Feature the short sea channel that separates Malta and Gozo but reaches any corner of the world ….. from Saudi and Dubai to Ireland and Austria , even Germany and France , right down to Reunion and to most of the North African coast . That I was proudly shown personalised hotel room folders which were produced for The Ritz Carlton of Riyadh , Saudi Arabia , and items carrying logos of market-leading firms from London ’ s Regent Street ; is testament to the quality and depth of their reach .
The Leather House is very market-oriented and therefore is customer focused too . For them , quality is prime but that does not mean that the price has to be astronomical . “ We appreciate the importance of keeping our prices at a very affordable level ” explains David . “ One cannot easily raise prices and expect to remain competitive when one ’ s very own customers ’ financial spendings are often curtailed by their own financial pressures - which may push them to cheaper quality solutions rather than going for the quality they really wish . We try and make this happen for them ” he said . They are equally adaptable to customer designs and requirements , and are willing to work with clients ’ designers or else to provide the creative side themselves .
He shows me a restaurant menu that feels like a very expensive item indeed yet when told the price I am impressed …. But not as much as when I realise the extent of their creative slant in the work process – for what I was holding in my hands was a menu cover for a leading local fish restaurant where the spine is actually covered in fish leather ! “ I don ’ t believe it ” I exclaim . I was then shown other samples of fish leather made from salmon skin , from perch and other marine species .
David adds that they are very ecologically and environmentally conscious such that they will therefore not accept to take on orders to work with leather from any protected species , no matter how lucrative the prospect might be . “ We are here to serve the customer in any way possible but that does not mean that we have to put aside our beliefs and values ” he adds , continuing
One cannot easily raise prices and expect to remain competitive when one ’ s very own customers ’ financial spendings are often curtailed by their own financial pressures
that they are prepared to take on any job , of any size , in any colour , and with no minimum quantity order . “ This makes us very competitive , especially overseas ” he explains , where minimum quantities are stipulated .
Sensing that we were getting to the end of our interview , I asked what sort of products would they list which might be of interest to readers of Hospitality Malta . David smiled and replied “ Everything they need !” but at my further prompting he volunteered to tell me that they can supply all types of food and beverage menus – anything from placemats , coasters , cigar holders , and trays ….. adding that for conferences they supply table mats suitably monogrammed , conference folders ( which can be as individually personalised as needed and in any size , A5 , A4 , A3 etc ), or even key fobs with clients ’ logos or names . “ We also provide in-room hotel directories and menus , cloak room and room key-chains with logos ,” he added .
So where do they go from here ? David volunteered the ( obvious ) answer : “ Who knows where we will be in the future ? But whatever we will be doing you can rest assured that it will rely on the in-house operation that we have built since we were set up over 50 years ago . And this is how we will continue . We will remain affordable for all types of client markets while offering great quality , with matching follow-up and customer care . And we ’ ll still be enjoying ourselves !”
Further details on The Leather House are viewable from their facebook page https :// www . facebook . com / TheLeatherHouseOnline , and they may be contacted via email at theleatherhouse @ gmail . com
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