CLINT WILKINSON OF BELL & OAK

Clint Wilkinson of Bell & Oak

Clint Wilkinson, the founder and owner of the new handmade leather goods store, Bell and Oak, is a cool dude with some hardcore Denton roots. We recently chatted with him about his process, his vision for his new venture and some other stuff. If you don't already know about Bell and Oak, it's high time you did. This guy is crafting and creating some of the most beautiful handmade leather goods around. His Instagram feed alone will make you swoon. We're pretty much feeling like we need all leather everything now. Don't even get us started on the amazing 'new leather' smell that happens when you pick up a new piece for your growing wallet collection - it's addicting. Read on to find out how Clint is honing his craft and sharing it with the world below. 

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Yo, Clint. Share with us a little bit about your family’s history with Denton.

Well, I believe my Grandpa (Weldon Burgoon) is a 6th generation Dentonite. The University of North Texas did an excellent oral history book on his life this year. It’s 200+ pages about his descendants traveling to Denton back in the 1800’s all the way to present day. It has some really neat pictures in the back of it describing certain locations in Denton and old cowboy stories. We sell them inside Weldon’s currently.

Going back to 1957, that’s when my Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, and Uncle started Weldon’s Saddle Shop. It was located on the east side of Bell & Hickory St. but moved to the west side(our current location) in the 60’s. He started it by making custom saddles, leather goods, and tack but he slowly started carrying western wear to get a little cash flow. As years went on it’s progressed into what you see today, sorta a Denton landmark. We have western clothing for men, women, and kids but what I think makes our shop so unique, is all the Texas Cowboy Collectibles and working leather shop inside. It’s really like stepping into a western museum.

In 2011 my Grandpa got inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame because of the extraordinary Denton Junior Stampede Rodeo that he and my family  created in the 70’s that was held at the Denton Fair Grounds. He’s also been inducted into the National Bit & Spur Association Hall of Fame for his contributions.

My Dad grew up in Denton and was a professional calf roper.  His Dad died before I was born, so I never had the chance to meet him, but one day I will! Dad was raised a cowboy too and I remember as a kid traveling to rodeos in the back of his truck every weekend to watch him rope. Those were the good ol’ days, not a worry in the world!

So I’ve been a Dentonite for 31 years I guess. I’ve seen it change quite a bit.

Your past in design and your transition into handmade goods is inspiring. What really made you want to make the jump into doing this full time?

I could go on for days with different reasons why I wanted to make the move into this field but, the main reason is because I just had too much stuff going on at one time which led me into an extreme anxiety filled burnout. Some of you may have read My Story on Bell & Oak’s website about how ,in 2007, I  helped start the worlds most popular online publishing platform for the motocross industry, vurbmoto.com. I was also working at Weldon’s during that time so one minute I would be designing motion graphics for Red Bull, making web elements, learning code, on Skype calls.. the next minute trying to sell a pair of boots or help my Grandpa fix something. On top of all that I have a lovely wife and two kids who I’m trying to spend time with. I would find myself running wide open from 6am - 1am most days, with little sleep and to much coffee. I did that for 6 years and finally my body had enough and just shut down. I told the Vurb guys I needed a break.

During that break is when I discovered how therapeutic working with leather was. There’s something about working with your hands thats really satisfying. So one day I went back into our leather shop and just made an iPad Mini case. It took me about 2 weeks to complete because I’d never made anything like it before. After that I made my Dad a belt for his birthday, fully tooled with a liner sewn in. By that time a month had passed and I could feel my body slowly getting back to normal because I cut out all the stress I was having. For the next 4 months all I did was go to work at Weldon’s and work on leather, help customers, and go home. It brought me back to when I was young before all the craziness.

After learning how to build things better and getting into a groove of normalcy I knew this was something I would love to do. So I browsed around the internet at some different brands who kinda fit the same style I’d like to create. I was confident in my ability to start a brand by myself because of all the experience I had, so I went for it and here we are today! The guys at Vurb supported me during that time period and I’m forever grateful to all of them for that.

