Handcrafted, luxurious leather goods made by Riverview artisan

RIVERVIEW, Fla. - Inside his Riverview workshop, Jonathan Ovalles taps, stamps, and sews, transforming leather into works of art with a practical purpose. 

He remembers how it started. Ovalles wanted a new wallet. Instead of paying someone else, he decided to put the money into making his own.

“It really started because I wanted a really fancy wallet,” said Ovalles. “I just didn’t want to pay somebody else to make it for me.”

He bought some leather, tools and leather-making how-to books. From there, Jonathan Andrew Leather was born.

“I made a wallet that wasn’t the best, but I made it myself!” he recalled.

Ovalles started making leather goods for friends and family, perfecting his skills. Now he ships wallets, passport covers, notebook cases and key chains around the world.

“I tend to make smaller goods because those are more affordable and people seem to align with those more,” he explains.

LINK: See more on the Jonathan Andrew Leather Instagram page.