About
Quality Craft
Merchant Leather was founded on the belief that craft should be both timeless and approachable.
More than 1,500 students have learned the art of hand-sewn leather through Merchant Leather workshops. Classes and kits are built to welcome first-time makers while encouraging steady skill-building and creativity.
Each offering - whether a kit, a class, or a custom project - reflects a commitment to high-quality, natural materials and traditional methods. Using top-grain
vegetable-tanned leather, hand-waxed linen thread, and solid brass hardware,
everything is cut, stitched, and finished by hand.
Merchant Leather goods and experiences are made to be carried, used, and remembered - gaining beauty as they age, and meaning through the process of making.
Meet Dan
Dan is the craftsman behind Merchant Leather, a self-taught maker who found in leather the balance of creativity, function, & timeless craft.
Based in Minnesota, he builds each piece entirely by hand, emphasizing simplicity, durability, and the honest beauty of traditional techniques.
Teaching is central to Dan’s work. He has shared leatherworking with more than 1,500 students - from children to adults - in settings ranging from folk schools to galleries to the American Craft Council.
His classes are designed to be approachable for anyone picking up leather for the first time, while also structured to help students steadily build higher-level skills, confidence, and creativity with each project.