Artist Spotlight: Saleigh Mountain

Article and Photos by Kim Carr
Artist Interview –Saleigh Mountain Leather Company

 

We all know the old saying, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” How does this famous quote relate to the life of an artist?

As a child, Sally Davidson Bozillo grew up around horses. The task of keeping the saddles and other tack clean fell upon her. This was perhaps her first introduction to working with leather. From this very simple beginning has grown a nice little shop called Saleigh Mountain Leather Company in Hermann, MO.

If you have ever met Sally, you know the word “Can’t” is not in her vocabulary and she has passed this drive and determination on to her children. Three years ago in July, Sally and her oldest daughter, Molly Borzillo-Monahan, joined forces to open the doors to their shop. The two of them have built a business around their hand crafted leatherwork.

How does someone go from oiling bridle leather as a child to owning their own leather shop? At age 17, the free spirited Sally found herself dropping out of high school and heading cross country. She landed in California where she started selling small leather pouches to make money. With nothing more than a razor knife, a punch and embroidery floss, Sally would stitch together her pouches which she then sold on the street. For a year, she lived in a tent and put as much money back into new tools as she could. At one point, she lived with a couple whose father had been a carriage maker. Here she learned what she could and was allowed to work with the different tools. Before long, she was off to Europe and Paris where she lived for another year. She found herself doing custom leatherwork such as a director’s chair for a real movie director.

Eventually Sally found her way back to Missouri where she met and fell in love with a crazy musician. They settled out in the country in the bottomlands; however, with the on-going threat of flooding, they decided to pack up and move to town. Here the couple opened a shoe repair shop. With Sally’s “I can do anything attitude”, some friendly advice from another local shoe repair guy and lots of research, reading of books and trial and error, the Bozillo’s found themselves with a nice little business. In time though, with a growing family (two boys and two girls), Sally found herself wanting to stay home to raise her family and to home-school the kids. Eventually the shop was closed, but they hung on to most of the tools and equipment and did shoe repair on the side.

Fast forward to 2011. Sally’s oldest daughter Molly was working on a vegetable farm and about to be married. Molly was looking for a career change to better suit her new life. As a child, Molly had very fond memories of her parents’ shop where she spend much of her early childhood. Playing in the shop with her brothers and sister, watching her parents work… these moments helped shape Molly’s life and character. She had always wanted her mom to teach her the art of leatherwork but there wasn’t time when she was young. Instead, Molly kept her hands and artistic side busy with painting and making jewelry. With a fondness for making and repairing things, Molly found herself attending motorcycle repair school and even considered becoming a beautician since she enjoys working with her hands. However, the lure of leather inspired Molly to persuade her mother into opening their very own shop together, hence Saleigh Mountain Leather Company (pronounced “Sally”).

When I asked Molly why she enjoys working with leather, she told me she loves the smell of leather, how it feels, that it’s a natural product and will last forever if treated right. Shoe repair makes up the bulk of their business, but both ladies get to show off their artistic flare when it comes to custom work. From belts, to wallets, to purses, saddlebags, holsters, leather jewelry, journal covers and more….if you can dream it, these ladies will figure out a way to create it. A recent project included creating a set of custom, handcrafted, authentic, airplane seats for a World War II veteran who, with the help of friends, built an experimental plane. This mother-daughter duo love a challenge. Molly stated that her favorite part of doing what she does is helping others out. She loves being able to fix and create things that make other people happy.

Sally is self-taught in the art of leatherwork and now finds herself passing her knowledge down to her daughter. Molly has a goal and is trying to master the craft of boot making. She will be applying for a grant with the Missouri Art Council and hopes to be able to take classes with a 6th generation boot maker in Missouri while honing her craft, continuing to learn and improve and take pride in each and every piece created or repaired.

When you first enter the Hermann, Missouri shop, you realize everyone is treated like a friend. Their customers are a mix of locals and out-of-towners. Bikers make up a nice percentage of their cliental since the gals are known for their beautiful, durable and functional leather accessories. They can craft saddle bags for your hog or your horse.

Leather making is not an art or craft that many pursue in today’s world, however it is a time- honored skill that dates back through the ages. Take a tour of the shop, and you will find that many of the tools and machines that the gals use are antiques from an era gone by. Watch one of them work on their Landis Model 12 stitcher that dates back to1917. You will gain an appreciation for the work being done here.

The gals at Saleigh Mountain enjoy taking part in local shows such as Civil War Days and the Kristkindl Markt in Hermann. Plans are to add more shows to their schedule as time allows and gain more exposure for their work while building a broader audience.

Marketing techniques include a website, http://www.saleighmountain.com/ , Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SaleighMountainCo, radio spots on KMCR, ads in the local paper and word-of-mouth from their tight-knit, local community. Saleigh Mountain has also had success with their Best of Missouri Hands web page. Having been a Juried Studio Member since the summer of last year, the gals have had inquires and show invites as a result of their involvement with the group. They first joined the BOMH as an opportunity to network, help gain exposure for their artwork and craftsmanship and for the community the organization provides for artists. View Saleigh Mountain Leather Company’s BOMH Juried Member web page at: http://www.bestofmissourihands.org/artisans/speciality-other/saleighmountainleather/

If you visit the shop, which is open Tuesday through Saturday, most likely you will find both Sally and Molly working on different projects and helping customers. Chances are pretty good you will also find Molly’s young son, Dominic. Despite his young age, you can already find Dominic sitting on the floor of the shop, under the watchful eye of his mom and grandma, pounding on boots with his tools. Is it child’s play or a budding master craftsmen in the making? It is no doubt that memories are being made here as a skill is being passed generation to generation, which brings me back to the beginning…..”Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”