On top of all that, I want to keep my Grandpa’s leather craft legacy alive. I would love to teach my kids how to craft things out of leather and hopefully they’re interested at an early age. I feel like this is my contribution to the foundation that started Weldon’s Saddle Shop.

Your online presence really grew incredibly quickly. What has the challenge been in creating that presence?

I still have a long way to go in order to reach my goals online, but I was shocked at the response I received after putting out the link to My Story on facebook in January. On the first day My Story received over 1600 likes on facebook which was way more than I was expecting. Heck we have over 180K Followers on vurbmoto’s facebook page and it was hard getting that many likes on posts, so it was definitely reassuring.

“I feel like this is my contribution to the foundation that started Weldon’s Saddle Shop.”

— Clint Wilkinson

The biggest challenge I think is keeping people interested in what you’re doing. People have so many distractions in their lives these days, it’s tough to keep them interested in your posts. Think about how fast you can get information these days. People want things as fast as Google gives it to them and then they move onto the next thing just as fast. So I try to not overdue posts on instagram, I try to only post the best images once a day. From my past experience in building a world wide brand, we had to figure all of this out the hard way. So I’m truly taking what I’ve learned building past brands and applying it to Bell & Oak.

Your shop is chock full of beautiful handmade leather goods. Which of these goods are you actually using/wearing right now?

I’m always wearing the Standard Belt with Belt Key Chain because I don’t like keys in my pocket. As for wallets, I’m a Grissom guy during the week and Hickory guy on the weekend. I also love using the iPhone Sleeve compared to those huge rubber bricks that are so hard to put in your pocket.

How do you choose your leather? Can you tell us why you believe in creating a product that uses really high quality leather?

I knew that I wanted to get the best quality leather so people could tell a difference. Since I’ve been blessed to work at my Grandpa’s shop, I get to hear all the stories about how someone’s belt only lasted 9 months or that a wallet fell apart in 6 months yet, they continue to buy the same exact product. I want those people to buy a Bell & Oak product so they can feel, smell, and experience the difference when real quality leather is used. Plus the fact it’s made right here in Denton Texas, I would hope the locals can appreciate something like that. I want the customer to have the opportunity to pass down a Bell & Oak product to their kids or at the very least, be able to enjoy it for years.

If you visit the Materials Page on my website, there is an awesome video interview of the Horween Leather Tannery by Filson that explains why they believe in quality too.

Your Grandfather was an amazing at leather tooling. How has he handed down that craft? What have you had to learn on your own? What is your favorite kind of design to work on?

As a kid I remember going back into the leather shop to watch him but I don’t think I realized what he was really doing. When I got into my teens I started to understand what some of the tools did, so I would get some scrap pieces of leather and mess around with it. From time to time he would look over my shoulder and tell me how to do something right.

Back in his days tooling patterns weren’t as intricate like todays stuff. The tools weren’t as precise and the technique wasn’t as refined. Plus, learning new techniques wasn’t as easy as it is now with Youtube video tutorials. So you really had to learn your own way.

There is a great buddy of mine, Ely Ganzer, who has been a long time family friend that showed me the more modern way of tooling once I started taking it serious. He gave me tips on what tools to buy, what work to look at, and showed me a few techniques he likes to use. Once that was established I just started tooling more patterns so I could get better.

My favorite style of tooling is called the Sheridan style. It originated in Sheridan Wyoming,  to me it’s the prettiest and most difficult style to pull off.

What has opening Bell and Oak taught you about the maker community and the challenges of handmade production in the age of the online world?

Well it’s given me a lot of respect towards makers who helped grow this country many decades ago. I’ve also learned that makers like to help one another. I’m talking with a few local makers, who are brilliant in their respected craft, at doing some collab work with me and they’ve embraced it with open arms. I have some cool Wood + Leather  stuff I’m working on with Pastrana Studio, special watercolor prints by Mandy Cave, and lifestyle photos by Melissa Barrett.

