Brettuns Village Trunks & Leather
Old Trunks, New Leather. All from Maine.
May 8, 2007
Eighty five degrees outside,
and it seems like only a few days ago that we were shoveling snow.
We were. I guess that’s why it seems that way. I write this
same line every year and can’t think of any reason why this year should
be different:
Beautiful weather like this
can only mean one thing (or two): Black flies will be here anytime,
ready to sink their jaws into our necks, and, as if that blood sucking
isn’t enough, the tourists will be right behind them. Business-wise,
I get it. The tourists pump much-needed dollars into our Maine economy,
and we appreciate it. On the other hand, if you’re trying to find
a parking spot down to the lobster pound or rent a skiff to get out beyond
the shoals to where Uncle Eben is drifting in his boat without a spare
sheer pin, or find a quiet spot anywhere along US Route 1 between Kittery
Point and Calais, well, Fall can’t come soon enough. Again, I’m glad
they’re here, it’s just that, like many of us up here, it’s nice to think
about the roads being unclogged once school kicks back into gear next September,
which, coincidentally, is the same week as the opening of bear hunting.
That’s how we get it out of our system, probably.
Trunk Shop News
Here’s some wild news about
trunks – make sure you’re firmly seated. We’ve added another style
of trunk handle to the mess out there in the barn. Same size and
dimensions as our TH-01 handles, with slots in them, but these are the
basic units. The K Car of trunk handles. No frills. No
layers. No stitches. Just a slab of leather, thick harness
leather, nice dark brown color, 8.75″ long by 1.25″ wide. Save a
few bucks, use the basic model. We put together a study group and
let them discuss this for an afternoon, and, in the end, That Dog came
out and said ‘Call them TH-01NS for ‘no stitch’ so we went with it.
I think that’s what she said. I hope so.
See these wonderful new handles,
along with the extravaganza that the Parts page has become, right about
here:
https://brettunsvillage.com/trunks/howto/parts/
Couple of dandy trunks for
sale on that section of the site if you’re of a mind to add to your collection.
Everybody needs one more thing to stub their toe on. That’s how we
see it.
Leather News
Have been adding more new
leathers to the website, just thought I’d mention it in case you need something
to get you started on that summer project you’ve been thinking about for
the last few months. I do that too, so I know how it is. I
think the Sides page looks about as good as it ever has, with lots of very
nice leathers from some very snooty companies; some great leathers that
need new homes. Get them little doggies along, cowpoke, and here’s
a good place to let them doggies run:
https://brettunsvillage.com/leather/sides.htm
Our big news though is really
big. Shoe factory big. We got one of those nice phone calls
last week about an old shoe factory that’s been empty for a couple of years,
but the building owner is tired of looking at old inventory and would prefer
it get out of there. We’re just the company for the job. So
far we’ve packed and loaded thousands of pounds of leather laces, belt
buckles, watch band buckles, rivets, eyelets, spots, more rivets, doo-dads,
shoe/boot soles, and the list goes on and on. This place is literally
piled high with rolls of fabric, some of which we may haul out. Over
20 pallets of rubber sheeting which was to be cut into soles, but to me
it now looks like impact protection layering (IPL) for those of you who
fling swords on weekends. It’ll take us a few weeks to get this stuff
moved and added to the website, but it’s going to be fun. By fun,
I mean dust, dim lights, no forklift and lots of heavy loads carried down
dark hallways and stairwells by hand. Character building stuff.
Come on up. It’s a hoot. You can stop by our new shipping building
on Lincoln Street in Lewiston, where we have a great view of the Androscoggin
River from out back in the lawn chair on the (drumroll…) loading dock!
That’s the river over there, on the other side of the sewage treatment
plant. Sunblock?
Onions are in, peas go in
this weekend if the frost holds off long enough, and so the Gardening Season
is underway. We stay busy back there, which is good since the roads
will be so clogged up anyway, just like Grandpa.
Thanks-
Churchill
Brettuns Village Leather
Lewiston/Auburn, Maine