The spirit of entrepreneurship is alive and well in America, and no more so than in the small town of Fremont, Ohio, home of Wright Leather Works, LLC. Just five years young, the company began after owners (and brothers) Scott and Brandon Wright, ages 29 and 37 respectively, obtained their Ohio concealed-carry permits.
“We tried a few holsters with our handguns, but just couldn’t find anything that was comfortable,” said Brandon. “And we quickly realized that the less comfortable a holster was, the less likely we were to carry a concealed handgun consistently.”
“We’ve always been do-it-yourself guys,” said Scott, “so we decided to try making our own holster. After much trial and error, we began selling a few holsters to friends and the business started from there—literally in a garage.”
A YouTube review of their first holsters got the brothers their first real spark of business, but they credit the NRA for putting fledgling Wright Leather Works on the map.
“We’re both NRA members,” said Brandon, “so I called the NRA and was put through to Brian Sheetz, an editor at American Rifleman magazine, who just happened to be writing the pistol-of-the-year article at the time. I explained what we were doing, and he said to send him a couple of our holsters; if he liked them, he’d put a short blurb at the end of the gun story. He did that and things took off from there. Our business literally exploded overnight from just that one mention in American Rifleman. We’ve been advertising in the magazine ever since.”
What concealed-carry handgun owners seem to appreciate about Wright Leather Works’ holsters is not only their comfort but also their great looks. The company’s first holster was The Marshal, but the Predator Pancake Holster has become its bestseller. Both models are outside the waistband (OWB), full-leather, concealed-carry holsters. In total, there are a dozen holster styles to choose from, as well as gun belts, mag holders and a few other leather shooting accessories.
In constructing their holsters the brothers only use full-grain cowhide, obtained from the Hermann Oak Leather tannery in St. Louis, Missouri, one of the oldest leather producers in the U.S. “The leather is vegetable-tanned domestic steer hide, so all our holsters are as American-made as American-made can get,” said Brandon. “And we’re very proud of that...”
One of the advantages of using leather to build a holster, as opposed to Kydex or nylon, is that it gives each holster a unique look. “We call it ‘the perfect imperfection’ of leather,” said Brandon. “And after working with leather for five years now, we have developed an appreciation for it that we didn’t have when we first entered this business. Being a natural product, each piece of leather has its own characteristics, so no two of our holsters ever look exactly alike.”
All Wright Leather Works holsters are hand-molded to the gun make and model a customer designates—including any add-ons, such as laser sights—so that the holster fits the gun perfectly and vice versa. The Wright brothers can build a holster to fit almost any handgun currently on the market, both semi-autos and revolvers. But if you own a gun that you don’t see on their Website’s extensive gun list (www.wrightleatherworks.com), call them (419-307-6191, Monday thru Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) and they may be able to help.
And don’t be surprised if either Scott or Brandon answers the phone, as they pride themselves in personal service and dealing directly with customers. If you’d care to email any questions, they strive to answer within 24 hours.
“Much of the fun and satisfaction in this business happens when someone calls who is a newbie to concealed-carry and is confused about what gun to buy or is looking for guidance in matching a particular holster to a particular handgun,” said Scott. “Whether it’s a he or a she, we always tell them to rely upon what they learned in their concealed-carry course, and often add that they don’t necessarily need to carry a large handgun. Once they’ve decided which handgun is best for them, we of course encourage them to then order that perfect holster.”
When ordering a Wright Leather Works concealed-carry holster don’t expect it to arrive quickly, as the wait time is usually six to eight weeks. “The reason for the wait is that we handcraft our leather holsters one by one, and that takes time,” said Brandon. “We have a small staff of employees—including our father—and all our holsters are cut, glued, stitched, molded and burnished by hand. Quality and detail are our priorities, and we never rush the process. We take pride in offering a high-quality product for a fair price.”
If you’d like the best of the best in a Wright Leather Works holster, ask for their Master Collection upgrade. “It’s our way of lining a gun holster,” said Scott. “It makes for a holster with a ‘cleaner’ interior that helps reduce finish wear on a gun.” Upgrading to a Master Collection holster adds an additional $60 to the purchase price, regardless of which holster style chosen.
It’s been said that carrying a concealed handgun should be comforting, not necessarily comfortable. A Wright Leather Works holster gives you both, peace of mind and a comfortable fit; along with style and hand-craftsmanship, as well.
