• Two bison behind a wooden fence in a natural setting with trees, with one looking towards the camera and visible dust

    AMERICAN BISON LEATHER TANNED IN THE UNITED STATES

  • Stacked spools of thread in green, brown, black, and pink colors on a wooden surface next to a woodworking machine with a yellow warning label.

    hand sewn with american thread made in Maine

  • A small town street scene with brick buildings on either side, storefronts, and outdoor seating. The street has yellow dividing lines and a few cars in the distance. The sky is partly cloudy.

    designed and crafted by hand in Virginia

  • A man with a beard, wearing a cap and dark clothing, is sitting at a desk, looking down at a smartphone in his hands. On the desk are various tools, papers, and a lamp in a well-lit room.

    american handmade

ABOUT GDTC - A NOVELA

A man with tattoos on his arms, wearing a black T-shirt and a trucker cap with the text 'Travel Drive Media', standing outdoors on a pathway surrounded by trees with autumn foliage.

My name is Matt Williams—the founder, crafter, owner, shipper, designer, lawn mower, customer support tech, hype man, photographer and so on for Gravel Drive Trading Company. I believe in real human connection, authenticity, the old ways of doing things, and supporting American small businesses.

My professional background has nothing to do with leatherwork—but building things with my hands has always been my passion. I spent almost 13 years of my life trying to do my small part to protect this messy freedom experiment we call the United States of America, both in the military and in the intelligence community, and now enjoy my personal “phase 2” of crafting and making useful things for real people

I believe in America. I have been around the world several times and home is here. When I walk the gravel roads in Loudoun County, Virginia, where all of our products are handmade, I’m reminded of the history of this country and marvel at how those gravel roads, some 250 years old, are still in use today.

That is why Gravel Drive sources its leather exclusively from American tanneries and thread from a small thread company in Maine. Even the bags we ship in are muslin bags made in Kentucky and stamped with our logo from a stamp maker in Virginia. While we may not be able to truly get every last piece of the business made here at home…it will always be at the forefront of our purpose and effort.

So if you value doing things the old fashioned, handmade way and sourcing in America…then you might like the Gravel Drive way.

FAQs

  • Every single item is hand made in northern Virginia, USA. Our American Bison is sourced from both Montana Leather Company (in…Montana) or Weaver Leather Supply in Ohio both of which are tanned from US-raised bison. The thread we use is exclusively from Maine Thread Company in Lewiston, Maine.

    Even the Muslin bags we ship in, the stamps we use, the boxes we use to ship…all made in the US.

    The only exception (for now) is the hardware on several products. We source our hardware from a 4th generation US business in Massachusetts who actually owns their overseas factory vs the normal companies who order from overseas factories. This is as close as we have found for the metal components of the goods…but the search continues.

  • These items are handmade, so it is highly unlikely that would happen; however, if your items falls apart, the seams tear, or becomes unusable…just email us at info@graveldrivetradingcom.

    My intent is these items last a lifetime…so if they don’t, Ill make you another one.

  • We actually do this a lot, please visit our custom or group order page for more..

    We can do journals, wallets, valet trays, belts, Dopp kits, you name it. There is a $100 setup fee for your company to get a custom stamp made which normally takes 1-2 weeks. We have a minimum quantity order of 5 pieces.

    Before we begin, we will talk about what you want and then I’ll provide a quote.

Contact us

Have an idea for some custom work? Or questions? Hit us up using the form!