Will Leather Goods will celebrate the opening of their flagship store at 1360 Abbot Kinney tomorrow evening from 7-9pm. Drop in and see the new store! The proprietors are super nice people and DJ Twin Shadow will be spinning tunes!
Bill Adler, the company’s founder and President, moved to Los Angeles from Detroit in the 70’s to stake a claim in Hollywood. Despite working for nearly a decade as an actor in B-Movies, Adler found himself in need of other work to feed his family due to a Screen Actors Guild strike in the 80’s. He started “Rainbow Belts” as a small stand in here in Venice, which was popular for their signature multicolored webbed belts.
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“Rainbow Belts” became “Billy’s Belts”, which were sold in department stores such as the now defunct chains The Broadway and Chess King, as well as smaller retailers. In 1992, Adler sold the company to competitor Brighton Collectibles and soon after (a non-compete was involved) headed to Eugene, Oregon.
Once the non-compete expired, Adler took to designing belts for such brands as Nautica, Marc Ecko, Calvin Klein, Levi Strauss and Dockers. He eventually landed a license to make leather accessories for the Nike Golf and Tiger Woods lines.
Not one to rest on his laurels, in 2007 Adler launched the Will Leather Goods label, his own “flagship” line of handcrafted bags, wallets, cuffs, neckties and other small accessories. The line can be found at retailers such as Ron Herman, American Rag and Nordstrom.
Rightfully, Adler sees the new store as a “return home” to where his adventure began. The 1700 sq foot store, which will be run by his family (Adler will come and go from Oregon), features a ton of interesting items. Prices range from medium to high, so there is likely something for everyone in the store, including furniture! Go check it out!
Will Leather Goods
1360 Abbot Kinney
Venice Beach
(310) 399-8700
Hours: 10 am to 8 pm
Click here if you are a struggling actor! Who knows what tomorrow may bring!
