Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Esposito.
Mary, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up on a small ranch in California. My mother passed on her love for art and I spent many days working alongside my grandfather in his workshop. I have always loved animals, especially dogs, and began fostering and training rescue dogs at a young age.
I started my journey working with leather back in 2012. I had been battling with health issues for some time. It was shortly after graduating from high school that I went to bed with a headache and woke up with permanent central vision loss the next morning.
Enter Riley. A charming, sweet, goofy Golden Retriever who would be my service dog. The tasks he was trained gave me my confidence and independence back but it was his friendship that got me through tough days. His bright smile and constant antics has brought such joy and laughter to our home. He was the inspiration for the first KoKoLati product. I wanted something special to mark our graduation as a service dog team. My mother and I headed to our local craft shop to purchase tools and leather. We crafted the first collar together, it featured his smiling portrait and tennis balls tooled and painted onto the leather. I posted that collar on Facebook and started to receive requests to order. KoKoLati Leather was started!
From that first (very amateur) collar, we have spent several years refining our craft and our process. What keeps leathercraft exciting for me is there is always more to learn and endless room for improvement!
Has it been a smooth road?
The business has presented one challenge after the next. If things feel like they are running smoothly or plateauing, I make sure to raise the bar and challenge myself. A few lighthearted examples of days that left me with a headache…
– One evening, I was working on a table full of products that were due to ship the following day. I was touching up the edges on a few of the collars with black leather dye when the dauber (used to apply the dye) hit the edge of the container just right. Not only did it flick black dye all over the products but tipped over, spilling everywhere. Weeks of work was destroyed and black dye was everywhere! It took us a few all-nighters to redo the work. There is still black dye in the floors grout.
– We have quickly outgrown our workspaces. At one point, we had leashes drying over every bathroom shower in the house. We couldn’t cook for a long time in the kitchen because we had the leather stored in the kitchen hall and we were worried steam would mold the leather.
– Our first tradeshow, we wanted to go all out. My mom and I built an actual room. We built 4’x8′ plywood walls with 2×4″ frames. It was a nightmare to transport and setup. It did turn out beautiful though. We also brought a mannequin as a key part of our display but left the stand for her back at the house hours away. Late-night before opening, we took the mannequin through home depot with her legs sticking out of the cart and her head protected with a blanket. To say we got some interesting looks would be an understatement. A kind man took on the project and helped us get her back standing on her artificial feet.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the KoKoLati Leather story. Tell us more about the business.
KoKoLati Leather is a family business specializing in tooled and painted leather products. We primarily craft pet collars at this time but plan to expand to other products in the near future.
Inspired by some of our favorite things, places, and nature, each original design starts on a scratch pad of paper. We use traditional leather working tools to bring each design to life.
Every piece is crafted with love. We genuinely care far more about the quality of our product and the relationships we develop with our customers and their pets than we do about financial gain.
I am so grateful this business has allowed me to help my family and my community. We offer 25% off to all working dog handlers and have donated to several animal rescues and charities. I am excited for the opportunity to continue these efforts as the business grows.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The earliest leatherworking tools date back to the Stone Age in 5,000 BC. It’s incredible to see the new innovations, changes in styles, and trends in design over the years. I am honored to leave my mark and bring my own original flair and style while still respecting the techniques of an ancient craft.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kokolati.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @kokolatileather
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokolatileather
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