TTT Leathergoods opening in downtown Bradenton, selling custom goods made locally
Leather purses, bags, wallets, brief cases, laptop sleeves, whiskey glass sleeves, and dopp bags are just some of the custom-made leather items that Amber and Andrew Roberts have been making and selling online from their family owned Bradenton workshop.
Starting Saturday, TTT Leathergoods will open a brick-and-mortar store at 527 13th St. W., in downtown Bradenton.
“Everything is handcrafted from full-grain leather,” said Amber of the business that evolved from her online boutique.
“As a stay-at-home mom, I started an online clothing boutique a few years ago. It was called The Tainted Tassel Boutique. We were selling leather items and leather goods. The lady we were ordering from couldn’t keep up with the demand. So we decided to try it ourselves and from there it turned into a full-on leather goods business,” she said.
Helping supply the final push for setting up a physical store was the fact that the couple already leased space for their workshop, and “nobody knew we were here,” Amber said.
Originally from Plant City, the couple moved frequently with their two young daughters, Addison and Austyn, as Andrew tackled golf course renovation projects around the state.
One of those golf course project brought the family to the Bradenton area.
“We have moved to plenty of places. We never felt more at home after we moved here,” she said.
Leading up to the decision to go into business for themselves, Andrew conducted research online, trying to find a niche that wasn’t already crowded with businesses doing the same thing. Crafting custom leather goods seemed to stand out.
“This will be a good location. We are trying to drive foot traffic downtown,” Andrew said. Even before the business opens, customers who bought items online started coming to the store to pick up their purchases.
TTT Leathergoods now has six full-time and two part-time employees. Among them is Sky Cadmus, office manager, who said that TTT Leathergoods will offer workshops where couples or parents and their children can work together on leather projects.
TTT Leathergoods will personalize purchases free of charge. In addition to leather goods, the store also carries jewelry and woodworking items.
For their grand opening on Saturday, Amber and Andrew plan a ribbon cutting, live music, free food and beverages and lots of give-a-ways. Helping provide some of those gifts are other downtown businesses, including O’Bricks, Bamboozer, Paddy Wagon and High Tide Nutrition.
Business hours through the holiday season will be 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
For more information about TTT Leathergoods, visit tttleathergoods.com or call 941-251-9793.
This story was originally published November 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
