Leather Made Local: Pergamena

I used to own a leather accessories line with Matthew, and we would source locally produced leather from various distributors, but I’ve always wanted to VISIT a tannery, where the leather gets processed, dyed, and softened. I didn’t know about Pergamena until Maker’s Row, and over the last few months I’ve had a few calls with Stephen and Jesse, the owners of Pergamena.  A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting their facility and get to know them better. I live in Brooklyn, so I took the train up to Montgomery, NY.  The 2 hr train ride from Grand Central was scenic and Stephen offered to pick me up from the station.

Karl, Stephen and Jesse are dedicated business owners who deeply care about the craft and quality of their work. Pergamena uses traditional processing and manufacturing methods to create their quality, American made leather. With the leather produced, they work with clients to make accessories, handbags, upholstery, books and various other products. They do not have minimums on order quantities, and they work with clients across the USA and even some international clients. As Stephen said, “We like working with people who take time to look at the material, find the quality in it, and find the unique characteristics in it….Being able to handle the materials, see what it turns into and how completely different it looks compared to what it starts out as, that is one of the joys of working here.”

What makes Pergamena stand out:

– The hides they use for parchment and leather come from animals that have died naturally or been raised for food
– All of their hides come from local farms and hunters
– Their leathers are vegetable-tanned, a traditional and environmentally sound process
– They try to use natural and biodegradable dyes or pigments whenever possible
– They make parchment

Take a look at this video for more on Pergamena and the Meyer family:

Jesse Meyer, part of the process of creating parchment “We have a respect for the material, because we produce it” – Stephen

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Karl, Stephen, and Jesse Meyer, owners of Pergamena

To contact Pergamena, head over to their Maker’s Row Profile!