By Townes Dylan York
In Blue Handmade was founded in 2008 after a then 25-year-old Mary Lynn Schroeder quit her job in the Chicago music industry and relocated to a small farm in Southern Illinois.
She bought a sewing machine to become more self-sufficient, learned how to work it, and never looked back.
Now located in Asheville, NC, In Blue Handmade (named after Bob Dylan’s song “Tangled Up In Blue”) employs 11 artisans who craft an array of custom leather accessories, including guitar straps, journals, tote bags, purses, flask covers, wallets, luggage tags, and more. All of the leather used by In Blue is second-sourced and they use paper grown in certified sustainable forests.
“We start with top grain cowhides, trace and cut our pattern pieces, sew ‘em up, stamp down our ink, and ship them to your door,” said Schroeder.
In Blue sells its wares on Etsy.com, via its website (www.inbluehandmade.com), and in 300 select wholesalers worldwide. The company is on track to generate a whopping $1 million+ in sales for 2015, and to date its Etsy shop has made more than 50,000 sales.
An exciting new venture for In Blue is taking its wares on the road, attending and vending many major music and arts festivals, including Bonnaroo, Merle Fest, SXSW, Pitchfork Music Festival, and the Newport Folk Festival, among others.
“We’ve been really excited to outfit musicians and songwriters with our journals, guitar straps, and merchandise,” said Schroeder I get really excited every time one of my heroes gets a journal, and I sometimes listen to an album and wonder if they wrote that song in one of my journals.”
To add fuel to an already white-hot fire, In Blue was named the grand prize winner of the 2015 FedEx Small Business Grant Contest, and received a $25,000 grant to invest in new tools and upgrade its studio, allowing the small team to fulfill larger contracts and meet growing demand.
“Things are going great for In Blue right now, and we just feel blessed to be in Asheville and part of this amazing arts community,” Schroeder said. “I feel like all the positive energy around us right now makes us better at what we do.”
Mast General Store, Malaprops Book Store, Hip Replacements, and Nest Organics in Asheville all offer In Blue Handmade accessories. To learn more about In Blue Handmade, visit www.inbluehandmade.com.