‘Gr8 Comeback’: 1979 Co. handmade leather goods

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Since childhood, Nate Olp says he’s always enjoyed taking things a part and putting them back together with his hands.

After working for another business owner selling leather goods, he decided to carve out his own lane.

His business started in his apartment. “I had already been at it for two years just out of my house, just on the internet making stuff for friends,” he said.

Then once he sold enough to pay his rent, he believed it was time to go all in and give it a title, 1979 Co. However, Olp remembers a few days after he signed the lease on his shop in Irvington, the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns began.

“I was totally kind of lost and was like ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do.'”

He gives social media the credit for helping 1979 Co. stay alive along with customers in the community who enjoy what he’s bringing to the table.

“You don’t have to pick something off the shelf,” he said. “You can just come here and tell me what you need.”

From customized wallets, handbags and keychains to vintage clothes, he marks his products with a unique signature he likes to call “sophisticated grit.”

Olp says the work can be tedious and time-consuming, but being able to hand each client a quality product that will last makes it all worthwhile.

“When I can make something that looks good and it’s functional for somebody, (or) makes their day a little easier, that’s fulfilling,” he said. “That’s a good time.”

Ordering information is available on Instagram.