Duvall Leather produces handmade treasures

May 26—Nick Duvall has been fascinated by leather tools and products since childhood. A native of Mercersburg, he would tinker with his father's leather tools and found the creative process exhilarating.

Nick is a creative to this day, and his work has been displayed in a number of high-profile locales. If there's a historic monument or government building you have visited on vacation over the past few decades, from Gettysburg to The Pentagon, there's a good chance you've come across a piece made by Nick.

Though crafting pieces that a wide audience can see is special in its own way, Nick grew tired of the "feast and famine of government contracts," and he diverted his efforts to leather products that would have a more personal tinge.

Duvall Leatherwork was established in 2005, and he bought space in Kingston in 2006 to bring his products to the masses that may drive or walk past his Wyoming Avenue storefront. Inside that storefront is a treasure trove of belts, wallets, purses and just about every other leather product one might desire.

Duvall Leatherwork is a business that creates and sells its products, and both of those processes are driven by its perfectionist founder. Nick has his hands in all of his company's operations, from writing blog posts to brainstorming the names of new products.

In 2021, near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic's most vicious stretch, Duvall Leatherwork moved to a new workshop near the Hanover Industrial Park. From that location, the Duvall Leatherwork brand has expanded, and the process of creating leather products has become more fluid.

"We needed space to grow, a move-in ready space, and the location was perfect," Nick said of the Hanover Township workshop.

But how does it all work? How does a cow hide from South America become a precious piece of practical art in Kingston? Nick Duvall has been in business for as long as he has because of his meticulous attention to detail, and that begins in the back of the Hanover Township workshop.

Inside the workshop

The leather used by Duvall Leatherwork comes from the United States, South America and Europe, and the products themselves are as varied as the places they come from. Duvall Leatherwork receives leather from cows, bison and goats from the tannery.

It's worth mentioning that the leather industry is tied closely to the meat industry. According to Nick, were these hides not used by leather manufacturers, they would go to waste.

When the raw leather arrives from the tannery, it's already prepared to be cut into the shapes and sizes that match the product that needs to be created. The leather comes according to the size of the cow, and different hides are used for different forms of leather.

The process of finding the right leather is one of Nick's initial and most critical concerns. An issue with the leather that arrives from the tannery can have a negative impact on the products that they will eventually become.

"Our leather goods are renowned for their exceptional craftsmanship and durability," Nick said. "We put a tremendous amount of effort into sourcing the finest leathers, then transforming that leather into fine products that can only be found in an artisan based business. "

There is some customization that must be done when the leather arrives at Duvall Leatherwork's Hanover Township location. This is achieved by using a wide variety of heavy equipment, some of it repurposed to fit Duvall Leatherwork's standards and requirements.

Though some of the machinery used by Duvall Leatherwork is from a different era, they add a certain uniqueness to the ultimate product. The shapes, sizes and designs that are crafted in the back room of the Duvall Leatherwork workshop are the vital details that make the products stand out. They're given a few extra layers of creativity when they're handed off to the artisans who work in the front area of the workshop.

The team of artisans

Duvall Leatherwork produces a variety of products, from wallets and backpacks to purses and belts. These products are handmade by a team of skilled artisans, who are trained by Nick and the other creatives he has brought on board.

Some employees come in with a bit of sewing or manufacturing experience, but most of them are taught to become expert artisans while on the job. The extensive training process is one of the reasons why the Duvall Leatherwork brand is so successful.

"All of our artisans are trained in house by myself, or other team members. It takes about three months to get a new employee trained on basic sewing machine operation," said Nick. "They should be able to make simple products at this point and will continue to learn and hone their skills for at least two years before they move onto complex products. There's a lot of effort invested in training."

The handmade, artisan style deployed by Duvall Leatherwork is not necessarily the industry standard. The local business must keep up with demand, not to mention foreign manufacturers. A single bag, for example, can take up to five hours to make. This is the price of high-quality leather products.

In the same general area as the artisans' working space is a side room used for a number of special projects. It also serves as Nick's personal creative space. Though he is a business owner, he has remained creatively inclined and keeps a close eye on the production process in his workshop.

"I'm very involved with our products, designing and making," said Nick. "I love creating durable leather goods that are simple, beautiful and well made. My artistic expression is shown in my craftsmanship and my business operation. Not only is making leather goods an art, but styling the business operations is an art form on its own."

On the retail side

Duvall Leatherwork has a pair of retail locations, including the aforementioned storefront on Wyoming Avenue in Kingston. The other location is in Clarks Summit. The locations each have their own aesthetic. The Kingston store has a more rustic feel, while Clarks Summit is closer to a boutique.

Sandy Ortiz started working at the Kingston store last summer. While she had retail experience from a prior job, working for Duvall Leatherwork brought on a new set of responsibilities and expectations. Her position requires her to stay in contact with Nick and the artisans back at the workshop, and be able to detect when a product might not be up to snuff.

Customers come to the Kingston store from all over, but many customers are repeat buyers. Ortiz has become very familiar with certain buying trends over the past year, and she has become more comfortable tending to the needs of different customers at different times.

For example, Ortiz is well-aware of the impact Mother's Day and Father's Day have on the flow of retail traffic. In May, purses soar in popularity as shoppers look for a gift for mom. As the calendar turns to June, traditional gifts for dads, such as belts and wallets, become the hot products in the store.

Ortiz's attention to detail, a necessary trait for any employee of Duvall Leatherwork, has helped her to provide excellent customer service. Her wealth of knowledge on the store's operations, as well as the processes used in the workshop, speak to the level of professionalism that is expected of a Duvall Leatherwork employee.

"You have to love what you do, and my team is happy to create; having a world-class workshop is also very important to employee happiness," Nick said of his approach to management and keeping his workers satisfied. "We do have very high standards. It's challenging and expensive to maintain a level of quality, but I'll have it no other way, and my team knows that."

A larger community

Duvall Leatherwork has the respect of the community on its side. John Augustine, of Penn's Northeast, sang Nick's praises for developing a small business that attracts buyers both locally and nationally.

"Nick has created an impressive company from the ground up," Augustine said. "Small businesses are the backbone of our economy in northeastern PA. The quality of Duvall Leather's products and their commitment to customer satisfaction has allowed them to grow a niche company selling their product not just locally but across the country."

Nick Duvall has maintained a level of quality in his business model and production values, and this effort is reflected in his employees. It's no wonder why, at this point, Duvall Leatherwork operates as a well-oiled machine.