We caught up with the brilliant and insightful A. L. Boomer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, A. L. thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

My most meaningful customer success stories come when I am able to take a client’s treasured personal item and repurpose it and give it new life. A couple of years ago a client came to me with her late father’s welding jacket and her favorite pair of boots. She wanted a purse made that incorporated these items. I was able to build her a purse with part of the boot top incorporated into a pocket, and the welding jacket became the lining and fringe of the purse. She was so excited to be able to carry the memories of her father with her everywhere she went. It was very gratifying to see the excitement and joy on her face when she received the purse.

A. L. , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was in college in the late 90’s and was working on a ranch in west Texas when I broke a spur strap. I got it into my head that I could make my own spur straps. I bought some cheap leather and a couple of basic tools and I went for it. The final result was AWFUL, but I was hooked. I started learning how to do leatherwork from AL & Ann Stohlman books, and later got a job working in a small shop in San Angelo, Texas. From there I moved to M. L. Leddy’s Boot Company and worked there for several years building leather items and working on the boot production line.
When I met my lovely wife, Meg, she encouraged me to start a side business doing leatherwork. I wanted a break from traditional western leather carving, so I got into making medieval style leather armor. It was reasonably successful and I had a lot of fun doing it. I shut it down when our son Gus was born, as I just didn’t have time with a new baby in the house. I didn’t touch leather tools for years after he was born.
In 2018, my father passed away unexpectedly and I really struggled with his loss. My wife encouraged me to get back into leatherwork as a way to help me deal with it. I went back into traditional western style floral carving and fell in love with leather all over again. I started SixGun Forge & Leatherworks in 2019 and have been steadily growing it into a successful business.
I like to say that I make everything except boots and saddles. I make multiple styles of purses and bags, multiple styles of wallets, belts, knife sheaths, keychains, jewelry boxes, hairclips, rifle slings, guitar straps, dog collars, bracelets, dopp kits, notebooks, binders, portfolios, belt buckles, and truck center console covers.
My carving style is a fusion of Sherdian style and traditional Texas style carving. I draw most of my own designs so that my work is unique. I cut, carve, dye, and sew every item with my own two hands. When you do business with me, you are buying a truly handmade item, not cheap mass-produced junk.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’m an analog guy living in a digital world, so social media has been a challenge for me. When I started my accounts on Facebook and Instagram, I would just post pictures of products I had made. My social media presence grew, but very slowly. I started occasionally posting pictures of works in progress, or fails, and I found that those posts would see more engagement. More recently, I’ve been posting more about myself; giving video tours of my shop, showing progress photos of things I’m working on, talking about myself a little. These types of posts have had very positive responses, leading me to believe that customers and potential customers want to see how the work is done and learn about the person doing it. This peek behind the curtain enhances their experience and I believe it adds value to the products they purchase from me.
As a small business, I am my brand; social media plays a critical role in allowing customers to see my products and get to know me personally and trust me before they choose to spend their hard-earned money with me.
For someone just starting out: social media is a great way to get your name out there and build a reputation as you grow. Even if it’s not your strength, it is a good marketing tool and you need to use it.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I set up at several local artisan festivals around my area of Texas and have found that people walking by my booth can smell the leather and it just draws them in. I love setting up a booth at events because I get to meet so many nice people and help them find products that fit their needs. Time after time, these people will come back again and again to buy from me. There’s something to be said for physically handling an item before you buy it. Many of these customers will then follow me on social media.
I also offer my products for sale through Facebook and Instagram, which is great for customers who can’t come see me at an event. Social media is handy for making announcements about where I’ll be set up. Customers get to see products online, then they can come out and engage all their senses in my booth. Leather goods are best experienced in person so they can be touched and smelled.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @sixgunleather
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/sixgunleather

Image Credits

Portrait – Augustus Boomer
All Other Photos – SixGun Forge & Leatherworks