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Rise Above Leathers

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United States
Cedar Rapids, IA
Rise Above Leathers

Our accessories are handmade to your individual specs generated at your personal design appointment. Unleash....Never Settle....Rise Above.
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The Reason to Rise Above

There are two times in life when we are without a choice: when we taste our first breath and an entire journey lies ahead, and when we intake our last and a flash appears of all that’s left behind. But everything in between becomes a frame of mind you either settle in to, or push aside and place your brand on the world. Rise Above Leathers was born out of the sorrows of a

city struck by an overwhelming natural disaster. A town faced with a choice forced upon them: to rebuild to the status quo and accept just-good-enough, or gaze upon the face of the future and aspire to be reborn. And personally, the inspiration found from this place I call home as it continues to recover, discover, and rise above all that was before the surge in 2008(***). Breaking through the limitations you put on yourself means looking deep inside for a broader scope. This brand is dedicated to those who truly believe that their own way is the best way. Preston

***A portion of all sales from Rise Above Leathers is donated to the ongoing rebuilding & revitalization efforts in the greater Cedar Rapids community

Established in 2009

06/30/2024

This kid has been singing since birth and music is such a part of her life. What a crazy seven days full of songs, stories, and memories. Hanging with and last week in Madison, then a storm cancelled the show, so we packed up and headed to Waukee for round two the next night. She got the royal treatment and hung out in the green room and watched the entire concert from the crew room above the stage. After a late night Sunday, she got back home and went straight to on Monday and her and three other kids learned four 80s synthpop songs in five days and performed them all Friday afternoon. Saturday she got up and performed for the first time on a beautiful Iowa summer day. Tomorrow….probably watch some classic MTV music videos and chillax!

03/24/2024

Rise Above Leathers foundation of attributes resides in the realm between the late 1960’s and the mid 1970’s. So, when a client steps in my studio and hands me a rough drawing of a watch he had as a teenager and two pictures of him from 1974 fishing in the Northwest Territories of Canada wearing said watch, I knew this would be a special project. Recreated down to the last detail from his photos and his memory….I hope this connects him back to special times on that lake.

01/28/2024

Fresh guitar strap off the bench, my take on the style of Duane Allman. Distressed brown leather with natural colored baseball glove lace and a vintage cinch ring taken off an old horse saddle.

12/26/2023

This year‘s Christmas gift for my wife and daughter was three years in the making. Back in 2020 when the derecho decimated Cedar Rapids, I was caught on my way to the airport and my family was at home sheltered in the basement. Once it had passed and I called to check on them, my wife described the sounds of breaking limbs, crashing trees, and a wind like none ever experienced. I made my way home through downed timber and power lines, and upon arrival found that one tree in our backyard that was uprooted was a 100+ year old walnut tree. After weeks of cleanup, it seemed almost tragic to let that be its end. Over the next few years, I enlisted the help of friends to log, slab, design, and bring to life something meaningful and one of a kind. Being that my wife and now my daughter are both musically inclined, a custom guitar seemed only natural. The body of the guitar is solid walnut from fell tree in our backyard and the neck is made of Canadian maple with a black palm fretboard. The artwork was designed by …who took my vision, ran with it, and made it perfect. It was then laser engraved onto the back of the guitar by (who also helped me slab the trunk of the tree), and the whole thing was brought together and finished by a true local master, . I can’t wait to hear the notes and songs that come to life from this guitar for years to come, knowing that in the chaos of life’s storms….that music should be made and endure.

01/28/2023

Custom hand stitched lowball sleeves. Take your home bar up a notch.

01/16/2023

Rise Above Leathers shared a post on Instagram: "What a night seeing my sweet Law perform on stage for the first time, only a few weeks after turning 7 years old. Her Irish heritage and spirit truly was showing through on this cover of Zombie. I think for her first live gig she did #...

01/03/2023

All I am today is because of your tomorrows you sacrificed. You gave all that you had, with never a thought of a return. I can only thank you now by living my best, purpose filled life that will honor your legacy. All my love, Dad.

12/12/2022

Custom strap for of with shroom artwork by . Killer time delivering the strap in person and hanging out before and after the show in the green room.

09/10/2022

Custom guitar strap hand-cut, stamped, carved, stained, and stitched. Original shroom artwork by my good buddy .

06/28/2022

I made a new strap for myself using the face off the watch my Dad got for a retirement gift from the factory he worked in for 39 years. The same factory I worked in during the summers to help pay for college. The same job that through countless hours allowed Dad to provide for our family. And yet somehow he always made time for us when it mattered. I’ll never forget walking out the door with him on his last day, they had a cake in the break room and they put his name on a plaque on the wall with other retirees. He said “The minute I walk out this door that plaque will be the only thing that they will remember me by.” It hit hard and deep. I looked at the bright side and thought, at least now he will have all the time in the world to spend with Mom. And within a year she was gone. Time means nothing, and yet, it means everything.

06/26/2022

Brand new seat and back for this retro chair, hand cut and buffed.

06/13/2022

Custom sheath for this massive goblin cleaver-esque knife. All fingers still intact after this project.

12/11/2021

It started out as a desire to do something nice for the good people . Over the last few years with the pandemic restrictions or just dealing with labor shortages that force a business into unplanned shutdowns, I wanted to give them something they could sell on the retail end to help offset some of those burdens. That desire to give was quickly reciprocated in the form of a joint logo and coffee blend, Rise Together. The coffee is Guatemala Huehuetenango and comes from the LaMorena women producers co-op, highlighting over 20 female owned farms in Guatemala. It's an easy to drink coffee highlighting notes of baker's chocolate, almond, bosc pear, & a clean finish. The reusable glass jar and custom branded leather sleeve are from . With this jar, the recipient will also become a part of the Dash reusable glass program, promoting sustainability and waste reduction.

