Visitors to the woods west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, marvel at the grand foliage of magnificent trees including red maple, black walnut and sycamore. For Nick and Leanne Polidore, the founders of Hemlock & Hyde, a booming producer of hand-made, ethically-sourced leather goods, the most important tree in the Pennsylvania woods is the Canadian hemlock, tsuga canadensis, also known as eastern hemlock, the state tree of Pennsylvania.
What makes the eastern hemlock so unique is not its foliage, but its thick dark bark. Early settlers found that hemlock bark could be boiled down into a liquid that could transform their hides into one of the most durable and versatile products on earth, leather.
“We were drawn to the timeless feel of leather and sharing ethically produced goods,” says Nick Polidore, explaining why they are committed to using only vegetable-tanned leather. “It is the key to what we do.”
Hemlock & Hyde is a perfect name for a company that prides itself on using natural products. Like Dr. Jekyll, the fictional character who turned himself into the murderous Mr. Hyde, Nick and Leanne take hides (Hydes?), thread, dye and hardware and turn them into signature accessories. “I’ve always loved architectural lines and
