History
Leather is a tradition in the Mulholland family. Hugh Mulholland, great-grandfather of the founders, immigrated with his brother William Mulholland to California from Ireland in the 1870s. In his native country, Hugh had been a harness maker and nurseryman. In the San Francisco Bay Area, he established his own nursery of bonsai trees and continued to craft leather harnesses for close friends.
Hugh's great-grandson Jack Holland began leather craft and saddle-making in 1949 in the family tradition. Jay, Jack’s son, was working as a cowboy on a ranch in California, and his other son Guy was in school studying psychology when their father approached them with the idea of designing and producing their own leather goods. The family agreed that there was a lack of true quality leather sporting goods. They wanted to resurrect the meticulous craftsmanship and style of the classic American leather-making tradition, and in 1984 the father and two sons started selling leather goods under the name Mulholland Brothers.
Their love for the outdoors and strong belief in free enterprise bonded father and sons and supported them through the many challenges they would face. The brothers laced their first fishing rod case by hand in the basement of their home and sold this item to a few select stores in San Francisco. However, Jay and Guy didn't purchase their first sewing machine until 1985. All of their early products were entirely constructed by hand.
In 1986, the brothers moved into their first formal facility: an old blacksmith shop in Northern California. The extra room allowed them to expand their product line to include shooting bags, fly wallets and gun cases. To replicate the century-old styles they loved, the founders researched old catalogues from that reflects the current style of the collection. They studied Progressive Era designs and stitching patterns and searched for machines that could replicate those looks and product design. Often the founders had to retrofit antique stitching machines to create the styles they wanted.
The founding brothers moved to their present location in San Francisco in 1995 and continued to build a collection inspired by Hugh Mulholland's entrepreneurial instincts and the founder's love of the outdoors.
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