We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sean King. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sean below.

Sean , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My first experience with leather working was in January of 2020. I was out with my girlfriend at a crafts store and saw a Tandy Leather wallet kit. It was pre cut pieces of leather and all I needed to do was stitch it all together. I got it home and started piecing it all together and after some trial and error got the technique down. I showed the wallet to my dad, who immediately asked for one.

That was kind of the spark that ignited the flame for me. I always had a slight interest in leather working but was never ready to pull the trigger and jump into it. After that first wallet I figured I would give it a shot and see where it goes.

Sean , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My full time job is as a Police Officer in New Jersey. In my free time i’m always looking for new ideas and different designs. My main focus is items that can be used on a daily basis, mostly holsters, wallets, and knife sheaths.

One of the aspects of my work that I feel is unique in the industry is that when someone orders a product, they order directly from me. We have a one on one conversation and we can talk about the project in great detail. My feeling on it is that if someone is coming to me and willing to give their hard earned money for something that I make, they deserve to have exactly what they want and envision.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

All King Custom Works pieces start the same way; a large piece of vegetable tanned leather. The pattern is drawn up and cut out. When I first started in the craft I relied on pre-fabricated kits but as time went on I couldn’t find anything that was exactly what I wanted, so I turned to the greatest teacher of all time, the internet. Through a lot of time watching videos and practicing on scraps, I was able to learn the craft and become proficient in the skills needed.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I’m still making a name for myself in the industry. Everything is down from a spare room in my house, so at any given time i’m working on 1 or 2 projects at a time. My customer base is mostly friends and coworkers, after all, what cop doesn’t want a custom holster?

All of my advertisement is word of mouth and referrals. Every order comes with a King Custom Works magnet and sticker, as well as a business card.

What I think helps with referrals is the fact that I try to keep pricing as fair as possible by keeping everything at a base price. Want your initials on your wallet? Same price as a plain one. What about floral carving? Same price. Custom dye colors are no extra price. I’m already making my profit based on materials and labor, so I try not add costs to my customer by charging for a few extra minutes of stamping and cutting.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: king_custom_works