The History of Læderiet

Picture of Anders Peter Andersen, who inspired his son, Bjarne Andersen, to found Læderiet in 1975.
 

Passion For Leatherworking Through Generations

Bjarne Andersen gained interest and knowledge about leatherworking from an early age. Bjarne’s father, Anders Peter Andersen, was a shoemaker, and he also worked part-time at a tannery, where Bjarne often came by after school. At the tannery, Bjarne learned about the tanning process from start to finish and he also learned how to process leather. This became the starting point for a lifelong passion for leather – and it later formed the basis for the foundation of Læderiet.
 

The Creation of Læderiet

After working more than 25 years for a leather dealer in Viborg, Bjarne took the chance to start his own company and work independently. At the time, the store was centrally located on Rosensgade in Aarhus, where the customers mainly consisted of saddlers and shoemakers as well as teachers in leather crafting. Due to the growing interest in Læderiet, the store ran out of space, and the company moved to a new location on Guldsmedgade in Aarhus in 1988.

A Growing Company

With the new store on Guldsmedgade, Læderiet continued to grow, and the neighbouring property was bought and added to the store to get more space. The narrow courtyard with cobblestones made it difficult to receive goods, and often the street was blocked by cars for up to 20 minutes so that hides of leather could be delivered. After 9 years in Guldsmedgade, it was time to expand once more, and the property on Mossøvej in Risskov was bought.

Store and warehouse in Hasselager since 2022

Since moving to Mossøvej in 1997, the growth of Læderiet has strongly increased, and about 20 years ago, Bjarne Andersen’s son, Morten Andersen, took over the management of the company. Morten expanded Læderiet with various acquisitions, and today the company also sells products to large companies in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and Belgium etc., and has established its own brand with leather care and leather dye. Today, Bjarne is the only active, educated leather dealer in Denmark, and he still comes to work every day, where he helps customers with his many years of experience. Læderiet has once again run out of space, and the new building on Bøgekildevej in Hasselager, Denmark forms the framework for the next chapter in the history of Læderiet.

Photo of the building on Bøgekildevej 35 in Hasselager, Denmark, which since January 2022 has been the new location of Læderiet.