Today we’d like to introduce you to Dave Munson.
Dave, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 1999, I started by volunteering in southern Mexico as an English teacher. I needed a bag to carry my students’ books and wanted one like Indiana Jones would carry. So, I found a man making leather bags and asked him to make me one based off of my drawing. Everywhere I went, I was swamped with compliments and people asking me where they could find a bag like it. I had originally designed it to be fought over when I was dead and therefore with excessive quality and no breakable parts. Our slogan is “They’ll Fight Over it When You’re Dead”.
In 2000, I ended up moving back down to Mexico to have more bags made. I ended up living in a $100/mo. apartment in Juarez, Mexico where my Black Lab and I slept on the floor with no hot water for three years. All of the money I saved on not living in El Paso, TX, I deposited into the bank account of the father and son in southern Mexico who were making my bags. They would send up bags on the bus and I would take them to El Paso to sell on eBay using a friend’s mechanic shop at night.
In 2006, I met my incredible wife, Suzette, on Myspace and moved to San Antonio to marry her. In 2008, we started up our own factory in central Mexico and have been going at it ever since. The factory has a free daycare, 4-year English program (the same organization where I used to teach), marriage counseling, parenting classes and personal counseling for the employees. It’s so much fun there.
We moved to the DFW area in 2015 and found some land outside of town in Azle, Texas. We put up 2000 sq. ft. of Safari tents about 3 years ago and still just absolutely love it. We have been featured in Texas Monthly, an episode of CBS’s Texans with Character and also a national daytime TV show because of the tents. They’re amazing.
But more amazing is my wife, Suzette Munson and my daughter, Sela whom I believe you’ll be interviewing soon. It seems we all got recognized at the same time. My son, Cross is incredible too, but Sela and Suzette are doing things for so many people that I can hardly believe it.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Majorly taken advantage of and stolen from by a trusted friend and then again by a manager in Mexico. This went on for years and years without me knowing it. Hard times, but I’m a better man because of it.
Saddleback Leather Co. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a people company cleverly disguised as a leather bag business. We care for our people in the US and in Mexico. We specialize in the designing and building the longest lasting most over-engineered leather bags and also canvas bags that exist on the planet. We are most proud of the way we care for people.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is if my kids and my wife feel loved by me when it’s all said and done and they are in love with God at the end of their lives.
Pricing:
- Our larger pieces range from $500 to $5000
Contact Info:
- Address: 600 Railhead Rd. #200
Fort Worth, Texas 76106 - Website: www.saddlebackleather.com
- Phone: 210 858-5210
- Email: dave@saddlebackleather.com
- Instagram: #saddlebackbags
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/saddlebackleather
- Twitter: saddlebackbags
Image Credit:
Dave Munson (All other pics), Joe Callander (with airplane), Allen Williams (On Camel at Petra)
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
