The Old Mill in Bend - New Chapter
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Over the last few weeks, my “office” has looked a little different.
Instead of spreadsheets and Zoom calls, I’ve been wandering through barns stacked to the rafters with history—rusty hardware drawers, hand-painted signs, old workshop benches that still smell like cedar and motor oil. If it once had a purpose, someone in Bend has saved it, honored it… and put it up for sale next to a dozen vintage dartboards and a “First National Bank” sign from who-knows-when.
We’re here building something special—a Will Leather Goods home in Bend, Oregon. But before there are leather goods on the shelves, there needs to be shelves. So we’re digging through reclaimed wood piles, measuring beams older than we are, and rescuing pieces of Americana that deserve another lifetime.
I’ve climbed ladders to inspect airplane wings that might become a lighting installation. I tested antique metal drawers that still slide smooth—perfect for unique wallet displays, or maybe belt buckles. I found a barber chair that practically demanded storytelling while someone got a shave. And yes… I threw a few darts. Research, naturally.
Building a store this way takes longer. It takes more elbow grease. It takes imagination. But that’s exactly why we do it.
Because when you walk into a Will Leather Goods store, I want you to feel the heartbeat of craftsmanship —not just in the bags we build, but in the walls around them. Every board, every cabinet, every light fixture had a life before this one. We’re just giving it a new chapter.
Bend, we’re almost ready for you.
Next time you visit, take a look around—the hat rack might’ve once lived in a bank. The tables could have been part of a general store counter in 1920. The wood beneath your feet might have kept a horse barn warm in the dead of winter.
There’s history everywhere, and you’re invited to make it your own.
See you soon in the mountains.
— Will from the Workbench