Bryan Wildt, owner of Wildt Leather in Benton, AR, grew up watching his parents repairing leather shoes at the family business in Illinois. He joined the team as a teenager, before taking a break for a few years. But saddles brought him back to the leather business when he moved to Arkansas in the 1990s. “I fell in love with saddle making and I really wanted to learn how to build saddles,” Bryan said. “That was the one thing that captured me about leather work--saddle making.

Bryan Wildt grew up in Alton, Illinois, helping his family with their leather repair shop. His father had started as a salesman before working his way up to business owner. Bryan helped out during the evenings and weekends as a teenager, learning the trade. He decided to move to Arkansas while he was in his early 20s, and he left the leather business behind in Illinois. “I didn’t know at the time exactly what I wanted to do,” he explained. Then his parents moved to Star City,

A family tradition that started in southern Illinois made its way to Benton, AR after a few detours. As a child, Bryan Wildt, now owner of Wildt Leather, saw his father work his way from salesman to leather repair shop owner in 1972. The family focused on shoe and boot repair to start. As the business grew, Bryan helped during the evenings and weekends. When Bryan graduated from high school, he decided to leave the family business and try his luck in Arkansas, where he avoide