dsfdGrant Anderson runs Uptown Common, a small handmade shop known for structured purses, briefcases, and bags with a distinctive double-color stitch line. This spring he launched a second venture, The Leather Reserve, importing MPG Industria hides from Italy after a discontinued leather nearly cost him a sale. Matt and Grant get into the making and the business in equal measure.

Highlights:

The used King Ranch F-150 whose saddle-leather interior sent Grant looking for a bag — and eventually into making his own.

Why he wet-forms nearly everything, and how he builds gusset forms out of stacked acrylic (with a belt-strap molding idea to kill clamp marks).

The two-color saddle stitch: four needles, two threads, and a "leapfrog" rhythm that skips every other hole.

Switching from waxed linen to Tiger/Ritza polyester after breaking thread mid-stitch.

The Barry King maul, and why a $90 hammer changed how the work felt.

How one discontinued hide turned into a corporation and a wire transfer to Italy in about three weeks.

Why a 50 sq-meter tannery minimum (~35 hides per color) keeps makers from buying direct.

The MPG lines coming in: Apollo, Aragona (corrected grain), and Vakeda (tumbled), plus a custom deep-red veg tan.

Episode Breakdown:

0:00 – Welcome and guest intro

1:02 – How Grant got into leather

2:09 – The King Ranch truck that started it

3:20 – Why leather longevity (and care) matters

4:26 – Hobby to business: Uptown Common

6:01 – Why most makers avoid bags

8:59 – Wet-forming for structured bags

12:15 – Acrylic forms, molds, and the strap trick

19:10 – Tools that matter: the Barry King maul

20:50 – Hand stitching vs. machine

24:22 – The jig rabbit hole

27:09 – The two-color saddle stitch

29:47 – How the four-needle "leapfrog" stitch works

36:19 – Stitching ponies and their frustrations

42:54 – The Leather Reserve origin story

47:17 – Why makers can't buy direct (minimums and shipping)

49:46 – What makes MPG leather different

55:12 – The Apollo, Aragona, and Vacchetta lines

1:02:00 – Five-year plans for both brands

1:08:18 – Leather weight and the splitting-machine question

1:13:03 – Listener questions and where to find Grant

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