3 minute read
Career Switch Keeps Blake Grant Right at Home
Career Switch Keeps Blake Grant Right at Home
By Linda Roberts
How did a French cuisine enthusiast, who, by the way, is highly allergic to horses, end up working at one of Middleburg’s oldest businesses, which caters to the equestrian community?
Ask Blake Grant, who repairs leather goods six days a week at Punkin Lee’s Journeymen Saddlers, 2 W. Federal Street, better known to locals as the “back street.” With a friendly smile, Grant greets customers at the shop counter and, if asked, might even share an abbreviated version of the back story that brought him to this unique business.
Growing up in the Middleburg area, Grant followed a pathway after college that led him into the kitchen with his family connections in skilled culinary work. At the annual Upperville Horse Show, he was introduced to Journeymen’s founder and long-time owner, Punkin Lee. A Middleburg native who grew up riding ponies and horses, Lee started the repair and custom leather business almost 50 years ago.
At the time, Grant was quite interested in the creative and exciting world of fashion design, but needed to bring in a consistent paycheck. He later decided to follow up on his earlier introduction to Lee and visited Journeymen to see if she was hiring.
“I knew nothing about leather repair and didn’t even know the shop existed,” Grant said, noting that Journeymen has little signage and doesn’t advertise its presence.
Needing no signs to locate Journeymen if you spend time around horses, the shop’s well-worn door opens six days a week to the pervasive and intoxicating aroma of leather as clients come in with all manner of “tack” in need of repair. Perhaps the customer will leave with their earlier deposit of now well-repaired leather riding boots, bridles or a saddle.
The shop also serves as an impromptu gathering place for the area’s equine community to cross paths and for local business owners looking for Lee. After all, she’s the long-time president of the Middleburg Business and Professional Association, and serves as a board member of the National Sporting Library, Upperville Horse Show and Virginia Fall Races, among other commitments.
Told to come back after he learned to sew, Grant bought some fabric and found a sewing machine. “In about two months I was back at Journeymen,” Grant added, telling Lee he had learned to sew fabric in preparation for sewing leather, the mainstay of Journeymen’s business.
Helping him was the shop’s experienced team of Lee, Kevin Caporaletti, Charlie Ducharme and Shelby Banning. Their many tools of the trade are found everywhere in the shop, and the art of leather repair will always remain a handson job.
Grant soon found he wasn’t allergic to leather—even though it had been on a horse—and he tackled a small mound of leather goods needing repair, under the guidance of his experienced teachers.
“I want to put in the time to learn everything,” Grant said. Two other family members already own businesses in town. His father, Dwight, operates a hair salon and his cousin, Leo, has a fitness center.
At 26, Grant said he feels lucky to have a job he enjoys. He finds the work fascinating and it’s given him a purpose and a sense of direction.
Still, fashion design has not totally gone from Grant’s mind. He rolled out a bolt of beautiful soft red leather and hopes to make handbags that may have a future with a price tag in Journeymen’s front room.
