Paul Taylor Custom Sandals & Belts

ABOUT EVAR HECHT | OWNER – Sandal Maker, Leather Crafter Since my first opportunity to try leather craft at summer camp, I have enjoyed working with my hands. I worked for nearly two decades as a painter and owned a successful painting business for several years. I have lived in Asheville since 1995. I began my apprenticeship with Paul Taylor in 2008, and learned the art of leather crafting as well as the secrets of sandal making. I began working in the retail store in 2010 making belts, sandals, cuffs, and other custom items to order. I bought the store in 2011 when Paul decided to retire. It is an honor to continue the tradition of quality craftsmanship. Paul-making-sandals-at-store PAUL TAYLOR | RETIRED – Sandal Maker, Leather Crafter I began making sandals in 1965. I walked into a shop in Greenwich Village, in New York City and got to talking with the guy who owned the shop. That encounter changed my future, although I didn’t know it at the time. I worked for several months in his workshop…apprentice might be too strong a word, and then, when I felt that I was ready to strike out on my own, I left New York for the Ann Arbor, Michigan area. For the next 30 years I made sandals in Michigan. I worked the art fair circuit, had a shop in various locations in southeastern Michigan, and at times worked in shops that were owned by other leatherworkers. I made sandals, belts, handbags, leather clothing, and just about everything else that could be fashioned from leather. As time went by though, the demand for sandals and belts pushed everything else off my table. For the past twenty years I have made only sandals and handmade belts.