That Touch of Leather
The gun belt and holster business ain’t what it used to be, says Omar Pineda. Pineda, 49, is the owner of Alfonso’s of Hollywood, a “gun leather” manufacturer and retailer. His father, Alfonso, who passed away in 1995, started the business 42 years ago, during the heyday of the western genre, which meant the town was full of celluloid cowboys in need of leather.
In those days, a steady stream of visitors from production companies such as Universal, Warner Bros. and Desilu sought out Alfonso’s. “They’d have their prop masters come in and have things fitted for the stars. Sometimes the stars would actually come in themselves.”
Pineda remembers a visit by Burt Lancaster. John Wayne, James Arness, Richard Boone and Clint Eastwood also wore Alfonso’s rigs--the gun belt-holster combination. In fact, the very same styles worn by those macho men can be purchased today. The “Duke,” for example, named for Wayne, is a ruddy brown, unadorned, suede design like the one the actor wore in “Rio Bravo.” Boone’s “Paladin” from “Have Gun Will Travel” is high-gloss black leather with a shiny silver horse ornament on the holster. Alfonso’s also fashioned leather accessories for shows such as “I Spy.” “We designed shoulder holsters for that show,” says Pineda.
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Today, the western has fallen out of favor on screens large and small. And Alfonso’s, which occupies a nondescript, low-slung building in a North Hollywood industrial center, doesn’t get much walk-in business. The bulk of its sales, about 75%, comes from the Internet and mail orders.
“Our biggest market is Texas,” says Pineda. “They have more holster, saddle and boot makers than in any other part of the country, yet they buy from Alfonso’s.” This he attributes to the high quality of his work. Everything Alfonso’s sells is made by hand, in the workshop adjacent to the store. Here, four leather “artists”--the term Pineda uses--and two silversmiths craft briefcases, cowboy boots, saddles, wallets, even purses outfitted with hidden gun compartments and, of course, gun belts and holsters.
They start out with huge sheets of natural colored leather--entire sides of cows--which they cut and dye and finish with neat’s-foot oil (oil from the feet of steer or cows). Pineda will not disclose what he pays per sheet, but he does say that the price has risen about 30% in the wake of Europe’s mad cow disease outbreak.
For the most popular designs, steel dies are used. There are also hundreds of paper patterns hanging on one wall. A basic belt costs about $220. Many of the pricier items feature ornate carving and silver work. Fancy parade-style rigs are sometimes bejeweled. The most expensive belt Pineda ever sold--with real gold and diamonds--rang in at $30,000. Pineda wouldn’t identify the belt’s owner, other than to say that he was a well-known local newscaster who often wore the rig in the Rose Parade.
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The bulk of gun belt buyers today are members of cowboy organizations, groups that celebrate and mimic the lifestyle of the cowboy, including gun proficiency. The modern-day cowboy market is “becoming bigger and bigger,” says Pineda. He cites groups such as the Single Action Shooting Society, which was started in 1981 by a few Southern Californians and has grown to include 40,000 members, and the World Fast Draw Assn., which has been around since the 1950s. Pineda belongs to the Single Action Shooting Society. “We shoot at targets and props,” he says. “Live ammo.”
While it’s tempting to dismiss cowboy re-creationists as yahoos, Pineda insists there’s more to the trend than grown-up boys (and girls) with toys.
“After Roy Rogers and Gene Autry and the Lone Ranger [Clayton Moore] died, there was a renewed interest in our Western heritage. People want to know how they lived, the type of clothing they wore, their furniture and saddles. People from all walks of life want to play out the myth of the cowboy.”
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Alfonso’s also does a brisk business in what is known as the concealed carry market. “Thirty-six states have approved CCW [concealed carry weapon] permits,” says Pineda. But in California, he says, such permits are available only “for the privileged. It’s almost impossible in this county to get a CCW permit. There’s so much red tape.”
Consequently, most of the steel-lined leather hip holsters or IWB (inside waistband) holsters Alfonso’s sells go to out-of-state buyers. The average price is about $100.
Pineda, an avuncular, earnest guy with four children and a gentle handshake, is acutely aware of the politics surrounding guns. “I have family members who want nothing to do with guns,” he says. And he respects their opinions, so long as they respect his.
“I’m through apologizing for doing good work,” he says. “We are catering to responsible gun owners.” In fact, many of Alfonso’s designs are intended to reinforce proper gun safety. All of the gun belts, for example, feature an odd number of bullet loops. This means wearers are more likely to load five instead of the maximum six bullets at a time. “You want the firing pin on empty,” explains Pineda.
Recently, Pineda was commissioned by a private citizens gun rights organization to make gun belts and holsters for the president and vice president. Though they have yet to be presented, the belts are finished. And whatever one’s politics, there’s no question the workmanship is beautiful. Now if only the studios would get back in the saddle again.
Jennifer Lopez in chaps, anyone?
