Hey Leatherpunk friends and fans! It's been a busy summer and I wanted to update everybody to changes in the works here at the shop. The easy stuff first:
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Products that utilize Swarovski stones will be phased out. This will only affect about four products. The Swarovski elements are neat, but they're very expensive to stock and there's also some production issues outside of my control.
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All bracelets that are 3/4" wide will now have double snap caps, even if not depicted with double snaps. The extra snap gives you that much more holding power against your wrist without losing any comfort. Again, this is only for bracelets that measure 3/4" wide.
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Belts will soon have the option for a five hole configuration. This will place more studs on the front of your waist and make for a fuller looking studded belt. Currently, LP only offers belts with a seven hole configuration. Many of you are experienced LP buyers, so I'm confident you'll be able to select the correct size for your needs. We're all growing together!
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Shipping charges. Many of you are fiercely loyal to LP and I am eternally grateful. Summer tends to be a very busy time for me and sometimes it can be overwhelming.
At times, I may temporarily implement a ridiculously high shipping charge($199) as a way to slow down incoming orders as I get caught up, rather than permanently raising my prices. This will only be in effect for one or two days at a time and then shipping charges will return to normal. Orders submitted during this time will not be processed.
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Black Studs. Lastly, what's up with the constantly out of stock black studded belt? The black oxide steel pyramids used for this belt as you've known and loved, are dead. Finished. Finito. Gone. Never to return. However, I'm working on revamping this very important cornerstone belt, so it's not going away completely, but rather taking a new form.
Explanation: The never ending problem I've had with these shapes is that black oxide is simply a chemical treatment. There's no plating added. Let me explain why plating is important. Plating such as nickel or hexavalent chromium (chrome) add stability to the shape, especially when applied to low carbon steel products like these pyramids. The pyramid prongs, or legs, that penetrate into the leather are supported by this plating material. Without that coating, the prongs are subject to crimping or collapsing inside the leather, which leads to pyramids that will eventually fall off...and believe me they do!
Of course, I'm not going to knowingly send faulty belts out the door, so this causes me to spend triple the amount of time it should take to produce this belt. I don't have a definite timeline when the revised version will be available, but I can tell you that I've recently tested a very nice and reliable substitute to black oxide. More info to come, stay tuned.
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That's about it for now, I don't get the opportunity to make announcements very often and because of that I know some of you do in fact wonder is he alive? or is this a real business? The answer to both questions is yes. It's a challenge to find time for extra frills like social media, so I'm sorry these messages are few and far between. Until next time.
The Matt Rezac, alive and working