My name is Wyatt Moadus. I am born and raised in a small-town suburb of Youngstown, Ohio, where I live today.
I started leatherwork as a hobby in February of 2016, fully expecting it to be a passing fancy like so many other activities had been for me. Within my first year of making leather goods, I was selling them across the country and, soon enough, across the world. I am also presently honored to be a moderator of the LeatherCraft Discord chat and subreddit, which arguably has been the most rewarding part of this whole venture. I would not be the craftsman that I am without the help and advice from all of the people who frequent those places. Our community of craftspeople from across the globe inspires excellence in all of us!
I started out in business operating our family-owned car painting shop, which I think contributes to my love of glazed alligator; I like to make things shiny. On a warm summer's evening, you can often find my wife and I driving around in my '75 Lincoln. In 2022 I decided it was time to leave that part of me behind and transition over to leatherwork on a full-time basis.
I grew up listening to my Grandfather's firsthand accounts of World War II in the Pacific, and that has shaped me as a person throughout my life. As such, I chose to name my leather business after a historic ship, HMS Dreadnought and the class of ships she spawned.
I live together with my wife Alanna, the best of all my inspiration, and we share our home with two big beautiful cats, Dima and Sparrow.
A winter view from my home workshop.
Youngstown's history is rooted in manufacturing, first with steel and later with automobiles. General Motors ceased production at their Lordstown plant not long ago and it seems as if that chapter has come to a close for good, so it is time for us to seek new avenues with which to place our name on the map.
People often forget that Youngstown also has a rich history of arts and culture, with places such as the DeYor Performing Arts Center (formerly the Warner Theater, home of the Warner Brothers), Stambaugh Auditorium, and the Butler Art Museum to name just a few off the top of my head.
By looking to the past, we also look to the future. It matters to me that people buying my products know where they came from and that, despite what you may have heard, Youngstown is still alive and kicking. I would like people to hear our city's name and think of beautiful things, and if some of those things happen to have come from my workbench, that would make me very happy indeed.