09/12/2021

Custom tote bag in a grape leather base with banana crackle colored handles, inside pocket and key holder. Hand stitched with orange thread and finished with antique brass hardware. Complete with a tie-dyed cotton liner from . Available now for $350. PM for details.

08/22/2021

Fresh tote off the bench in rustic Crazy Horse leather, available now at $250. DM for details.

05/31/2021

I’m torn on which leather to use to make a tote bag with tie dyed cotton liner, banana crackle or deep grape? I’m thinking one of each.

01/14/2021

Keep them guessing while simultaneously saving a tree. Reusable coffee “disguise” sleeves shown in merlot, crazy horse, and carmel leather colors, $20 each as shown or customized. DM to order. Photo taken

01/13/2021

Custom valet tray in a heavy espresso bridle leather outer with a crazy horse leather bottom. Finished with natural colored thread and antique brass horseshoe corners. Great for a desk or the countertop to stash your essentials.

01/11/2021

Wifey gifted me with a new MacBook Pro for Christmas so had to get it protected with some custom skins from . Super slick and intuitive method to design your own skins on their website, killer prices and fast shipping! Love them! Top is my logo and Insta, bottom is the family Century Farm in Iowa.

01/04/2021

MacBook Pro rough-edge carrying sleeve in Chicago tan leather with a merlot colored strap and steel blue edge stitching.

12/27/2020

Custom leather Christmas stockings for and and their entire family....including the dogs!

12/17/2020

Custom father and son wallets shipping out tomorrow just in time for Christmas.

12/05/2020

Thanks to for our copy of greatest hits from and the extra swag

11/16/2020

A little cross-breeding on this billfold. Crazyhorse leather on the outside, buffalo on the inside. Hand cut, stitched and finished in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

11/12/2020

Custom roll-top backpack in carmel and Chicago tan Horween leather with vintage tan thread and antique brass hardware. Large inside that will fit a laptop and accessories, and a hidden back pocket for your tablet or cell phone. Ready for your outdoor or urban adventures. Available now at $350.

08/22/2020

A city with a tree as it’s symbol has lost so much of its canopy that from the air, one may think that they are off course. But at the ground level, the people of the city and their roots have held strong, their core values sustained, and their branches have reached out in support, to uplift, to shelter, to nourish, and again, the fruit will give seed to rebirth.
And over 10 years later, Rise Above Leathers, the brand that was born out of the sorrows of a city recovering from the flood and the desire to give back, is releasing a limited run of belts to commemorate all the ways 2020 has challenged us, with 50% of the sale of every belt going to a fund that will be distributed to an organization or small business impacted by the derecho.
Made from beautiful 9 oz. bridle leather, I selected these three colors as a reminder of the fall shades that may not come this year as in the past, but also for the enduring and resilient quality of the hide that we Iowans know all too well.
Available in Qtan, coffee (rich, dark brown), and chestnut (burnt reddish-brown).
1” wide belts with your choice of antique brass or brushed nickel hardware, cut to your specific size are $50.
1.5” wide belts with your choice of antique brass or brushed nickel hardware, cut to your specific size are $70.
Please message me to order for yourself or as a gift. Cash, Venmo, or PayPal accepted.

08/03/2020

Custom wallet in Horween tan leather with contrast stitching.

07/27/2020

Lasered and laced bib to keep the chimichangas off your tank.

07/25/2020

This is what 25 hours of hand cutting, punching, and stitching yields. Zipper top, brown 2-tone purse, built for a lifetime. Available now at $350. Message for details.

07/14/2020

Custom knife sheath with belt loops. Hand cut, stitched and burnished

Address

1203 3rd Street SE, Suite 6
Cedar Rapids, IA
52401

Website

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Videos

All You Wanted by @michellebranch performed by the Thursday Rock 101 group (The Anklebiters) from @schoolofrockcedarrapidsmarion #cedarrapids #crmainstreet #marioniowa

Rock 101 class @schoolofrockcedarrapidsmarion gettin the Led out on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Perfect by @simpleplan on a smoking hot summer morning 🔥🔥 @schoolofrockcedarrapidsmarion

Young musicians @schoolofrockcedarrapidsmarion learning 4 songs in 5 days and performing at end of week, including this scorcher by @muse #schoolofrock #muse #supermassiveblackhole

When @chriscornellofficial left us, for many Gen X kids like myself, it created a gaping hole in the world of music, story telling, and almost as though we as humans were deprived of one of our senses. So when I found out my sweet Law would be singing Like a Stone by #audioslave, I thought…what a torch for her and her band mates to carry after only a few months playing together @schoolofrockcedarrapidsmarion. I can’t articulate how hopeful this performance made me feel for the future of music, and I hope it makes @tommorello @bradwilk @soundgarden and all the others that loved Chris think that his light continues to shine in the souls of these kids.

Seclusion in the shop listening to the new @thestrokes album aptly titled “The New Abnormal”. Thanks @analog_vault_cr for the hands free transaction. They have some extra copies, this ones a must have #riseaboveleathers #cedarrapids #newbo #crmainstreet #madeiniowa #madeinusa #madeinamerica #leathercraft #customleather #vinyljunkie #recordcollection