One of the tough things about selling online is that the customer doesn’t get to experience the product until it’s been shipped to them. They have to completely trust the brand in order to make that type of commitment. I hope that’s something Bell & Oak gains, a solid reputation. Being a one man operation, I’m playing the role of many hats to keep things running seamlessly as possible.

I think if the makers can grab a’hold of the youth so they can get interested in buying American Made products, we’ll be in good shape. Thats a huge task, but technology has allowed us to reach so many different types of people that it can be done.

Where’s your favorite place to pull out that amazing wallet and grab a bite?

You can catch me at Rusty’s Taco, LSA, and The Cupboard most of the time but, you guys keep me posted on new places to try so I need to take advantage of that!

Bell and Oak | Facebook

DIME STORE FEATURED SELLER: LAURA OF GYNX YARNS

Interview by The DIME Store, Photos by Laura Jinks Jimenez

DenTOWN 

 Since it is finally getting a little cooler, DIME sat down to chat with yarn-dyer extraordinaire, Laura Jinks Jimenez, of Gynx yarns to see what goes in to crafting her amazing fibers and goes about creating specific colorways (the beautiful selections colors in her gradients). Jinks' yarn is unlike anything else sold at the DIME Store and always catches your eye. Read on to learn what inspires her and how she goes about connecting with her online community to grow her business.

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How did you get into yarn dyeing?

I started knitting back in 2005. I was still in high school and broke, but I had a thirst for nicer yarns than the local big box places stocked. I took to recycling thrift store sweaters I found. I could rarely find exactly what I wanted that way, so I turned to dyeing to get the colors I wanted. When I was at UNT getting my Fiber Arts degree, I started experimenting a lot with dyes and came up with some pretty cool results, and I fell in love with the process.

All of your colorways have fun and quirky names. What inspires their monikers?

My colorway inspiration comes from all over, but I think I’m most well-known for my “nerdy” colorways. A lot of my inspiration comes from anime or video games. Both anime and video games are so colorful that they often put color ideas into my head. It always makes for interesting conversation when people ask about my hard-to-pronounce Japanese names.

A recent project of mine actually has to do with cities in the DFW area. I’m working on a collection of colorways based on every city I’ve lived in, which all happen to be in the DFW region. So far I have two: Denton is “DenTOWN”, for which I drew colors I found in photos of the square, and Dallas’s “The Big D”, which is from Dallas’s nighttime skyline. I still have Mansfield, Arlington, and Fort Worth to go, so be on the lookout for those soon. 

CMKY yarn 

Does the colorway always follow the name, or is it sometimes the other way around?

It definitely happens both ways. I work from an inspiration photo a lot, so the name comes pretty easily that way. Other times I wake up and decide I feel like dyeing something with purples and blues, and then I decide later on if it reminds me of something. Sometimes I have zero plan, which is the most liberating, and grab random colors and start playing with no end goal in mind. I will dye off of intuition and add a little bit of this or that until it seems right, which makes for really complex color combinations. Those are often the most difficult to name.

In addition to yarn dyeing, you've built a little knitting identity for yourself by talking about your techniques in your Podcast "The Dyer's Notebook," knitting with your own yarns, and having your yarns featured in yarn clubs. How does all of this add to your business of dyeing?

I started my podcast, “The Dyer’s Notebook”, a little over a year ago as a way to chronicle my adventures in the fiber world, educate others about dyeing, and also to connect with customers on a more personal level. Through the podcast and social media, I’ve created a network of customers, viewers, and friends that just continues to grow. A lot of people find out about my business through my podcast, and at this point I’d say the majority of my regular customers are viewers of my podcast as well. While I talk about what I’ve been up to with my knitting, spinning, and dyeing, I also give a preview of what’s going up in my [Etsy] shop each week so people can get excited about it and keep checking out my shop regularly.

While I offer my own yarn clubs through my shop, I’ve also started collaborating with other people on clubs and knitting kits. I recently worked with Etsy seller littleskein and knitwear designer Laura Linneman on a sock kit that includes a club-exclusive colorway from me. I love doing collaborations like that because it gets my name out there to people who might not have found me otherwise.

