From a Yellow-Walled Garage to a National Brand: The Story of Portland Leather Goods
It all started in a one-car garage in Sellwood—a sleepy little neighborhood by the river in Portland, Oregon. I wanted to make something with my hands. Something real. Something I could sell at art festivals and see people smile when they held it.
The first thing I did wasn’t buy leather it was to convince my housemate to let me use the garage. Forutunately, it was too small to fit a car so she said yes.
Next was to paint the wall yellow. I went to the Goodwill Outlet, found a few chairs, a rug, and turned that small garage into a space I wanted to be in—an artist’s den.
I would tell women it was my studio to sound artistic. I told men it was a workshop to let them think I might be manly!
In the photo above, you’ll see that little yellow room. No leather yet… that would come
A few weeks later, I walked into Oregon Leather in downtown Portland. I didn’t know much about leather back then. I spent $30 or $35 on a piece of blue upholstery leather that, honestly, was terrible. But I didn’t care. I sat on that rug, afraid to cut it, not knowing how to sew, using elastic bands and folded paper to make my first leather journal. It was awkward, imperfect, and I absolutely thought I was a genius.
My girlfriend said “keep trying.”
Within six to nine months, everything changed. We had rolls of leather stacked high, tables for cutting, presses for fire-branding. We hired our first employee—Anna—who worked 15 hours a week at $12 an hour helping me make leather journals. She told me years later that on her very first day, sitting on that same rug, I told her we were going to grow into a national brand. Half the time I believed it. Half the time I didn’t. But she said I said it like I knew.
Maybe.
I started Portland Leather Goods because, truthfully, I don’t think I could ever have a “real job.” I’m a true entrepreneur. Nobody would hire me, but I could hire myself and it sounded cool.
The other reason was simpler: joy. When someone buys a leather goods product, especially a leather journal, it’s usually for something meaningful. A wedding gift. A graduation present. A place to write dreams, plans, or stories that matter. Watching people light up when they held those journals? That was the spark that kept me going.
Fast forward to today: Portland Leather Goods has grown far beyond that little garage. We now have an incredible manufacturing studio in León, Guanajuato, Mexico—filled with sunlight and the most joyful, talented team imaginable. We’ve opened 11 stores across the country, including our newest one in Woodburn, Oregon. Our Seattle store is spectacular. Our flagship in Columbus, Ohio, is a showstopper. And our outlet in Minneapolis? Let’s just say the people there have stolen our hearts.
As we grow, I wish I had more pictures of the garage. It reminds me that this is who we are—who we’ve always been. A company built by hand, by heart, by curiosity.
To anyone out there dreaming of building something: start small. Paint your walls. Make your corner of the world a place you love to be. Because when you fall in love with the process, the rest follows.
I’m Curtis Matsko, founder and CEO of Portland Leather Goods. But back then, I was just a guy sitting on a rug, cutting blue leather, trying to make something beautiful. And ask anyone who knows me, I am still that same guy.