Leather atelier "Drover's Cottage" (Hashimoto 2, Aomori City, TEL 090-7332-1859 ) will celebrate its 20th anniversary on April 29th.

This shop sells semi-custom leather products that can be ordered by combining leather and thread colors, patterns, etc. based on an original pattern. Maintenance such as part replacement and leather repair is also carried out, and since opening in 2004, all work has been done by the owner, Susumu Nakata, by hand.

Nakata-san originally liked clothes and miscellaneous goods. "I thought maybe I could make a belt, and that's how I started making leather products by hand. I gradually became fascinated with the charm of leather and started thinking about making it my job," he says. He changed jobs to a shoe store, learned how to handle leather, and became independent at the age of 26. He had an atelier in Yasukata, Aomori City until 2023, but moved due to the building's deterioration. He has now renovated part of his home and is open by appointment only.

When the store first opened, there were few custom-made leather goods stores in Aomori. "I opened the store because I love leather and I wanted people to feel closer to leather products," says Nakata. The most memorable order in the 20 years he's been there is when he made key chains as graduation gifts for his elementary school alma mater. Nakata smiles and says, "The order came from a customer. I have fond memories of making key chains with the names of each graduate."

Looking ahead to his 21st year, Nakata-san is enthusiastic, saying, "It's thanks to our customers that we've been able to continue doing business. We'll continue to make products in response to customer requests as we have done until now, and we'd like to increase the number of opportunities to set up shop at events." He also said, "I'd like to be able to make art pieces using leather in addition to products."

Business hours are from 10:00 to 18:00. Advance reservations are required via social media.