Macy's true love lies in craft. In creating small little sculptures out of leather and fabric that can be used as bags for everyday use. As she developed and cultivated her skill-set on each custom piece, she became more passionate about teaching and sharing her knowledge with others. In 2017, Macy teamed up with BeadWORKS, and traveled to Kenya to teach an entire leather curriculum to add high end beaded leather goods to their already established line of products. As the popularity of these new leather belts, dog collars and hat bands hit the market, she traveled back again in 2018 to add more products to the line. In February 2018, Crossbow Leather moved from Santa Barbara, to Macy's hometown, Telluride, and opened up Crossbow Leather on Main. The shop offers a truly unique experience of retail in the front, and a workshop in the back. With all the production happening right there in the shop, you can experience the craft first hand, see products come to life, and meet the people hand crafting each piece.
We asked Macy to answer a few questions:
Winter or summer? at this moment- winter! I spent the past 4 years in Santa Barbara where it was hot & sunny beach weather nearly everyday, so I am looking forward to a solid winter (fingers crossed).
Favorite thing to do in Telluride? just about everything... indoors.
Cats or dogs? WOOF!
Go to coffee order? Shot in the dark
Dream vacation? anywhere with market places I can shop textiles to put on my products. I love meeting and getting inspired by other artisans.
First job? I worked on a converted pizza firetruck catering birthday parties and Bar Mitzvahs
How did you get to where you are today? saying yes to things that scared the sh*t out of me.
Favorite part of your job? putting all orders aside, clearing my work bench, and prototyping a brand new product. When I finally get around to doing this, it is usually something I have been thinking about for months, so it is very exciting to make the time to just create whatever my heart desires.
Biggest inspiration? geometry? how things are built! how to put things together! measurements, angles, designs, patterns. I also love old stuff- vintage furniture and buildings. Back then there was such an emphasis on quality. Before things became mass produced. I'm happy the patterns of consumer culture have shifted back to caring about small batch production & shopping local.