Meet
Steve and Brenda Lampman
Steve started working with game hides over 35
years ago and Brenda has been working with leather for over
20 years. Some projects were small and some were large, but
all were made as well as they could make them. Hand made quality
is what they strive for each and every day. They love what
they do and without that love they couldn’t create the
beautiful products offered on this site.
In the
early 1970’s, Steve was working in Los Angeles when
he went into the city with a friend who loved working with
leather and ended up purchasing 2 deer hides. Steve went
home and soaked the hides in hot water and then stretched
them on his workshop wall using galvanized nails. When they
were dry, Steve cut them and stitched together a drawstring
bag with three-sided twisted fringe.
Brenda
started doing small leather projects over 20 years ago.
She purchased The Indian Store from a fellow Native American
in Mankato, Minnesota in 1993. While owning the store she
worked more and more with leather and eventually met her
future husband, Steve. Steve and Brenda learned from each
other and continued creating leather products for the pure
enjoyment of it.
In 1993,
Steve had grown tired of the printing industry where he
had worked for 32 years and decided to take a leap of faith
and start working with leather full-time. He started quite
humbly with some leather and a few handbags made in advance,
his simple tools and 6 cents in his pocket. The next day,
Steve went to a store 70 miles away and sold over $1,000
in handbags. That was the beginning of a full-time creative
endeavor for Steve and Brenda.
Now
Steve and Brenda sell at two major Native American art shows
each year and sell to a number of fine art galleries throughout
the United States and Japan. Although they work steadily
throughout the year, often up to 12 hours a day, they spend
their time doing what they love to do - making things out
of wild game hides.
