You might recognize the name Duane Ballard from the custom seats he has done for the likes of Greg Westbury, Sucker Punch Sally's, Dave Perewitz, Paul Yaffe, and Kendall Johnson just to name a few. Recently he moved his entire family from the freezing East Coast to the warm climate of Southern California and that means we have pretty good access to the elusive Mr. Ballard.
So on a Saturday not long ago, we got the chance to hang out for a couple hours at Duane Ballard's custom leather shop to watch him tool some leather for a seat he was working on for Sucker Punch Sally's. When he got to a good stopping point, we hopped on some bikes and took a trip 110 miles south to the San Diego Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park. The museum was having a special Star Trek exhibit and had the actual bridge set from the original TV series. Duane was too big of a chicken to get his picture taken in Captain Kirk's chair, but he thought about it. After walking around the Aerospace Museum, we stopped at a cafe for lunch. Between bites of enchilada, we managed to ask Duane a series of questions about the amazing leather work he does, his recent move, and even his period-perfect Honda chopper. Here's what we learned... SC
Street Chopper: So what got you started working with leather?
It's all my mother's fault. She was taught by her mother when she was a child. My grandfather owned a gas station and they made wallets, etc. to sell. There were nine kids in my mother's family so they must have had a pretty decent sweatshop going.
SC: When it comes to seats, do you prefer working with fiberglass or steel pans?
Both work well. I get fiberglass dust on me though and I'm a walking blister. Because of that, I prefer steel or aluminum but will gladly work with anything.
SC: How long does it take from the time you get a customer's seatpan to the time he can expect to see it on his doorstep?
That all depends on how far back I am when the order comes in and how long the process takes coming up with a drawing they like for the seat, wallet, etc. It's usually at least a month.
SC: That is if you're not swamped with orders for Sucker Punch Sally's? Heck, if they keep sending you work in the volume they are currently sending you, you're going to have to hire a helper.
I have my wife, Lisa, helping me with shows, promotion, billing, and all the other stuff that doesn't involve making a seat. My daughter, Ashlee, has been interested in doing some of the lacing so I'm teaching her that. I have some new things coming to the shop that my son would like to do. All the tooling, dyeing, pattern making, drawing, and other crap is still done by me. If it wasn't for the family backing me up, I'd be screwed. They are a big help.
SC: We know that you recently packed up and moved from New Hampshire to Southern California. Was it a move that helped you generate more business, or was it just the change of scenery that brought you west?
I grew up in Phoenix. We ended up in New Hampshire to be closer to my wife's family. It was great being around them. The only thing I didn't like was the HORRIBLE weather. You are stuck inside more than half of the year. After nine years I just couldn't do it anymore. I was miserable as soon as the leaves started changing, knowing I was about to freeze my ass off for six months. I didn't do it for business reasons. I stayed very busy the entire time I was out East. Business has increased since the move, but that wasn't the reason.