Little bit of research-anyone want to give an opinion?

[larry1096]

I've noticed that gun shows around here don't really have anyone doing handmade leather holsters; something I've been doing as a hobby for years.

I'm not sure if there's even a market for that these days. I've only ever done it for myself and a couple friends.

 

So my request is: If you came upon some of these on a table at a gun show, would you be interested? What do you think a reasonable price for something like this would be?

 

Appreciate any input-trying to figure out if I should give this a shot, so the more info the better. 

 

Larry

[larry1096]

[larry1096]

[larry1096]

These are the only photos that would make it under the forum's photo limits, hope it gives you an idea of what I'm talking about.

 

Thanks,

 

Larry

Edited Sunday at 09:58 PM by larry1096

[krunchnik]

The top holster would sell probably for around $80.00-$100.00-

The middle for approximately $125.00-$150.00-

Bottom $50-60-

So my answer would be a yes they would sell-

This of coarse is only my opinion and it's only worth what your paying-

[papa61]

I have thought about this a bit as I also do leather work. My thought is it would only pay out in future orders (for myself) since I do full custom work. I don't at this time have the hours to put in to be able to fill a table and get a return on the set up fee. I've actually fallen behind by about a year due to home circumstances. The work you have posted looks to be of good quality which sells to those who know what they are looking for. I've seen at least one maker set up at the shows with lesser quality and he doesn't seem to have a lot of business but he has been consistent over several years so I'd say it would work if you can produce higher volume.

[jredbryant]

I usually attend the gun show in Sparta every time. I have seen holsters vendors come and go. About 1 in 15 people are looking for a holster but are usually too cheap to spend money on quality. 

[leroy]

I like the designs ya put up.   The problem with holsters and gun shows is everybody is looking for something for nothin.  I used ta hunt used holsters at gun shows and wuz ruthless about buying em at the lowest price I could negotiate.  I would buy only old time top of the line stuff. 

That said:

I think the custom leather business is a good gig if ya make a great product.  Vegetable tanned leather, good designs, excellent finishing are what make good holsters and that ain't cheap.  I would tend to build up a clientele and build on a first come, first served basis ALA the Simply Rugged Holsters guys.   

some food for thought ...

leroy.

[BigK]

It's been my experience with making holsters that @jredbryant nailed it. Gun show customers act like they're at a yard sale and seem to have no sense of what things cost.

[papa61]

13 hours ago, jredbryant said:

I usually attend the gun show in Sparta every time. I have seen holsters vendors come and go. About 1 in 15 people are looking for a holster but are usually too cheap to spend money on quality. 

 

13 hours ago, leroy said:

I like the designs ya put up.   The problem with holsters and gun shows is everybody is looking for something for nothin.  I used ta hunt used holsters at gun shows and wuz ruthless about buying em at the lowest price I could negotiate.  I would buy only old time top of the line stuff. 

That said:

I think the custom leather business is a good gig if ya make a great product.  Vegetable tanned leather, good designs, excellent finishing are what make good holsters and that ain't cheap.  I would tend to build up a clientele and build on a first come, first served basis ALA the Simply Rugged Holsters guys.   

some food for thought ...

leroy.

 

11 hours ago, BigK said:

It's been my experience with making holsters that @jredbryant nailed it. Gun show customers act like they're at a yard sale and seem to have no sense of what things cost.

These comments are why I believe it would only pay out in future orders. People wanting high quality leather want it custom made and will wait for it. I make a couple of cheaper holsters but I don't keep them on hand. Custom orders make money, standard stuff is break even. Oh you can make a profit but your labor rate will be very low. I only got into this because I have pistols no one makes anything for. 

Veg tanned is the better option only because it will be stiffer when finished. Chrome tanned does contain corrosive chemicals but if used as a holster with well maintained pistols it will not be an issue. I have a prototype for one of my revolvers that is lined with chrome tanned. Three caveats to this, 1. My revolver is stainless 2. it's a prototype, though it works well it needs refinement 3. Leather, even veg tanned, will attract moisture, holsters are for carry not storage. My reading has told me not to use genuine shearling for padding on cases or scabbards because it will cause rust. It's an art form I am still learning, YMMV.

I had planned on setting up at one of the flea markets that have vendors catering to firearms but again I can't build up inventory to justify the set up fee. Woodbury has a good one, check your local market and go from there. Dropping a few cards at the locally owned FFL won't hurt either.

Lastly, the guys making money doing this have utube, X, and other social media presence and are making their money on advertisers. I'm planning using leatherwork income to supplement my retirement, if I ever see that time LOL.

