Off the Beaten Path - Landwerlen Leather

As you know, the primary mission of this blog is to alert fellow Indy-ites to pockets of fashion and style, including the "off the beaten path" stuff. In that spirit, I have quite a find for you - Landwerlen Leather.

Longtime readers of this blog (well, all three weeks or so of its existence) will know that I have a love of mid-century Modern design. Believe it or not, Landwerlen is a find for mod lovers. You'd never notice by the look of the place - stuff is literally crammed into every nook and cranny.

I discovered Landwerlen on a quest to have a belt strap made. Landwerlen is primarily a supply store for leather workers, but they will make custom belt straps should you need any. While I was there picking out my strap, out of the corner of my eye I spotted several full cowhides, exactly like the ones sold as rugs by Design Within Reach, the phenomenal bastion of mid-century Modernism.

Here's the greatest part. While DWR sells cowhide rugs for $750, you can get a full hide at Landwerlen for about $250 or so. Prices vary depending on the size and condition of the hide, but they are roughly a third to a half of what you'd pay at DWR.

Of course, I snapped one up. Yee-ha!