Where to buy your leathercraft materials?

This could be quite a difficult topic to discuss since everyone has their own budget, their own local shops, and their own preferences. So hereby I will tell you some of the shops I’ve been to, some shops I’ve known about but never bought anything yet and some online for the international readers outside the Netherlands for all of your leathercraft materials. Just as a little disclaimer, this is my very own opinion and experiences with these shops. 

For the Dutchies!

Since I live in the Netherlands I know some Dutch shops where you could buy the materials for your products. They are all available to private customers who don’t have a business (yet). 

Leather hides and accessories:

• Leer en Meer (Den Bosch), an amazing warehouse with rolls of hides stacked up to the ceiling by color (and also a lot of hardware).
• LeerLooier (Den Haag), also a lot of beautiful hides but quite dark inside to see the actual colors. 
• Van Oosterum Leder (Raamsdonksveer), never visited this shop yet but heard other about it with great enthusiasm.
• Driessen Leder Waalwijk (Waalwijk), they recently added me on Instagram. I didn’t know about them yet, so maybe I will take a look soon. 
• A. Boeken Stoffen & Fournituren Winkel (Amsterdam), this is the shop where I found my stiffening paper and other accessories such as zippers, buckles etcetera. 

Online dutch shops for hides and accessories/hardware:

• Het leer lokaal, besides selling hardware and accessories, they also give some classes. 
• Boomsma, they sell books, leather craft sets, tools, and hardware. 
• Jagea fournituren, they make their own bags as well so they know which accessories you might need!
  
• Stockman supplies, a Belgian shop with a great assortment of edge paint, accessories and much more. 
• Lederhaus, a German shop which I love for their quick shipment and a large assortment of materials.  

For the online accessories shoppers international:

Nowadays, the world is your oyster when it comes to buying your materials. Where ever you live, you can buy your materials from all over the world. Sometimes the shipping time or costs might be a bummer but once you have found your go-to shops this might not matter that much! 

• CraftnTools, my go-to Etsy shop for my Riza Tiger thread and nowadays they also have the fil au chinois thread, as a complete selection of fiebings, Regad, Blanchard.
• HamoShop, a Chinese company on AliExpress for rivets, buttons, eyelets you name it! I like them especially since you don’t have to buy thousands at once and also often a combination of different colors is possible; let’s say 25 silver, 25 gold, 25 copper and 25 gun black. 
• Buckle guy, if you are looking for some good quality hardware I think this is the shop I would go to. Never actually bought something yet, but if I’m looking for solid brass buckles this would be my shop!
• Tandy Leather, since we don’t have one in the Netherlands, the shipping costs would be too high with regard to other shops. 
• AmyRoke, Mando, and much more others for some more high-end tools!

There are probably amazing leather-hide-shops online as well, but I’ve enjoyed the trips to the shop, see the leather with my own eyes and decide which ones I will buy. So, up to this moment, I’ve never bought any leather online. But if you know a great shop, which is still affordable for the small private hobbyist, please let me know or leave a comment below!