Howl's Castle 

The Big D  

Gym Class 

Before Gynx Yarns, you had a handmade Etsy shop. How does having a “supply” shop differ from running a handmade shop? Or do you see Gynx Yarns as more of a handmade shop than a supply shop?

When I first started on Etsy in 2009, I was selling finished products, and it wasn’t making me as happy as I thought it would. In 2011 I shifted over to selling hand-dyed yarn. The “handmade” vs. “supply” question is kind of tricky though, because I see my product somewhere in the middle. Yes, yarn is technically a supply to make something else, but I feel that hand-dyed yarn is in a completely different category from commercial yarn. When you buy a hand-dyed skein of yarn, you are buying a piece of art. When you knit with that yarn, you are collaborating with that dye artist on your own project. I lean more towards “handmade” because of the artistry that goes into it.

The main difference between the business I started out with and the business I own now is the community associated with the fiber world. It is easy for me to connect with all of the people just as obsessed with knitting as I am with social media sites such as Ravelry, Twitter, and Facebook. If you think there aren’t that many people out there who knit/crochet or that people don’t get obsessed with it, check out Ravelry. It is a whole site for knitters and crocheters, and there are currently over 3 million users from all over the world. Not only have I found customers, but I’ve made a lot of friends through the fiber world. There really isn’t that kind of a community for people who just like to buy handmade goods.

Do you have any advice for aspiring Etsy sellers?

Treat is as a business from the very beginning. Figure out how to make your business legal, find out what taxes are, how you’re going to handle things like shipping and customer service. Your business will grow and evolve over time, but you have to start as you mean to continue.

Where can we shop your work and find our more about what you do?

Right now I sell online in my Etsy shop. In person, you can, of course, check out The DIME Store.

You can find my blog and podcast here. 

Pumpkin Spice 

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The DIME Store is a shop and artist collective in downtown Denton that features art, craft, and vintage from 40+ local makers. Rachel Aughtry and Shelley Christner act as the "curators and purveyors" of the shop. When they're not at DIME, you'll find them behind their sewing machines or enjoying a margarita at The Greenhouse.

DIME FEATURED ARTIST: INFINITE BLUE BIRD

Interview by The DIME Store, Photos by Infinite Blue Bird  

 If you’ve been in the DIME Store this month, odds are you might have spent a long time lingering at the featured artist table, admiring the eclectic jewelry collection from the giggly gals at Infinite Blue Bird. Wooden findings, leather bits, and vintage gems come together in new and exciting ways when “the Birds” get their hands on 'em. Read on to learn why they work great together and why they’re “the Birds” in the first place.

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First of all, what’s the story behind the name “Infinite Blue Bird”?

Allison started an Etsy shop after her wedding to sell some of her vintage blue glass and miscellaneous wedding items; hence the “blue”. She also has a blog called Infinite Sunshine and thought she would continue the name in case they ever went hand in hand. So there is the “infinite”. As far as the bird, anyone who knows Allison knows she has a things for birds - cue the Portlandia video “Put a Bird on it”. Once Allison and Marilyn started making jewelry, they thought they would just utilize the already established shop to sell their jewelry. It has turned out to be a unique name that we are definitely both associated with now. Besides, it gives good reason to make bird calls to your friends without being viewed as crazy….right?

What got you interested in the DIY scene? 

We both have a degree in Interior Design from UNT and enjoy creating outside of Infinite Blue Bird. We are always in ‘design’ mode. We are constantly DIY’ing items in our homes, making gifts for friends or artwork for each other. We both have that creative OCD gene, so it works well!

Above: The perfect brown and aqua necklace

Left: Allison is the perfect model to show off their jewelry line. 

How did you get into jewelry making?

We definitely like to wear pretty things, and one day we talked to each other about some pieces we saw online that were inspiring us. Sadly, neither of us are millionaires so we thought we could create our own unique (and affordable) pieces to wear. Allison wore one of our originals to work one day and had several compliments and an offer to buy the necklace off her body! That’s when we knew we were creating things that not only the two of us loved. That was definitely the spark that got us amped up to create more and open up a shop.

