Our business is located in New Ulm, MN, tucked away in the Minnesota River Valley. Most work is done by Luke and Christine Thompson, the two founders and first artisans of Sojourner Leatherwork.
There are four main steps in producing our journals:First, our leather is purchased and cut. Leather is purchased as cow sides from Tandy Leather Factory. All leather sides are hand-picked by Luke or Christine, ensuring that the leather meets their own rigorous standards. We are currently looking for a free-range leather distributor, but until then Tandy provides us with our quality leather. The sides are then cut into appropriate sizes. Any excess leather is used for inventing new designs; there is absolutely no wasted leather.
The leather is then pounded with leather stamps. Over 80 percent of our leather stamps were hand carved in Argentina, each completely original. The only way to buy them is to go down there and get them yourself. Besides these, we use a handful of machine-cut U.S. stamps. We’re constantly acquiring new stamps from all over the globe.
Next, the leather is either dyed or stained, or a combination of both. We now only purchase EcoFlo dyes and stains, products tested to be environmentally friendly.
Finally, the leather is sewn into its final state and finished. We use waxed string to sew the lines on the journal covers.
Our artisans are paid on commission based on sales. They now average $10/hour, but with your help we hope to bring that pay closer to $15. Our artists work in a sunny upper floor of an old New Ulm home. Please send us a note in the contact section for more information.