By Jessica Miller
Bryan Burmaster initially was looking for a way to waste sometime during the pandemic, but someone so industrious turned that time into “Wasted Leather”. Wasted Leather has turned into an active side business for Burmaster.
After a K9 handler career that led becoming a New York state K9 trainer and examiner in Syracuse, then doing K9 training for multiple law enforcement agencies along the east coast, Burmaster retired… until he spent a summer training K9s for Erie County and the next summer training for Niagara County police. Semi-retirement carried on as usual until COVID changed everyone’s plans and daily life. The added spare time motivated Burmaster to learn leatherwork.
Self-led learning of skills has a lot of trial and error involved. The continued attempts to refine the craft resulted in multiple scraps of leather going to waste. Burmaster used the scraps of his projects as inspiration for the name of his business crafting leather, even has his crafting prowess has sharpened. Belts, his mainstay product, were shown to his friend Hank as an example of his work. Hank responded by placing an order for 50 belts to sell in his store. All 50 belts sold, and a fellow store owner friend noticed the quality of these belts while they were in stock. This shopkeeper placed his own order of 50 belts to sell in his store with equal success.
The retail sales word of mouth spread to such a point where shops in Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, New York, and the fair vendor circuit carry Wasted Leather belts. Over 2,300 belts have been made and sold each year. Burmaster’s craft isn’t limited to belts; he counts holsters, book covers, dog collars and leashes, and horse tack among the leatherwork he has completed by request. Non-belt leather accessories are especially enjoyable for him to make as there is a different level of creativity and challenge involved in these items’ production.
“Belts are belts—strip punch, get it done”, says Burmaster. “It doesn’t take long to make a belt.” He estimates the time it takes to make a belt to be around five minutes. Since his production time has become more streamlined and he does get occasional help from his kids to make belts, his Wasted Leather hobby business has been a reliable and successful part time business.
Maintaining a small farm and working at the Chautauqua County Courthouse keep Burmaster occupied outside of leatherwork. The demand for belts and other leather products from wholesalers and retailers in Wasted Leather and the outside time demands of his other responsibilities are the main reasons he hasn’t opened up his own shop on Etsy. However, anyone who wants their own handcrafted belt can place an order by wastedleather@gmail.com.