LANDIS, Sask. – Sharon and Bob Clay’s retirement project has turned into full-time work.
The couple quit grain farming a couple of years ago, leaving it to their daughter and son-in-law. In anticipation of slowing down, they bought buffalo in 1995, and now have 100 animals, with calves coming this spring on their land near Landis in western Saskatchewan.
The Clays realized they needed to do something with the herd, so last May they opened a store in town selling bison meat and craft items made with the leather.
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“If people can walk in and buy, it’s easier than coming out to the farm,” Sharon said.
Besides the meat in the freezer, she sews buffalo-leather goods. Sharon said she had always sewed moccasins, mukluks and mitts for the family, so it wasn’t a big stretch to make more for the shop. The leather is processed at a tannery in nearby Unity, Sask., and comes from other producers’ herds as well as their own animals.
The biggest projects she undertakes are full-length coats, which take two weeks to make. She has made six in the past year, but only one with fur. The customer supplied the two complete buffalo hides, so she only charged him $500. Sharon estimates if he sold it, he could ask $2,200.
“Most people prefer the smoky yellow leather. They think it’s a natural colour from Indians tanning hides over fires.”
The leather also comes in black and brown.
She prefers custom orders because it avoids the expense of having a lot of leather pieces lying around. Her inventory is more like samples of what she can do, although she sews scraps with heavy material to make pillows and bags.
Besides her sewing room, Sharon offers display space for other crafters, selling pottery, felted landscapes, teddy bears, lead glass items, pencil drawings and wooden scrollwork.
The store also offers penny candy and ice cream, which is popular with the children and travellers who are drawn into town off Highway 14 by a sign about the “sweet shop.”
A new product line may be coming soon. The last heavy snowfall caved in the roof at the hotel restaurant and Sharon is pondering whether to fill the void by selling quick meals such as pizza.
The shop is open Monday to Friday and can be reached at 306-658-2044.
