Our Story

Each bag bag begins as a study in structure, architectural design principles, remembering the clean lines of minimalism and the timelessness of vintage design and considering the strength and natural nature of leather.  The result is a bag where the artist's touch and layered design create pieces meant to endure and evolve as the user moves about their life.  

The time invested in each piece is uncommon, but crucial to my way of working with leather.  Cutting, sewing and installing hardware are all done by hand without the use of machines ensuring that the maker's hand is intimately involved in every step of the process.  In addition, I use only the best materials I can find.  Vegetable-tanned leather sourced from Italy and the United States, hardware made of solid brass or stainless steel and materials specially designed for hand sewing.  I also share the specifics on each piece and include the specific tannery from where the leather was sourced.  

The most enjoyable part of creating is meeting my customers and knowing they will treasure their bag for many years.  New bag designs are exciting but only as they enable me to meet new people and talk about my creative process and the work that goes into making the bag that they love.  

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Working for ourselves had always been our dream. We discussed it for years and years (actually about 15 years!) until it 'accidently' happened in 2019 when Jennifer taught herself to make a macrame plant hanger.  About 8 weeks later she was selling her items at artisan markets and Uptown Common was born!

In early 2020, Grant began working with leather and added a small selection of wallets, notebooks, and keychains to our product line that Jennifer continued selling at artisan markets while he was working weekends in e-commerce. He began learning about leather back in 2015 and ended up purchasing a premium leather bag, only to later learn that the materials used were substandard. Knowing that there were better quality materials available, Grant began making his own leather products, building relationships with great suppliers and learning the intricate details of handcrafted leather goods. From the start, his goal was to make leather bags and briefcases using the best materials and time-honored techniques of leather workers.

In the middle of 2023, we made the decision to create another turn in our story as we observed trends.  We understood that macrame got us to this point, but it wasn't meant to take us into the future, so we discontinued macrame and now fully focus on leather goods. Over the years our leather goods line up has expanded to include belts, clutches, shoulder bags, hand bags and briefcases.  And, we have remained committed to sewing every piece by hand (literally!).

From the beginning we've found ourselves drawn to vintage and minimalist design as inspiration for our products and also for our vision for Uptown Common as a company. We want to offer items that are timeless, functional, and beautiful using the best materials and craftsmanship; which we believe is a recipe for creating something that will be adored by its future owner forever. 

We are so grateful to have this opportunity. All the glory belongs to God!