DLM Stuff

Then and Now: Discount Leather Mart

2008-11-07T15:41:00.000-08:00

It's been two years since the brick and mortar Discount Leather Mart got a makeover. We got some empty store shots and some shots now. Here is an early empty shot.

Here is a shot of the carpet being installed.

Early Store with Clothing, especially the Distressed Brown Motorcycle jackets.Notice that there are not many helmets in the background.

Here is what the store looks like today. Notice the Helmets in the back left. We try to keep 100+ helmets in stock at all times. Also, since we opened, we keep boots in stock, hard saddlebags, plus...

on the back wall we've brought in LED lights for your bike, Helmet carrying backpacks, cargo nets, license plate frames, Red Light Changers, Iceberg vests and of course our Deerskin Gloves. Deerskin are about the only style of glove that we now carry in the store. We didn't get pictures of our patches, helmet stickers, extensive sunglass selection, saddlebag brackets and lots more. If you live in the area and haven't been in yet, you are missing the best selection with the best prices in the whole Central Valley. Our regular customers come as far away as San Jose to shop at the store exclusively. If you can't make it to the store...there is always the web http://www.discount-leather.net.

See you soon.

Poker Run Pictures

2008-10-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

We had our First Annual Poker Run for Family Connections Foster Care on October 11 and it went pretty well. We had 30 bikes, 47 poker players, lots of food and fun. Most folks who went on the run stated that the run and places to stop couldn't have been any better. Just the right distance, just the right locations to stop. Here are some pics and we hope to see you next October for our second annual run. Just keep checking www.discount-leather.net to be updated.

Poker Run, First annual

2008-10-09T17:44:00.000-07:00

This is it, the first annual Poker Run for Family Connections Foster Care. I don't have time to write too much right now, but remember, a 50:50 raffle, plus raffles for other prizes including a 2-4 hour sailboat cruise on Monterey Bay.

Three Months since last post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-04-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been three months since I've posted. The store has been busy, busy, busy! Just goes to show what happens when you have the best value on motorcycle apparel in the area and of course the best service!

Some new stuff: On the net and in the store I've got a lot of Ladies Western Style Vest and Chaps that I NEED to get moved out. The price on the vest 2 years ago was over $150 and the chaps were over $135. Get both now for just $129 in the store or $129 plus shipping on the web. Don't miss out, I have limited quantities. Once these are gone, they will be gone for good...No More!

Okay, so what's new in the store only? We just brought in some hard saddlebags and already sold three sets!

The ones pictured are only $325 INSTALLED!! Compare that to about $800-$1200 at any of the cycle shops in the area.

I've got two styles that sell for $325 installed and a larger model that sells for $425 installed.

Here is how it works: drop your bike off in the morning and the following morning pick the bike back up with bags INSTALLED. If we have any problems or after mockup on the bike, it just doesn't look right, we'll call you and let you decide if you want the bags or not.

Drop by the shop. We are opened 7 days a week, so beat the high prices of dealers and get to Discount Leather Mart, 1300 N Carpenter Road, suite B, next to Chevron in Modesto, CA.

New Helmet: Zox Genessis SVS

2008-01-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

It just arrived on shore last week. The Zox Genesis Helmet. A Full Face Modular Helmet with a little extra: an internal sunscreen that flips down over your eyes anytime with the flip of an exterior lever.

The Nevado R, and HiQuest Modular Helmets from Zox are Hot commodities here at the store, and this new feature just takes the helmets to the next level. For over $100 less than a Scorpion helmet with the same features, the Genesis SVS will set the standard. I brought one helmet into the store to check it out and it sold the same day. More helmets are on the way.

Zox Helmets have had great reviews from www.webbikeworld.com and feature all the great features of super high priced helmets for a fraction of the cost.
The Genesis SVS Helmet features the following:

CoolMax Liner for plush comfort
Quick Release standard
External Antifog/Antiscratch Clear Shield
Internal Antifog/Antiscratch Smoke Shield
Flush Fit shield for water/wind protection and noise reduction
Top and chin vents.
Quality Paint Finish in Gloss Black, Mat Black, Metallic Silver, Pearl White and Metallic Titanium

Come in and see for yourself what all the excitement is about at our Store located at 1300 N Carpenter Road Ste B, Modesto, CA 95351 or check out the website at MyDiscount-Helmet.com