How did you two decide to do business together?

We have been friends for eight years and met while working at UNT as students. Through working together we found we had scarily similar personalities and interests. We have a tendency to say the same things at the same time and we find it’s always a good idea to call each other before a night out to make sure we don’t match, which usually never fails! Along with that, we are both always honest with each other and knew that a business partnership would be successful.

What does each of you bring to the table?

We have names for each other when it comes to certain tasks relating to business. Marilyn is cordially known as PR! She is great at communicating with clients, purchasers, and anyone else interested in our business. Allison is happily known as Techie. She works on managing the money and websites, while handling the marketing as well. As far as the designs, ideas, and creation of the product, we work side by side; equally coming up with new design ideas and getting cramps in our hands from cutting and assembling.  

You both work 9 - 5 day jobs outside of your successful creative business. How do you balance it?

It is definitely a challenge to balance our full time jobs, have time to run Infinite Blue Bird on the side, and a social life. We like having the creative outlet, so it isn’t too hard to want to sit down and create. We accomplish most of our creating on the weekends or in the evenings in the studio at Allison’s house. We are usually hanging out together anyway, so it’s a nice way to socialize and be profitable! Two infinite blue birds, one stone! Ha ha ha.

How did you become involved with DIME?

We first encountered DIME while applying to be a part of the Summer Bazaar show in 2012. We were accepted and since then have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the ladies of DIME. We always look forward to working with them and are so proud to be a part of such a great organization. Denton needed a creative group like this, and the response around town has been ecstatic.

If you’re not hanging out up at the DIME Store, what are you favorite places to be around town?

We frequent Oak Street Draft House; it doesn’t get much better than a beer in their beer garden. Prost! We enjoy seeing live music at venues like Banter and Abbey Underground.  Indulging in sushi at Uncommon Grounds is on the list too! And yes, we generally do these things together.

Aside from the DIME Store, where can we purchase your work?

You can shop our stuff on Etsy of course. We also have things available at a cute bakery called Crickles & Co. on the south side of town and for any Oklahoma travelers; we have items available in a store called Made: the Indie Emporium Shop in Tulsa.

Do you have any advice for aspiring Etsy sellers?

It’s definitely important to be flexible in working with your customers. Sometimes they have a slightly different vision for one of your products and as long as your shop is capable of the alteration, we think it’s important to try to fit the request. It may sometimes require a bit more time and brain power, but in the end it’s always worth it. Also, keep in mind what sells in your shop and what doesn’t when creating. Just because you are in love with a design doesn’t mean it will be beneficial to your business if it’s not selling. Use that as a reason to further develop other designs and concepts to keep your product fresh.

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The DIME Store is a shop and artist collective in downtown Denton, featuring art, craft, and vintage from 40+ local makers. Rachel Aughtry and Shelley Christner act as the "curators and purveyors" of the shop. When they're not at DIME, you'll find them behind their sewing machines or enjoying a margarita at Greenhouse.

DIME FEATURED ARTIST: CASSIE ARNOLD

Once a month, we partner up with Denton's local, handmade goods shop, DIME, to highlight an artist that is carried in their store. This month, we're chatting with Cassie Arnold about both her fun items for sale in the DIME store and her fine art work that she has on display in various art shows and galleries. Make sure to check out The DIME Store on South Locust, and read on to hear all about this month's featured artist.

The One with the Red Balloon

For this month’s DIME featured maker, we caught up with Cassie Arnold and her eclectic collection of found-object art. The DIME Store carries Cassie’s line of inventive fiber “creatures”, but this girl has so much more up her sleeve. Read on to learn about her handmade critters, unusual assemblages, and how she balances her two feet in the two sides of the art world: craft and fine art.

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Mr. Kitty 

What all kinds of work do you make?

