MARYSVILLE, Wash. — The sound of the 60s vintage sewing machine at Quil Ceda Leather is the sound of Lacey Coragiulo making a living. But this sound means more than that to this entrepreneur.
"The clicking of the sewing machine is like therapeutic. It's just like music. I love it.”
Quil Ceda Leather in Marysville started as a tanning company in 1932. Lacey got a job here when she was 19 and struggling.
"And it was literally just a job. I had really bad anxiety. I could barely get out of the house. I had graduated high school. I didn't know what to do with my life."
Lacey fell in love with leather.
“Well, I love how soft it is,” she said. “I love the patina that it gets over time, and leather truly does last a lifetime."
So she taught herself how to work with it.
“I just I watched videos, I read books, and I literally am self-taught."
Today, Lacey owns Quil Ceda Leather, the kind of place where customers drop off homemade chili while dropping off leather for repairs.
People come here for leather crafting supplies. Rawhide for making drums.
And handmade leather goods like the soft deerskin baby booties made by Lacey's mom. This place also does a booming business with bikers — Lacey sews patches onto their leather riding gear. The shop is neutral territory for local motorcycle clubs.
Lacey understands not everybody loves leather. She's okay with that.
“I always used to joke that tanning was like recycling because you're not letting that hide rot. You're turning it into something usable. So, I appreciate it."
She also appreciates the resilience and toughness of the material she makes a living with.
Two things you'll find in bulk at Quil Ceda Leather.
"If you would have told me at 20 years old that I would be doing this I would have laughed at you and told you there's no way,” she said. “I get to come to work every day and do a job that I love. So yeah, it makes me happy.”
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