In July 2021, Heather Pfleegor’s 9-year-old daughter Danika wanted to make a headband and matching earrings for her birthday party. Next, Pfleegor, Danika and her 6-year-old sister Ashlyn made matching earrings for mom and me, followed by gifts for friends and family.
It was such a fun bonding experience for them that when Danika wondered if it could be something more, their business, Leathered Together, was born.
Pfleegor’s motivation for starting a business with his young daughters was simple. She wanted them to know that they had to follow their dreams and believe in themselves and their abilities.
“The name Leathered Together is mom and daughters making leather accessories together,” said Pfleegor.
Their logo is made up of three hearts in a circle – a big heart for mom and two small hearts for her daughters.
In November 2021, the trio sold their first pair of earrings, beginning by posting on Facebook and Instagram. This led to a successful holiday season and in February they launched their website. While Pfleegor is in charge of social media and the website, the girls are often there to observe and give their opinion.
Pfleegor, who works full time as well as being a mother of three including Ashlyn’s twin brother Lincoln, first thought making leather jewelry with her daughters would be a hobby they could do together. She soon discovered that they had sold over 100 pairs of earrings. It was then that she realized they had something not only fun to create but also fun to wear. They make other accessories including headbands, hair slides and clip earrings for little kids, but earrings are their niche.
They release individual styles as well as collections such as mommy and me, valentine, spring, wedding season and sports.
They now take custom orders for everything from vacations to sports teams, attend craft fairs and participate in fundraising opportunities. Pfleegor would also like to see his product in local stores.
“We would like to continue to see our platform grow”, said Pfleegor.
Pfleegor uses the company to instill life lessons in her daughters whenever she can, such as kindness.
“If someone does something good, we give them a pair of earrings”, said Pfleegor.
For Danika and Ashlyn, Leathered Together means spending time with their mother and each other.
“Leathered Together was really exciting for me because we started doing it together,” Danika said.
“I like to do it with my mother and my sister”, Ashlyn said.
Since the launch of their website, Leathered Together has sold several hundred pairs of earrings, and hopes to reach 1,000 pairs very soon. Their website is www.leatheredtogether.com.
