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

    AMERICAN BISON raised 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 US raised American Bison leather exclusively from American companies and its 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 main ingredient, American Bison leather, is sourced and tanned by Law Tanning in Milwaukee, WI who has been in the US tanning game for 84 years and Horween Leather Co in Chicago, IL who has operated over 120 years.

    Our American Bison (up until early October 2026) was sourced from a company in Montana that uses only US-raised bison (but we learned suddenly that they ship the hides from the US to Mexico for tanning then back). We immediately shut down production when we found out and transferred our supplier to Law (via Law direct and Weaver Leather Supply) and Horween (via Tannery Row in Chicago).

    The thread we use is exclusively from Maine Thread Company in Lewiston, Maine.

    Our grommets (and many shop tools) are Made in USA by C.S. Osborne in New Jersey.

    Many other tools, including our four large hand powered devices (the Cub Sewing Machine, 8-ton and 4-ton Clicker Presses, and Strap Cutter) are handmade by Weaver Leather Supply in Ohio.

    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 some of the hardware on several products. We source those hardware pieces from a 4th generation US business in Massachusetts who actually owns their overseas factory vs the other companies who order from foreign-owned overseas factories. This is as close as we have found for the metal components of some goods…but the search continues.‍

    If you know of a small hardware manufacturer dedicated to US sourcing (halter snaps, money clips, Chicago screws, etc) please let us know at info@graveldrivetrading.com‍

  • 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.

no powered tools in the shop. all hand driven.

Even the sewing machine that is used on straps is hand cranked. Our presses for setting hardware and cutting dies are operated by hand levers instead of pneumatics.

This isn’t efficient. This isn’t fast. This honestly isn’t wise from a business productivity standpoint.

That’s the point. Its going back to the Gravel Drive way simply for the sake of the journey.

Check out the core collection

Contact us

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