Bill Van Odbert's business card reads simply, "Designer - Craftsman," but he also is a businessman, an artist and a manufacturer. Odbert designs and produces leather goods. He has made everything from clothes to industrial covers but is probably best known around Milwaukee as the proprietor of The Leather Shop, an outlet for his original leather designs that he used to run on East Brady Street. Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Leonard Nimoy used to wear his handmade sandals. Former customers still call to ask whether he plans to start making them again. Leather work began as a hobby for Odbert in the late 1960s when he finished high school. Since closing the Brady Street shop, he has worked out of his home, mainly crafting handbags, wallets and small leather accessories out of the abundant supply of Wisconsin leather available in Milwaukee. Shoppers at the Grand Avenue retail center can see Odbert's goods in his cart on the skywalk vendors' section over North 2nd Street.
Photo measures 6.75 x 10.25 inches. Photo is dated --NONE.
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