Sally Donaldson, owner of Nana Bandanas Leatherworks, grew up around her grandparents’ ranch. She loved the smell of leather. Sally had even taken a high school leatherworking course, which she absolutely loved. But starting a leatherworking business never came to mind.
Even when her son-in-law gave her a set of leatherworking tools, she had no idea the gift would launch a business—but it did. Sally started playing with those tools, and eventually she couldn’t stop creating unique wearable art. Nana Bandanas was born.
It didn’t happen that quickly, of course. Sally’s son-in-law was helping to clean out his grandparents’ house; his grandfather had sold such tools. In a shed on the property, they found several oil drums full of leatherworking equipment. When Sally received a set of them, she immediately knew she could put them to use.
“I said, ‘I want to do this; I want to make a belt,’ and he got me a set so I started to play,” she said.
She began creating bracelets and other jewelry; her daughter, Shannon Donaldson, suggested she go into business. Shannon and Sally would talk names or other creative elements, and the two talked about going into business after Shannon’s second child was born and the children were older.
Shannon was due any day, and Sally and her family anxiously waited word on Shannon’s labor. Instead, they got an unexpected call.
“We had lost Shannon and the baby. It was unimaginable,” Sally said. “Nobody can [imagine what it’s like]—why would you want to?”
Sally created leather bracelets for the family to wear to the funeral. The pieces said Dum Spiro Spero, meaning, “While I breathe, I hope.” Everyone wanted one. Sally began to sell them, and for each bracelet sold, she put the money in a trust fund for Shannon’s older son. Then she began to think more about Shannon’s idea about going into business and decided to do it.
She sold her wares through a woman at the rodeo and did well. The second year, she cut out the middleman and did exceptionally well. The business idea had finally come to fruition.
These days when she goes too long without making something, she misses it.
“I really start to long to do it; I really do enjoy creating the pieces,” she said. “It has created a bit of joy in my life.”
Now the whole family pitches in. Her daughters Jamie Nelson and Stephanie Federmann help out with suggestions for colors or ideas for different looks. They also act as the models for the jewelry. Sally’s husband helps to keep her organized.
“He’s made me tables and tool holders,” she said. “He’s an organizer. I’ve always been messy, so it helps me.”
Her designs run from what she calls “moto mom” to Western and everything in between. She incorporates beautiful stones with stamping and designs like flowers that make them feminine but with a bit of an edge. The hardest part is putting together a catalog the way her daughters want her to.
“It’s just too hard for me to make the same thing over and over again,” Sally said. “Someone will want something from the website or they will say, ‘I want one exactly like hers,’ and it won’t be. I’ll always do something just a little different.”
Her inspiration comes from imagining for whom the piece might be intended.
“It’s like when you’re a teenager and you get caught up with who you are and what you wear,” she said. “But when you are creating, you can come up with lots of personas. I have fun with creating things and thinking, ‘OK, who would wear this?’”
Arts Editor Shelly Cone likes doing things just a little different. She can be contacted at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 17-24, 2012.
