While strip malls and big box stores have sprung up in and around Marysville in recent years, one local company still opens for business as usual after more than 75 years.
Staff at Quil Ceda Leather has, for generations, worked hard to supply a quality product to people across the United States, whether it’s in manufacturing, tanning or retail.
There are only about six tannery businesses left in the country that do the classic Old World tanning that Quil Ceda Leather does. After a competitor closed its doors in October, Quil Ceda Leather became the only tannery west of the Rocky Mountains.
The company primarily tans deer, elk, moose and buffalo hides to make softer leather for gloves and other garments. “Our customer base has increased because there are fewer resources,” said owner Mike Warden. “We are somewhat unique being a manufacturer, wholesaler and retail business.”
Staff at Quil Ceda Leather tan hides for people who buy them, or for hunters who bring them to the facility. The skins can also be made into top-of-the-line finished leather products including motorcycle wear, jackets and women’s wear, all of it tanned in Marysville then sent to British Columbia to be sewn. The product then returns to Quil Ceda Leather to be mailed out or sold in the retail store located on the corner of 88th Street and State Avenue.
Quil Ceda Leather employee Lacey Hendrix makes soft leather baby booties on site, treasures that customers hand these down from generation to generation.
As well as making items from hides, Hendrix performs a large part of the tanning process in the facility, a lengthy process customers rarely see. The labor-intensive work can go on for weeks or months because 300 or more hides are needed to start the long procedure.
“There’s always a backlog” Hendrix said.
The production schedule for the tannery begins Nov. 1 and runs through the following September. The hide begins its tanning journey when the hair is stripped off. A procedure called splitting then takes the flesh and fat off the inside and smoothes it out. The next step is to dye the skin one of the many colors available, including brown, caramel, deep red or vibrant blue. Without the dye the hide is an ash grey.
Quil Ceda Leather tans all the way through the hide and products are drum-dyed, Warden said, adding that the tannery’s biggest competition, China, uses a spray-on treatment that lacks the same quality as Quil Ceda’s work.
Keeping prices down, and being innovative with products, is essential in today’s market. For instance, a customer recently made inquires about how to use buffalo hide for furniture covering and Warden is looking at the possibilities.
The bottom line for employees at Quil Ceda Leather is producing an excellent product with great service, even when they have Wart Hogs or Ostrich to work with.
As well as a solid work ethic and great customer service, family ties are a big part of the reason that Quil Ceda Leather has continued its success throughout the years.
The business began in 1932 when Mathias Jansha opened a store in Marysville. Jansha’s sons continued to work the business even as it changed throughout the years. Charlie Warden, Jansha’s great-grandson, works at Quil Ceda Leather, along with his father, Mike Warden.
Employees like Hendrix are also keeping a family tradition going at Quil Ceda Leather. Although she is not a member of the family who owns the business, Hendrix’s great-aunt worked at the store for many years and often brought her to visit.
“I remember coming in with her when I was little,” Hendrix said.
Many years later, when Hendrix saw an ad in the newspaper for that job, she realized she already knew the business.
“It was a weird coincidence taking her job,” Hendrix said.
But changes throughout the years have not just been limited to staff and family.
In recent months Warden has been trying to approach other local companies about partnering to “go green.” He knows that in Europe businesses like his have been taking leftover flesh and using it for bio-fuel. He’s also interested in using animal hair for compost.
“Right now it’s hauled to the dump,” Warden said. “I’d much rather see it do something.”
The long-time staff at Quil Ceda Tannery has seen a lot of changes to their business and to the area surrounding the business.
As recently as 1991, photographs show the Quil Ceda Leather building surrounded by trees with no development on the periphery. State Avenue and 88th Street, where the retail store is, looks to be a quiet road, not the congested thoroughfare it is today.
“This used to be the last stop before Arlington,” Charlie Warden said of their business.
For more information, visit www.quilcedaleather.com.
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