by Joann Pipkin

Life is more about giving than receiving, and that’s certainly the case for Jason and Sharon Salchow and family of Billings, Mo.

Growing up in the small, rural Christian County community in southwest Missouri, Jason was first introduced to Auberry Glove Co. by his father, John.

The Salchows (pronounced “Sar-grow”) used the gloves on the farm and found them to be both comfortable and durable as they tended livestock and performed other tasks.

Jason’s fondness for the product carried him into adulthood as he continually visited Jim Auberry’s home shop to replenish his supply. Fast-forward to 2010 when Auberry informed Jason that his health was failing, and he didn’t know how much longer he could continue the craft.

With no one set to take over Auberry Glove Co., Jason and Sharon offered to purchase it from the local legend. However, before agreeing, Auberry insisted on seeing Sharon sew.

An inexperienced seamstress, Sharon took a couple of “lessons” from the master leatherworker. The couple recall him turning and saying, “She will do.”

So, what began as a way of preserving a product Jason depended on around the farm quickly turned into an opportunity for his family to cultivate stewardship — one leather glove at a time.

Puzzle in motion

The makings of every pair of leather work gloves begin with whole goat hides, which are shipped directly from a tannery.

“The artisan aspect in making a perfect fitting and durable pair of gloves is the attention to detail in every step of the process,” Jason says.

Evaluating how the individual hide feels and finding slight variances within the same hide, and choosing where to cut out specific pieces of the glove, is the true art and beginning of the process, he adds.

“There is tremendous variation in size, elasticity and blemishes between the hides,” Jason explains.

“Every piece is clicked [or cut] out of the goat skin hide using a press and individually sized dies [finger patterns]. The pieces are then sewn together inside out.”

Stitching is completed using an upholstery sewing machine. Several steps follow before attaching the elastic, binding the bottom edge, closing the sides together and turning the glove right side out.

According to Jason, the most physical step is pulling the individual gloves over chrome hand casts that are hollow. Steam is then piped into the inside to heat the hand cast.

“The heat allows the collagen fibers in the leather to relax and stretch to its potential size,” he notes. “The seams are smoothed out, and the leather stretched to a condition that makes the supple feel that everyone enjoys.”

From start to finish, Sharon says it takes about eight to 10 hours to make a dozen of the gloves, which come in sizes extra small to 3XL.

Customers can choose from traditional tan and pink leather, a popular choice among women.

The family works diligently every fall in preparation for the Ozark Fall Farmfest, an agricultural trade show. This year, 45 dozen pairs of gloves alone were sold at the annual event. Product is also shipped directly out of their shop and shipped to customers.

Other than trade shows, the Salchows rely mostly on word of mouth to advertise their product. Recently, the Salchows began posting videos of their craftsmanship on Facebook through a page shared with a restaurant — Meat Hooks BBQ — they also own. One video is about the steaming step of the glove-making process.

Connection with community

At first, the goal of Auberry Glove Co. was to bring together women from the community for fellowship while sewing.

“It has served that purpose at various times during our stewardship,” Jason explains. “We have had several young people work at it during transition periods in their lives as well. Our children have always been involved and have learned many valuable skills. The best of which is communicating and serving customers.”

The couple has five children: Jared, wife Lucy and granddaughter Nora; Jenna, Josie, Jeremiah and Jonathan. All help in the family business as well.

From meager beginnings in their home, the Salchows now stitch their artisan leather gloves in a shop alongside Meat Hooks BBQ in a strip mall in nearby Clever.

Running two businesses in tandem has afforded them not only more space and a way to further diversify their family farm, but also to reconnect with their roots.

“We felt the Lord was leading us to do this,” Jason explains. “We drive by and know everybody, but we just wave and never stopped to visit. Now, folks know when my old truck’s out here, they can come in and visit. It’s just been a great reconnection with the community.”

In addition to manning the ship at Auberry Glove and the restaurant, the Salchows raise beef cattle and sheep.

Jason is also a veterinarian, teaching animal science classes at Missouri State University and managing health duties at Four State Stockyards in Exeter.

“We’ll have people come to Sharon with missing digits [fingers],” Jason says. “They wonder if she can take that digit off, so it doesn’t flop. She custom makes it just for them with no extra fingers on there. That’s service. It’s all just about doing something good.”

To purchase a Missouri-made pair of leather gloves from Auberry Glove Co., call 417-299-2484.

Pipkin writes from Republic, Mo.