Meet the Maker

Hello & welcome to the website!

My name is Jamie Gray Lerum, and I'm the one-woman show behind Gray Mountain Leather Co. 
People say you tend to go back to what you loved as a kid, and I guess I'm a pprime example of that. 
Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my Grandma who was an accomplished seamstress. She taught me how to sew in her bedroom and let me "help” her make sock monkeys and Raggedy Ann dolls after school.

 

Fast forward 20 years to 2017, and I began exploring leatherwork on the flimsy kitchen table of the 5th wheel camper I was living in.

While sewing leather came pretty naturally, everything else I learned from Youtube or whatever books I could get my hands on, and I ended up with a lot of questions that Google couldn’t answer.

I wormed my way into the leather shop of a retired Saddle Maker in 2018 and he would give me assignments and work on his own projects alongside me, recounting old war stories all the while. He sold me tools cheaply and shared lots of tips and tricks that only come from decades of hands-on experience. His knowledge and guidance was priceless.

I expanded my work space into the garage at my next home, and then Covid hit and the restaurant I was waiting tables at closed for several months. 

I wanted to see what I could do with the time off, and decided to order a custom shed. I finished out the inside and took the plunge into business ownership and full-time making on May 25th of 2020.

The business and my work continue to evolve around and adapt to inevitable life changes, but since plunging head first into this adventure, several things continue to be true: Customers become friends, fellow makers are unwavering cheerleaders, friends and family show their support in every way imaginable, and my love for the craft just grows stronger. I am so grateful for it all.

Thank you all for exploring the website, I hope you get your hands on something you love!