Leather goods are popular in a lot of places, and, in many cases, they are still custom-made by hand, which requires a certain skillset. Rupertsland Hide and AwlSA国际影视传媒檚 owner Paul Skrypnyk is one of those who has such skills.
Skrypnyk honed his craft by learning from his father, who taught him how to fix leather hockey equipment.
He said that growing up, his family didnSA国际影视传媒檛 had a lot of money, so a time when the majority of hockey equipment used leather, he was able to hone his skills.
Skrypnyk found his leather-working skills useful again when he joined the military. Bringing his stitching tools with him, he was able to make field repairs to equipment such as boots, all while improving his skill set at the same time.
Skrypnyk said he came to Yellowknife in spring 2019. The pandemic hit the following year, meaning businesses started to close their doors and everything started to get slower.
He said he remained optimistic, though, and it became a unique opportunity for his career.
SA国际影视传媒淚 asked myself what I should do to be more productive with my time,SA国际影视传媒 he said.
ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 when Skrypnyk started to put more time into making leather goods. Not long after, people became aware of his work and his home-based business selling custom-made leather goods began.
There are challenges, though. Since everything is handmade, there will only be small quantities made by order, which takes time and can get rather expensive.
SA国际影视传媒淧eople donSA国际影视传媒檛 usually understand the reason behind the price tag,SA国际影视传媒 he said. SA国际影视传媒淏rand names have lower production costs (and) they can demand a higher price because they have the brand and people will buy them because of the brand recognition. I donSA国际影视传媒檛 have brand recognition SA国际影视传媒 ISA国际影视传媒檓 just one guy working out of Yellowknife.SA国际影视传媒
Skrypnyk has even branched out into teaching, hosting workshops as recently as late last month during Makers Month. His class was part of a series of workshops which included bracelet-making, painting and glassworks.
Everything he makes comes with a lifetime warranty. If an item fails at some point, heSA国际影视传媒檒l make that repair or find a solution that will work for both the customer and himself.