How one mother's determination, a daughter's dream, and a lifetime in the Western lifestyle shaped Rockin' M Leathers.
People sometimes ask how I got started in leatherwork. The truth is, Rockin' M Leathers wasn't originally my dream.
It was my daughter's.
In 2010, my daughter Melissa and I started Sure to Shine Rhinestones, creating custom rhinestone tack, hand-painted halters and dog collars. Melissa was happy-go-lucky, beautiful, friendly, smart and incredibly creative.
Then she discovered leatherwork—and fell in love with it.
That passion became Rockin' M Leathers. Busy with my career as a business consultant, I stepped back and let Melissa run with her new brand. She dreamed of eventually growing it beyond just leather into a complete western lifestyle business.
Life, however, took an unexpected turn in 2020.
Following Melissa's untimely passing after a serious injury, I faced a difficult decision. Rather than letting the business Melissa had built disappear, I chose to continue it—not because I considered myself a master leather artisan, but because I believed her dream deserved to live on.
What began as preserving Melissa's legacy has evolved into something deeply personal.
Although the business has evolved, its values remain unchanged.
Learning as I Went
I had very little leather tooling experience, but surprisingly, I don't remember ever thinking, I can't do this. With the help of my husband and a few accomplished leather artisans for a little guidance, I just rolled with it.
That's not to say there haven't been plenty of times when a project has made me wonder “what have I gotten myself into?” When that happens, I walk away for a while and eventually come back and somehow figure it out.
My first leather project after taking over was a clutch. But the piece that really gave me confidence was a hand-tooled halter.
Today I use tooling patterns for some of my work, but many of my purses, wallets and other leather goods are designed without templates. I have an idea in my head, start working with the leather and simply “wing it”.
Somehow, it works.
Often when it’s finished, I wonder how I knew how to do it. Those are the moments when I feel Melissa the most. I like to believe she's still here, somehow helping me create things I never imagined I could.
Of course, if she actually walked into the shop today, I'm pretty sure she'd look around and then when I excitedly tell her about my latest idea, she'd probably roll her eyes like she always did and think I was nuts.
I can almost see her doing it.
More Than Pretty Tack
I've spent a lifetime in the Western world, showing horses in both English and Western disciplines, competing in junior and intercollegiate rodeo before joining the WPRA (Women's Professional Rodeo Association) which at the that time, was known as the Girls Rodeo Association. Now a proud WPRA Gold Card member for more than a decade.
As a barrel racer and team roper, I understand that tack has to do more than look beautiful. It has to fit, function and stand up to real use.
I didn't learn that from a catalog. I learned it horseback.
Bringing a Little of Me into the Dream
Melissa wanted Rockin' M Leathers to become more than leather. She envisioned adding apparel, jewelry and accessories and growing it into a Western lifestyle brand.
I tried apparel. Let's just say that wasn't my calling.
Instead, I found myself returning to one of my passions since childhood: Native American jewelry.
My aunt owned a jewelry store and purchased pieces from local Native American artisans. My mother bought several pieces for herself, including a Squash Blossom necklace that I still own and wear today.
Over the years, my love for the jewelry made adding authentic Native American jewelry to Rockin' M Leathers feel right. It allowed me to continue expanding the business as Melissa had envisioned, while bringing something into it that had been part of my own story for decades.
Today, I personally select the jewelry I offer, choosing pieces for their craftsmanship, authenticity and beauty.
In many ways, the two sides of Rockin' M Leathers tell our story.
The leather began with Melissa.
The jewelry brought a little more of me.
And together, they've become the Rockin' M Leathers you see today.
Still Writing the Story
Rockin' M Leathers doesn't look exactly as it did when Melissa was here.
I don't think it should.
Businesses grow. Dreams grow. And somewhere along the way, the business I continued for Melissa became something I discovered I loved, too.
I never expected to become the person sitting at a workbench designing a handbag without a template, wondering whether an idea in my head was actually going to work.
But here I am.
Every order that leaves Rockin' M Leathers represents more than handcrafted quality. It represents perseverance, family, and a promise to continue building a business that began with a shared dream between a mother and daughter.
Melissa laid the foundation.
I continue the journey.
And with every custom leather piece and every carefully selected piece of Native American jewelry, the story of Rockin' M Leathers continues to be written.