No Minnesota hipster's lumbersexual outfit is complete without a wristband, belt or wallet handcrafted by this tiny, family-run St. Paul company. Based in Lowertown, the Leather Works story is basically the story of the America-made resurgence. After losing his leather-making job to outsourcing, Kent Begnaud started his own business with his wife and son in their garage. Fast-forward to 2015: they've been featured in Martha Stewart's magazine, they command 30,000 followers on Instagram and they're still producing every one of their leather accessories in the land of lakes. 308 E. Prince St., Ste. 246, St. Paul; 651-458-3500; leatherworksminnesota.com
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It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.
