a flat piece of leather. Its beauty and function.
8-10 years ago, I decided it was time to restore the heirloom axe. Which inspired more vintage axe restorations. Many more. Each needing a sheath for safety and storage. Starting with leather remnants from a local hobby store, turned into buying partial hides and learning more about the material. The rest is history.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Some folks want something “off the shelf”, and thats fine. Some come to me and need help creating something unique and custom. That’s the rewarding part of this side hustle. I get to creatively solve problems in a 3-dimensional sense and give them something that they aren’t able to do.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Social media posts have significantly impacted my reach and reputation. I also try to get involved with any kind of donations/raffles to help promote my name. For everyone one item I donate/give away, I sell 4. Not a great business model but effective at my current scale. 
Contact Info:
- Website: athirteen.com
- Instagram: @athirteenleather
- Facebook: @athirteenleather