One of the blessings of writing for Shop Talk! is that I get the chance to talk with a bunch of wonderful leather-working women from all across the country. It is hard to imagine a more dedicated, hardworking and diverse group of individuals with such a wide variety of talents. Artisans, businesspeople, designers, marketers, mothers, grandmothers… the women of our community are a great source of pride and wonder for me, an almost 70-year-old scribbler with no manual dexterity whatsoever.
The one thing I do have in common with many of the women in our industry is that I had the opportunity to reinvent myself as I made the transition from householder to empty nester. I moved to a small pueblo in Northern Mexico, to give myself a challenge and avoid the grumpy old La-Z-Boy syndrome. My second half has been nowhere near as successful as Laura McDaniel’s second half. Founding her company, Second Half Manufacturing, has proven to be a tremendous personal and professional success.
“Starting my business came at a time in my life when there were