[ken_mays]

I hate to say it but I don't think there's really much of a market anymore.  I own a lot of handguns but all I ever seem to buy (or make) anymore is Kydex for holsters, and I'm pretty picky about the kind of designs I like.

I wouldn't waste my time at gun shows either, those tend to be Uncle Mike's kind of crowds.      It's been my observation that 98% of gun show attendees don't know the difference between quality workmanship and cheap junk.

One group still investing in leather are SASS shooters.  I don't know if there are any active clubs around you,  but I would think that there would be a pretty good demand for custom leather.    Competition shooters tend to be pretty specific about what they want, and if you're willing to build what they want, I think you could probably get a lot of business once your name got out there.

[gregintenn]

I make holsters, and at one time, I had a shelf of them for sale at a buddy’s gun store. 
 

Here’s what I learned:

Rarely will someone buy a holster sitting on a table or shelf. If you have brown, they want black…

Most folks just want to squeeze, twist, and pull on them for some reason with no intention of buying one.

If on the off chance you do have something someone wants, they want it for $10.

There are simply too many handgun models, barrel lengths holster styles, etc. to have on hand what someone will actually want.

The best I think you could do would be to rent a table, display examples of your work, and take orders. People WILL pay good money for something custom made “just for them”. I think they are as much buying the experience as the product.

[Roaneman]

2 hours ago, ken_mays said:

I hate to say it but I don't think there's really much of a market anymore.  I own a lot of handguns but all I ever seem to buy (or make) anymore is Kydex for holsters, and I'm pretty picky about the kind of designs I like.

I wouldn't waste my time at gun shows either, those tend to be Uncle Mike's kind of crowds.      It's been my observation that 98% of gun show attendees don't know the difference between quality workmanship and cheap junk.

One group still investing in leather are SASS shooters.  I don't know if there are any active clubs around you,  but I would think that there would be a pretty good demand for custom leather.    Competition shooters tend to be pretty specific about what they want, and if you're willing to build what they want, I think you could probably get a lot of business once your name got out there.

 I agree with this. I shot cowboy action (SASS) for a few years, and those folks are particular about anything leather, as was I.

There was a member of my club who specialized in custom manufacturing anything you wanted in any style or color you could imagine.  You paid a pretty penny; however, the workmanship and one-of-a-kind approach really worked.

The benefit from your perspective is no inventory and all custom orders.  If you can hook up with a local SASS group and get your name out there, you could do well.

As noted above, cranking out holsters and laying them out on a table at a gun show isn't going to work.

If you do good custom leather work and earn a good reputation within the cowboy community, you can't go wrong.

My thoughts.  Good luck.

  

[Grayfox54]

Do you just do this as a hobby or do you want to make a full time business of it? 

Yeah, gun show buyers are looking for cheap. But some also understand quality. Quality brings repeat customers and spreads word of mouth. 

Some years back I met a holster maker at a gun show. Liked his stuff and tried one of them. Liked it so much that he has now become my custom holster guy and own several of his products. 

Bottom line is that it depends on how good you are. 

 

[22lr]

I think you will just get a bunch of tire kickers at a gun show and not sell many. You would probably be better off selling online. Leather holster are not my personal cup of tea but I am sure there are many buyers out there somewhere. How many hours does not take you to make one? 

[larry1096]

5 minutes ago, 22lr said:

I think you will just get a bunch of tire kickers at a gun show and not sell many. You would probably be better off selling online. Leather holster are not my personal cup of tea but I am sure there are many buyers out there somewhere. How many hours does not take you to make one? 

Sewing them by hand, about 1 1/2 hours or so to about 2 1/2 hours, depending on the complexity of the holster.

 

Larry

[BigK]

2 hours ago, 22lr said:

I think you will just get a bunch of tire kickers at a gun show and not sell many. 

I have literally taken pics of holsters at gun shows with the seller's card for the sole purpose of going home and copying the idea (for my own  use, not to sell). I feel like that may even be worse than just kicking the tires.

[rodteague]

On 5/4/2025 at 4:56 PM, larry1096 said:

My suggestion, would be to set up at the Safari Club International convention on their stop in Nashville; February 2026. My brother flies in from Kansas City every year to attend. Those are the customers you want. Anyone who’ll drop 20k+ for a hunt, will readily spend a couple hundred on good quality leather. YMMV

SCI Nashville 2026

Best Regards

Rod

Edited 18 hours ago by rodteague
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