Leather earrings are just one of the many unique items custom-made by Texas Grain Leather located in Tyler. 

By night, Jacksonville Police Officer and Tyler native Dre Phillips is busy keeping the streets of East Texas safe. By day, he creates beautiful leather pieces for his small business Texas Grain Leather.

Phillips started the business in the summer of 2016 after failing to find an office item that matched what he was looking for, so he made his own — a task he found therapeutic.

“In 2015, I was searching around for a leather mouse pad for my media desk. I felt like I had looked at so many options, but didn’t really see anything that matched the style I wanted, so I just decided to make my own,” he said “During that project, I realized that I actually found it very therapeutic to create something with my hands. So, what began as one simple project then became a second project, then a third, and so on.”

“By Christmas of 2015, I had 17 orders from various friends and family who learned that I had begun making handmade leather goods,” Phillips said.

Phillips said the following year he decided to start the business for two main reasons.

“The first and foremost reason I decided to start Texas Grain Leather is because I’m passionate about it. It kind of took me by surprise to be honest, because I had no idea that I would enjoy leather craft as much as I do. My wife and I collaborate on the entire design process and to see it go from concept to final product in hand is very rewarding,” he said. “I pride myself in the craftsmanship and being able to deliver an heirloom quality piece that my customers will be able to enjoy for many years.”

“After realizing this, I started playing around with the idea of building Texas Grain into a legitimate company that would eventually be able to provide for my family, and be something I could leave to my kids,” Phillips added.

He went on to say the second reason was due to the amazing feedback he received from family and friends.

“The second reason is that I started receiving such a positive response and once people learned that I was making handmade goods, I was bombarded with orders. Every month it grew, and every year I found myself receiving more orders than the year before,” he said. “Not only was I getting new customers consistently, but previous customers were coming back time and time again with new orders.”

“I began to develop a customer base that trusted my work, and became repeat clients. That got me thinking that I should seriously pursue it and use my talents to build this into something more than just a hobby,” Phillips said. “So, with the support and encouragement from my wife, we made the decision to take that step.”

Phillips joked that he’s willing to make anything except boots and saddles.

“A lot of our clientele comes to us with custom orders, and that’s great,” he said. “We love to tackle custom jobs; they push my skill set further, and I love to learn new things.”

Phillips explained creating leather goods is a very complex process that involves multiple stages including concept and design, selecting leather hides and materials, creating patterns and prototypes and final product.

Sometimes the process varies, depending on the project and what it requires, however when Texas Grain Leather receives an order, it begins with a side of leather. When the leather is chosen, it’s rolled out onto a shop table and examined for the best areas to use for the item.

Phillips said from there, the template is traced onto the leather and then hand cut. Once the pieces are cut out, the process can change in various ways. Sometimes he needs to bevel and burnish the edges of certain pieces, sometimes it may be a different step.

“Once that’s complete, the pieces are assembled and stitched together. The edges are then sanded from low to high grit, and then the edges are beveled,” he said. “We finish it out by dying the edges, hand burnishing, and ultimately sealing them. After that the item is given a coat of a special polish and hand buffed to a nice, rich sheen.”

“There’s a lot that goes into each piece we make,” Phillips added.

Phillips said the quality and innovation of his works makes Texas Grain Leather stand apart from other like businesses and when creating pieces always keeps the integrity of the piece in mind.

“I’m meticulous about the details and it’s important to me to deliver a well made product to my customers. If I wouldn’t personally carry it, it gets remade,” he said. “Our mission is to create handmade goods with true heirloom quality craftsmanship, built to last a lifetime.”

Phillips has shipped pieces as far Mexico and Germany and plans to offer international shipping once the Texas Grain Leather website is complete.

Phillips said the current main goal is to become an online retailer but eventually open a brick and mortar.

“The main goal with Texas Grain right now is to develop our own leather goods product line and collections and become an online retailer,” he said. “We would love to have a brick and mortar in the near future and expand into a gentleman’s store and outfitter as well; a place where guys can get quality ‘guy’ stuff — that’s the next step and what we’re working toward.”

Phillips said he is excited about what the future holds for Texas Grain Leather.

“What you get from Texas Grain Leather will be something you won’t have to replace,” he said. “We’ve got a lot in the works and look forward to having everyone come alongside us on this journey.”

For more information, visit the Texas Grain Leather Facebook page or call 903-952-7734.

To see more photos, go here.