Working with leather started as a hobby for Roy Wengerd -- a side project inspired by watching his grandfather Eli J.M. Miller re-facing Irish horse collars. When he began, he worked with much rougher material in the masonry industry.

After having back troubles, Roy Wengerd began to work with horse collars. He didn't do it very long until he went into business for himself, specializing in waist belts.

"I was always fascinated going into harness shops," Roy Wengerd said. "I had to educate myself though."

As his interest grew, Roy Wengerd started R.W. Leather as a wholesale business from the basement of his home in 1994. In just three years the business grew enough that the part-time hobby became a full-time job for the Wengerd family.

Roy's wife Mary Ellen works as the primary bookkeeper and takes inventory while Roy designs the products and orders the leather. Two of their children work at the shop, but other than that they haven't hired any outside help. The Wengerds juggle balancing inventory, designing new products, producing and marketing them.

The store moved from the basement to a sales area in the home and expanded in 2001 and 2002. R.W. Leather most recently added a new retail and workshop building in 2008.

Every belt in the store was made in their workshop. Currently the store carries purses, belts for children and adults, coin purses, pet leads, cell phone and eyeglass cases, sleigh bell items, key chains, fanny packs, coasters and wallets. Customers will also find slippers, sheepskin throws, rugs and seat belt covers for sale.

Over the past 16 years, Roy has picked up cues for popular designs from watching the stock in stores, but also from listening to individual customers. When some bring in purses, wallets or coin purses that he's never seen before or that he thinks will sell, he creates a pattern.

"With leather, it takes more artistic [ability] to do it all," Wengerd said.

Designing requires more creativity from Roy, but he enjoys that part of the job. Recently he's seen an increase in requests for wallets modeled after the 1970s style that include room for coins, but customers need more slots for credit and membership cards, which he can add.

"In the next year, we'd really like to focus on designing more belts and more wallets," he said. "The earth tones are always more popular, but there are no colors women don't like."

Mary Ellen Wengerd said the women who come in the shop really like the red and purple and lately there has been a high demand for coin purses.

The leather in the store comes from cows and sheep and the Wengerds only purchases English Bridle leather that uses a vegetable tanning method. Roy Wengerd said this procedure has been picking up popularity because of the green movement. All the dyes used in the process are water soluble and none of the byproducts of tanning harm the environment.

Manufacturing the leather goods also incorporates Roy's interests in history and quality craftsmanship. Roy Wengerd said most of the machines in the workshop are pretty old, with some dating back as far as the mid-1800s. He chooses to work with these machines because he said they were made during a time when machines were built to last forever, with heavier steel and parts that didn't need to be replaced as often. Having such reliable machines helps the small business because it reduces any down time needed for repairs.

One particular antique treadle Singer sewing machine still makes some of the belts in the store.

"That was the first sewing machine in here," Roy Wengerd said. "We just can't seem to let go of it."

According to Mary Ellen, one of their best investments was an embossing machine they bought stocked with rolls of designs from the 1950s.

The store is located at 4415 County Road 114 in Sugarcreek. For more information call 330-852-3801.