In 2021, I moved to South Texas with my daughter. It was a big change, a fresh start, and I was learning a new place while building a new life.

Just two and a half months after we arrived, my husband's father passed away. Not long after that, I became a caregiver for my husband's mother as she battled stage four metastatic cancer. She could not be alone. She could not walk much. She struggled to breathe, she was on oxygen, and she needed constant support. My husband had to work, and I was home with my three year old, so I did what families do, I showed up and I stayed.

During that season, I realized we needed a way to work together and bring in extra income from home. My husband is a bladesmith, and he was making knives, so I started helping by making leather sheaths for his blades. I bought my first leather kit from Hobby Lobby, I made my first sheath, and I genuinely enjoyed it.

From there, it grew. I taught myself by practicing every day, reaching out to other leather workers, learning from makers and suppliers, and staying curious. Slowly, piece by piece, The Black Grackle Leather Co was born.

Now I create bespoke, custom leather goods that are made to be used and made to last. Little by little I taught myself to hand tool art pieces, and that has become my greatest love, creating beautiful, one of a kind items for people who want something personal, something meaningful, and something built with care.

If you can imagine it, I can build it.