Meet The Craftsman
My name is JT, and if you are reading this I want to first thank you for visiting The Chop Shop Co. We are a small veteran owned and operated business with roots in Wyoming but made in Florida. My goal in starting this business was to make a product that wasn’t just materialistic, but something that could become a part of your everyday life and a part of stories in your adventures.
The Chop Shop Co. began the year after I had a stroke in 2021. One of my favorite quotes by Confucius, “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one,” came to me in the hospital with my fancy yellow fall risks socks on. I am a navy veteran, rode bulls, was an avid skydiver and burned up most of my 9 lives in my 20’s. However, nothing made me appreciate life more than when I read that quote and realized how short life could be. Because of this my little family comes first before all else. I have looked at life as a beautiful gift since then and not the guarantee of tomorrow I used to take for granted.
For as long as I can remember I have always been captivated by the journey of labor in handcrafted work. There is a story to be told behind each finished piece triggering emotions and memories tying the simplest things back to a moment in time for each person. The smell of leather and the touch of a soft finish as you run your hand across the surface, the flow of the lines on a motorcycle and the sound of the motor idling, the smell of a new car, or the sight of pure creative craftsmanship in a product that shows passion in honing a craft.
Here at The Chop Shop Company every piece is meticulously handcrafted and brings about simplistic designs with intricate stitching whether sewn by hand in our smaller products or by machine in our bags and larger items. Properly made and sourced leather is a truly sustainable material. For that reason I will always strive to deliver a product that will last for many years to come in your life.