Our Founding & Heritage
The Tannery Row was founded in 2011 by John Culliton with one goal in mind: to make high quality leather and leather products accessible to a diverse community of artisans and small businesses. Seeking freedom and opportunity for creativity and self-expression, our high-quality leathers allow them to develop and make unique, detailed, hand-crafted goods.
We saw a problem within the leather community— obtaining high quality leather direct from world class tanneries in small quantities is challenging. The Tannery Row wants to provide you with great leather to craft a beautiful product. With our leather knowledge, process and direct relationships with tanneries, we promise to deliver consistent, high quality leather— every single time.
Leather is about tradition and heritage. Our tanneries are inspired by the tradition of old-world craftmanship and heritage of consistently providing the highest quality leather.
With over 25 years of working for and specializing in Horween leather, John and the Tannery Row team has the unique ability to recommend the perfect leather for your project, footwear, garment or hand-crafted leather accessories.
Our Mission— The Tannery Row aims to provide world-class leather to artisans and small companies, while maintaining a premium standard through direct relationships with tanneries.
Tanneries in Chicago
The name of our company takes its inspiration from the Chicago Tannery District that had its heyday in the late 19th and early 20th century. The rich history of the Tannery District is hidden on the red and brown bricks of the historical buildings. On a rainy day, the walls tell a story with the faded outlines of past tanneries.
Of the dozens of tanneries that existed in Chicagoland at that time, Horween Leather Company is the only tannery that remains in operation today.
The Tannery Row was created to extend the tannery tradition in Chicago by making high-quality leather and leather products accessible to a diverse community of artisans and small businesses. We work directly with the best tanneries to provide high-quality leather on a consistent basis.
We care about quality just as much as you do. That’s why you can expect the same quality leathers from Tannery Row.