From found object assemblages to hand knitted fibers, I dabble in a little bit of everything! I love the challenge of exploring new materials, and there’s nothing more thrilling for me than deciding whether I will work with clay, found objects, acrylic, or fibers for my next body of work. Storytelling is a key feature in my art, so whatever medium best narrates my experience at that time is what I use.

What draws you to the types of materials you use?

I’m a believer in second chances, so naturally I am drawn to all things rusted and worn. There’s something magical about breathing life into objects that would normally have been forgotten. I like to think of myself as a collector of “things,” and I love waiting for just the right moment when I can reuse an item and make it shine in a work of art.

What originally drew you to the overall "handmade" community?

I grew up in a big family full of writers, artists, needle workers, and avid crafters. By the age of five, sewing on a button was as natural as tying my shoes. I thank my mother for my love of creating because it was her who first taught me how to craft and sew. As an adult, I am not only drawn to handmade items but also the person who made it. I love hearing their story, learning where they came from, and discovering how they perfected their craft.

Miss Foxy 

What do you love about the fine art community?

That last word…COMMUNITY! I love being surrounded by unique, crazy, enthusiastic people who are lovers of life and art! It’s refreshing living in Denton where people not only respect the arts but support it as well.

How do you balance having one foot in the handmade market and one in the fine art market?

To be honest, I’m not quite sure I’ve found balance just yet! One day I wake up as, “Cassie Arnold: artist and sculptor,” and the next I’m transformed into a crafter, wanting to create something handmade for the sake of creation itself. The art world can be tricky. People tend to look at you funny when you say that you are an artist while knitting a baby sweater. “Handmade” is who I am at my core. It’s what originally got me curious about the arts and is the reason why I give support and have such respect for local people making and creating.

How did you become involved with DIME?                                      

I heard through the grapevine about a lovely new space in Denton that supported local artists and crafters. Naturally I was intrigued, so my husband, my new baby and I stopped by one night to check it out. I instantly fell in love with the space and the curators. The DIME store is warm and cozy. It’s a space that invites you in like a best friend’s home and inspires you to rush back to your own home and create. After one talk with Miss Rachel, she investigated my work and invited me to be a part of their handmade “home.”

How does the Dallas art/handmade scene differ from the one in Denton?

To be honest, they are a lot alike. Both are all about endorsing local artists, promoting the arts, and bringing awareness to the community about the importance of supporting the handmade. Despite its size though, Denton keeps the small town feel that makes it easier to connect with the community and other artists in the area.

Do you have any advice for aspiring artists who are looking to start a business or become an active part of the Denton creative community?

Don’t be scared to put yourself out there! Rejection is part of the job and being turned away doesn’t mean that your creations aren’t meaningful or special. I promise that even the most unique, unusual and creative works will find their perfect space eventually as long as you’re willing to take risks and be patient.

The collection series 

Simple Love'n (her) 

You can purchase Cassie Arnold's handmade fiber works (i.e. dolls and knitted pieces) at the Dime store or from her Etsy page. Her fine art pieces can be purchased at the Artisan's Collective in Dallas' Bishop Arts District or at local area art shows such as the Art Festival in Deep Ellum.

DIME POP UP SHOP

Words and photos by Dave Koen ​

Big things are happening for Etsy Denton. First and foremost, they are no longer called “Etsy Denton”. They have changed their name to “DIME”, or the Denton Independent Maker Exchange. Second, they are opening a brick-and-mortar store only a short walk from the Square at 501 S. Locust Street. While the store doesn’t officially open until April 5, they are hosting a pre-party and pop-up show during 35 Denton.

Featuring fifteen local artists and craftsmen selling their goods, the pop-up shop had its opening from 6-9pm on Friday night. It was a great opportunity for people to come in and browse DIME’s new space where they will not only run a store but also put on workshops, art classes, and gallery shows.

If you weren’t able to make it, fear not. The event continues Saturday from 11am until 7pm with live music and fun. Come check it out and get a peek of what Denton’s creative class has to offer.

Follow DIME on Facebook for updates and future events.