Motorcycle riders have no shortage of scenic ways to venture to Waynesville, North Carolina, where not far from Main Street they will find one of the region’s finest leather goods shops.
Born of an idea hatched in October 2014, Axe and Awl Leatherworks is the brainchild of Spencer and Courtney Tetrault. The duo, along with their exceptional team of makers, have transformed Axe and Awl into what has become both a staple to the community and a heritage brand that offers the highest quality handmade leather goods.
Although not exclusively a motorcycle brand, riders who are keen to experience the cultural overlap of all-things-leather, from bags to belts and beyond, will find themselves right at home from the moment they walk through the doors of the building on Depot Street.
When the Tetraults began to tinker with the idea of crafting leather goods, there was no grand plan or scheme for developing a brand, let alone an extensive business model that would carry them into what has become a sound and sought feature of the town. Rather, the entire project started at their kitchen island as a way to tap into curiosities, to learn new trade skills, and to experience a craft that contains a history that is deeply woven into the fabric of American culture.
Spencer and Courtney began acquiring leather tools and a book from a Craigslist seller in Hendersonville while working full time in the fire and EMS services in Asheville.
“I wanted to learn something new. This was the main drive for me,” Spencer said. “With a willingness to fail, I started making things like belts and wallets for friends and family. As my skills grew more refined, coworkers at the fire station started making inquiries, and I enjoyed the challenge that came with the process of growth and refinement.”
The idea to take the hobby to the business stage kicked in once the pair began making radio straps for coworkers at the fire station. Customers began to place orders, and demand began to grow for the products they produced. Each new idea and concept for material creation, coupled with a family history in entrepreneurship, lead Spencer and Courtney to develop the confidence to take the craft from the kitchen to a garage workshop and eventually to the brick-and-mortar Depot Street location. Ultimately, they decided on the name Axe and Awl as a nod to both the lineage attached to the fire service and the hobby that drove them to create.
Every detail invoked by the allure of Axe and Awl pays homage to the tradition of the trade, and the greater sentiment of heritage as a centerpiece of the American experience. Many of the tools they use, such as their 1920s-produced skiver, further pry into the old world of leathermaking and craftsmanship.
The building, a historical property built in the 1900s and sitting just perpendicular to Waynesville’s Main Street, has been restored to its original glory in what can only be described as part and parcel of the larger ethical process that drives the company. Beginning in 2019, after well over a decade clocked in with the fire and EMS services, they purchased the property and began to make the next logistical moves in developing the business.
“We wanted to fit the environment with the feeling we wanted to evoke for guests. We initially got ideas for the retail experience from going to trade shows, focusing on how customers are greeted, the touch points, and what visually strikes the eyes. All these things, just as in the products themselves, are equally important to our (Axe and Awl) sense of identity,” Spencer said.
The process of tuning the storefront location was rapid and took on new urgency once they made the decision to leave their careers in public service. The period serves as one of uncovering, and one that tested their will and time.
“Our goal was to first get the shop set up,” Courtney said. “Once we had our equipment in there and were operational, we transitioned at the end of each day to working on the front of the store.”
Given that the building was initially modernized, many of those visually striking points that they had hoped to uncover were blanketed in sheetrock and hidden from the eye. After freshly rebranding their logo with Jamie Stark out of California (a process that unified their eye for design with their will toward Americana), it was time to see what bones lay hidden under the walls.
In the uncovering process, they discovered the washed-out brick, beams, and heavy timber that was hidden under the skin of the building, serving to finalize the unifying points for the Axe and Awl brand as they moved and merged their workspace from yet another pivot point, the garage, with the newly charmed downtown space. With the aesthetics uncovered, and all the shop’s initial installments completed by October 2021, Axe and Awl was ready to welcome guests.
Why should riders take time out of their routes to stop at the shop in Waynesville? The answer lies beyond even the tradition, the image, the space and the friendly faces that await you behind the door. Perhaps the answer is entirely practical.
As riders, we tend to enjoy leather goods, and leather goods are more than aesthetics. They can also be entirely utilitarian. The makers at Axe and Awl are busy each day, creating belts in several sizes, shapes, and stitch patterns, as well as duffel bags, wallets, handheld goods, keychains and purses. Perhaps you’re looking for the custom belt that will age with grace, breaking in at all the right points, and one that will carry both the story and tradition forward as you pass it along to those who come after you. Maybe you just want something that was made with pride, by hand and locally, that will stand the test of time. Or maybe you need a custom set of radio straps and/or suspenders for when you’re at work. These options are available to any who walk through the door.
Spencer said anyone who appreciates an environment steeped in American heritage is going to feel at home in their shop. Customers can now find an assortment of Red Wing heritage boots and leather gloves, both of which are perfect for riding days or working in the garage, as well as leather care products to meet the upkeep needs.
“We see plenty that is adjacent to the world of Harley-Davidson or Indian motorcycles, or in the British bikes, classic cars, and beyond. Most folks who are out riding motorcycles have that outlook of this thing (machine) is old, it’s a beast, and it’s going to be with me forever. It’s the same with quality handmade leather goods. They know the longevity is there. When riders come into our shop, they appreciate these traditional aspects, much in the same way they appreciate riding bikes,” he said.
This fundamental belief in the American ethic has gone so far as to cross over and into a collaboration with Dale’s Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley. Spencer and Courtney said when the shop first opened, they agreed it would be perfect if a motorcycle was in the front display. Luckily enough, Kris Estep came into the shop and Spencer took a chance on the idea of inquiring about having a Wheels Through Time motorcycle on loan.
“I shot my shot and Chris was very receptive to the idea,” Spencer said.
The shop ended up landing an early 1930s Harley-Davidson WLDR, small oil leak and all, complete with pamphlets that informed unknowing guests about the historic museum just a few miles up the road. Reciprocally, Wheels Through Time began to inform people about the new leather goods store.
“It was ultimately about forming a partnership between a longstanding business and a new business,” Courtney said. “It felt like it set us up for success.”
