VIDEO: Anyone who has seen a local firefighter or first responder in action may have noticed some of them donning custom-made leather gear, such as suspenders or radio straps with their names or a flag on them. Much of that work is done by a New Jersey firefighter who turned his hobby into a business.
“I needed a creative outlet,” says Rob Meyer, of Ridgeway Leather Works.
Seven years ago, Meyer, a Monroe Township firefighter, decided that he needed a hobby. He started watching YouTube videos on leatherworking so that he could make a dog collar for his beloved Doberman, Jager. He then started making leather belts, suspenders and radio straps to use on his job as a firefighter.
“All of a sudden I had friends of friends asking me for something and it turned into a viable business,” he says.