VOICES OF THE BAY: Bristol

VOICES OF THE BAY

By Nina Murphy

Leather Runs in the Family

A Bristol-based CEO on local commitment, the tradition of making, and dedication to the craft

Mary Lotu , CEO of Lotu Leather, is no stranger to manufacturing. She grew up immersed in her family’s textile businesses, which produced goods ranging from women’s clothing to blankets. These days the Bristol resident who graduated from Babson College and Roger Williams Law School, is involved in the production of individually handcrafted leather goods, from bags to belts, at the company’s Providence studio. Opened in 2011 by Lotu ’s two brothers, Joe and Rick, Lotu Leather does all of its work on site and is committed to being a Rhode Island business. With rave reviews in GQ Magazine, product placement in the Hulu hit series Only Murders in the Building, and a who’s who of customers, Lotu Leather is getting noticed far beyond the Ocean State. Lotu Leather.com

PENNY WAGE: My first job, when I was around 11, was working for my parents who had a womens’ clothing manufacturing company. After each garment was inspected, my job was to put the plastic on the clothing. To this day, I can still hear the swish of the plastic. I loved it. I got paid a penny for each one.

COVID SCRAMBLE: The shutdown happened, and only five people were in the building at a time. I was like, “We know how to do this. Remember we have been manufacturing in America for four generations. The world needs people to make stu .” We stopped making leather goods and switched to face covers and face shields for six months.

RHODY MADE: It’s a really hard and important commitment. One of the most fundamental things we can give back to the community is an opportunity to build the business here and develop the skills and problem solving it takes to make it work. There’s a ton of talent, but manufacturing is di erent than just talent. It’s about being purposeful, that you are going to do it e ciently. It uses all the puzzle pieces in my head to manufacture e ciently.

WASTE NOT: A lot of creative talent works in design studios where everything is made o shore; they never have the experience of knowing how many hours it takes to paint or how many bags you can cut in a day, or how much waste there is. We spend a lot of time looking at the cowhide, and saying “we’ve got this bag – great; now what’s left over so it doesn’t go in the dumpster?”

MAKERSPACE: In many ways, we are a teaching studio. We’re happy to bring in people who have a passion for working with their hands and want to be part of a team. Most people in the studio are skilled at one, two, or three of the nine operations. They are good at woodworking, sewing, and painting. They are handing the bag back and forth, so the magic is how many opportunities a human being has to make an aesthetic decision.

QUALITY VS. QUANTITY: We make small batches: two to 10 bags. The amount of time that goes into every bag is amazing. All the edges are ground on a grinding wheel, then painted, bu ed, painted, bu ed, painted again, double checked – does it need another coat? My favorite part is when a bag comes to the end of the studio. It takes your breath away.

PURPOSE: I have thought a lot about why I want to work at an expensive bag company when the world is going to hell in a handbasket. I realized it’s important to be a part of a tradition of making things like a bag, which for thousands of years has been one of the most foundational functional things that a human has carried, from coin pouches to satchels. Our philosophy is to make the best-quality bag that is a timeless forever carry.

Know someone who might be a good fit for Voices of the Bay? Email Nina at YourHomeWithNina@gmail.com

Discover the Magic of

LINDEN PLACE MANSION at Christmas me

SELF-GUIDED TOURS START NOVEMBER 25TH – DECEMBER 3OTH | TUES-FRI, 10AM-4PM, SAT & SUN, 12PM-4PM A towering Christmas tree framed by a 1840’s conservatory, elegant decorations on every mantle and in every nook and cranny, these are just some of the many delights that await you this Christmas season at Linden Place Mansion. The mansion’s parlors, bedrooms and magnificent halls are transformed for your enjoyment.

Annual Fireside Christmas Concerts with Michael DiMucci Voices of Christmas Carolers Free Performance Holiday Jazz with Greg Abate & his Quartet

Candlelight Tours of Linden Place Mansion

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 7:30PM & SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2PM

These fireside concerts in the carriage house style ballroom are a perennial sellout with a mix of classical numbers and Christmas standards. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1PM-2PM.

Stop by Linden Place during the Bristol Christmas Festival for the Voices of Christmas performance on the front steps of the mansion. This performance is free and open to the public. Mansion tours will be offered at a special discounted family rate of $10 on this special Bristol weekend! FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16 AT 7:30PM

The sounds of Be-bop, jazz standards, Greg Abate’s original compositions and some holiday classics will fill Linden Place’s ballroom. SELECT EVENINGS THROUGHOUT DECEMBER

Get a glimpse of Christmas past at Linden Place’s Candlelight Tour. As you stroll through the decorated mansion rooms, you will learn all about the five generations of the DeWolf-Colt families who lived here and how Christmas was celebrated in Bristol in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

500 HOPE STREET, BRISTOL

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