Bag Boss: Goertzen Adventure Equipment making name as premium leather bag company

Editor’s note: Missoula has long been a hub for artists. From paintings and poetry to jewelry and sculpture, individuals have lent their creative spark to make something new. But there are another set of creators in Missoula, craftsmen who head into a workshop instead of a studio to hammer, shape and sweat out resilient, durable handmade goods. This is the first in a series of stories about some of Missoula’s Makers.

Each of the bags Joe Goertzen http://www.leatherandcanvas.com makes start the same way.

First, the leather craftsman rolls a sheet of leather on a large work table. Using plastic patterns, he hand cuts the shapes that will form each bag, then brings the pieces to another table where he hammers in the rivets that hold the strap clasps that keep the bag closed.

After clipping off the ends of the metal pins, Goertzen sits down at an industrial sewing machine to stitch the bag together, adding the zippered insert and metal rings for the shoulder strap.

"I like to think people can take it folfing one day, then get on a plane and walk into a boardroom in Manhattan with it the next day," Goertzen said.

By DILLON KATO

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/corridor/bag-boss-goertzen-adventure-equipment-making-name-as-premium-leather/article_1f41ffe4-2ef6-11e4-b902-001a4bcf887a.html