12 Million Job Openings. Zero Applicants. Why Did America Make Leatherwork Invisible?
The traditions came from the British Midlands. The story of the American leatherwork trade begins in Walsall, England in eighteen seventy six, and ends in the small American towns where the British traditions were preserved across the following century. In this vault we open the archive on the American leatherwork trade: The eighteen seventy six Walsall, England saddlery capital of the British Empire, source of the traditions that crossed the Atlantic with British emigration. The American leather centers of Newark New Jersey, Peabody Massachusetts, Cincinnati Ohio, Saint Louis Missouri, and the Texas cattle country. What a senior leather craftsman earned in nineteen fifty five. The combination of synthetic substitution and Asian imports that destroyed eighty percent of the working leather trade between the nineteen sixties and the year two thousand. The Hermann Oak and Wickett and Craig tanneries that still operate, the specialty income segments, and the Leatherworkers Guild of America for those who want to enter the trade today. If this vault opened something for you, leave a comment with the trade you wish your school had taught you instead of college prep. The next vault opens soon. SOURCES REFERENCED IN THIS VIDEO: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational data Leather and Hide Council of America American Leather Chemists Association: https://www.leatherchemists.org Hermann Oak Leather Company Wickett and Craig of America Leatherworkers Guild of America Tanners Council of America historical records U.S. Census occupational data, 1900 through 2020 Walsall Leather Museum and historical archives Hardware City Press leather industry archives DISCLAIMER: This video is educational and historical content. It is not financial, career, or legal advice. Income figures cited reflect publicly available industry data and reported earnings from professional trade associations, individual earnings vary by location, specialty, reputation, and market. The leatherwork trade requires formal training, hands on apprenticeship, and significant time investment. Anyone considering a career in leatherwork should consult licensed training providers, working professional shops, and the standards of recognized trade associations. Subscribe for the next vault: / @forgottentradesvault #ForgottenTrades #Leatherwork #SaddleMaking #SkilledTrades #BlueCollar #SmallBusiness #Craftsmanship #LeatherCraft #CareerChange #Apprenticeshipv
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