48 years of leathercrafting comes to end for Gilbert

By MIKE WILLIAMS

Patriot Publishing

After 48 years, a hobby that eventually turned into a business is coming to an end for Ralph Gilbert.

It all started some 50 years ago on a family trip to the old Lakeside amusement park in Salem, which closed in the fall of 1986.

“My wife and I went to Lakeside with the kids. They were playing games and riding stuff and this guy was over here beating on a piece of leather and I went over and watched him,” Gilbert remembered.

“I asked him, ‘where do you get your tools at.’ There was a Tandy store back then in Roanoke and I went over there and bought $20 worth of scrap leather and a couple tools. I took them home and played around with them,” recalled Gilbert.

Later, at a livestock market in the area, Gilbert said there was a man there selling some leather and he bought some scrap pieces.

And with that, Gilbert’s career as a leathercrafter – or leathersmith as some say – was born.

Gilbert had an idea and turned those scrap pieces into something he thought might sale, and he had a couple of salesmen right there at home ready to go.

“Brad (Alley) and his brother were in grade school so I started making some arm bands and they would go to school wearing these arm bands. One was Cowboys and the other was Redskins. They’d come home and say, ‘Hey Daddy. We’ve sold three more of these,’” Gilbert laughed.

“I bought a piece of leather, paid $8 for it and made about $40 and I thought, ‘you know, this might be a pretty good business.’”

Many of Gilbert’s ideas are original, but some aren’t.

“When I first started, I never had taken a class or anything. I started playing around with the arm bands and belts – of course everyone makes belts. I said, well, I’ll add on to that. So there was a leather magazine that came out every month and I’d see ideas in that. Now you can go online and get any kind of pattern or anything – just all kinds of ideas.”

Around that time, he started selling his creations at the Pulaski County Flea Market – held twice a year by the Dublin Lions Club. He has been a staple at the flea market for 48 of the market’s 52 years. His first year he was stationed in the Wysor Building, but since then he’s been a fixture in the Farris Building with two “booths” to sale from this year.

Gilbert mans the booths with help from his wife, Gayle and other family members.

“I’ve had a lot of customers and lots of repeat customers,” Gilbert said. “People come in here from everywhere. It’s been good.”

Does he have a favorite leather item to make?

“I don’t know if I have a favorite thing. I started making holsters here about four years ago. Keyrings … stuff like that. I used to like making belts a whole lot, but I have kind of automated that. I used to do it by hand, but now I do it with an embossing machine,” Gilbert explained.

His most popular item?

“The belts. I sell a lot of belts. I’ve kind of transitioned myself. I’ve made skulls you hang on the wall, dreamcatchers … I love Native American stuff.  Drawstring pouches … anything to make money on,” he said.

At one point, Gilbert got interested in making things using snake skins.

“I went into the snake skin business and I still do a lot of that. I sale it on ebay,” Gilbert said.

“I did key rings, all kinds of stuff. I dealt with a company called Rare Skins out in Oklahoma. The owner would furnish me with skins.  Back then, Don Southern and I worked with leather and we adapted a cap gun,” he explained.

Gilbert and his family went out to Oklahoma on vacation one year and he found this little shop that advertised their snake skin sales.

“The guy who owned it wasn’t there, but this lady at the shop was so nice I got some snake skins from her and came back and we adapted that little cap gun and put a snake skin cover on it.

“I sent it to the owner and he called me on the phone and ordered 1,200 of them. That’s when I hired (sister-in-law) Twila (White). She worked for me for two years.

“I’d make a couple hundred of them at a time and ship them to him.

“He died last year. Never met him in person, but we talked I bet 100 hours on the phone. He lived in Houston then and he’d send me skins. I made all sorts of products – I made billfolds, everything.”

Aside from his leathercrafting, Gilbert worked for the Department of Defense for 33 years counting his time in the military.

He worked as an engineering technican within the Radford Army Ammunition Plant until his retirement as a facility manager.

Gilbert will turn 83 in September.

“I have cancer. Last year I didn’t do the two markets. I was in the hospital June 6 last year – they sent me to Winston Salem and I spent 53 days in the cancer center there. I’ve got CLL which is leukemia,” Gilbert explained.

“I’m in remission. They took me off my chemo pills this past week. I’m trying to hang right in there. I’m feeling better. The Good Lord has looked after me,” he said.

Gilbert lives between Dublin and Pulaski in the Thornsprings area.

About his 48 years at the flea market, Gilbert said he’s seen kids who used to walk up to the booth and now he’s seen them grow up and have kids of their own.

“Has it changed? Not really. Everybody’s still looking for a deal.

“It goes with the economy like everything else.

“I’ve changed my inventory around a whole lot because I could see that some things weren’t selling, so I’d drop them off and get something else. That’s the way you’re supposed to do I guess.”