New Years Day Ride

2008-01-06T13:21:00.001-08:00

On New Years Day, I opened the store, Discount Leather Mart, for a few hours and hosted a way to start off the New Year on the Bike. Unfortunately, only two bikes showed, which was a shame. The ride was from Modesto to Monterey for Clam Chowder at the Wharf. New Years day started cold and Foggy. On my way to the doughnut shop to pick up goodies for all the bikers, I could barely see 40 feet in front of the car. At the shop, everything was ready, but a quick check of the weather revealed that although cold and foggy in Modesto, Monterey was predicted to be clear, sunny with highs in the upper 60's to low 70's. I haven't talked to the riders when they came back, but I did get some pictures: See fog above and Sunny Casa de' Fruita below.

Nice and Sunny and probably warm. Everyone was wearing the new deerskin gloves with liners for the ride and staying toasty. I still don't have the deerskin gloves up on the site (http://www.discount-leather.net) as of yet, but soon!

Here is a neat YouTube video I found in MySpace. Bikes can be fast!

http://www.youtube.com/v/oqJbWiCxUc0&rel=1

End of the Year

2007-12-28T17:04:00.000-08:00

It was a pretty steady Christmas season. I've been opened for a year and I must say that my business this year was at least double my first month in business last year, which still isn't saying much. The Internet business is about 1/10 of last years because I didn't advertise this year and you know what, I'm not going into January broke like I did last year, so forget Google Ads, Shopping.com and Pricegrabber.com...I may not have sold as much, but I'm coming out of the busy season in a lot better shape.

My last post about deerskin gloves doesn't tell it all. I still do not have them on the website (http://www.discount-leather.net) yet, but, I'm on my second reorder of gloves in the store and have sold out all the 2XL size again. They may cost a bit more, but they really do please the people who buy them.

Things I'm thankful for this year:

1. I made the brick and mortar business last for the entire year.
2. My good customers who both return to the website (www.discount-leather.net) and come into the store to just hang around and shoot the breeze.
3. My competition locally (Renegade Biker Classics Modesto, Cycle Gear Modesto, Riding in the Wind plus others) helped me more than they know. Keep up the poor service and high prices and I'll do even better in 2008.
4. Two special loyal customers who checked out the new motorcycle leather shop in town told the owner point blank that they "only shop at Discount Leather," and they were just checking the place out & a third who told him he must be out of his mind for selling at the prices he was selling at.
5. The Hooligans Motorcycle Club, Dysturbed Riders MC, Star Touring Merced Chapter,
Bikers for Christ in Modesto, local HA members who frequent the store, Bay Area Riders Forum plus others that have supported my business with a lot of word spreading.
6. Debbee who manned the register for free a number of times so I could get out and do events.
7. Barbara Tatum, the excellent leather alteration person, motorcycle enthusiast, doo rag maker and all around nice lady for looking after me and my customers for the entire year.
8. Some off the wall visitors like Kim, Nikia, Jeremy, Gordon from the local neighborhood to bring a little excitement into my life.
9. My business neighbors Raj & Pam, Tony and Julie, Dave and Albert plus Gonzalo.
10. Last but not least, my parents and Garry N, Ron P and Gary F & even Dave F. for coming around and making my day a little more normal.

Happy New Year!

Deerskin Gloves

2007-12-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

WOW!!!! I got some deerskin gloves into the shop. What a hit. Super Soft Leather, supple and tough. Look to the site at http://www.discount-leather.net/Gents/gloves/ for Deerskin Gloves. I'm hoping to have these uploaded within the week. You can not believe the response I'm getting to these gloves.

motorcycle films

2007-11-17T14:18:00.000-08:00

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Cool Weather, the price of Gas & Motorcycles

2007-11-11T12:55:00.000-08:00

It's cool today, not real cool, but cooler. Rained last night and regular John J sent me a note that yesterdays motorcycle ride was 497 miles, the last 100 in rain. But the rest of the autumn has been unusually warm, most days jutting into the 80's by midday and bright sunshine. Most would think that is great, but a guy like me that sells motorcycle leather, is looking to really nippy days and nights. Why would you want a motorcycle jacket or pair of chaps if you are just going to sweat? Antoher week until Thanksgiving and I hope by then we can get a frost, if for nothing else but to knock the torrent of flies out of the air that congregate outside my store in the chilly evening hours and rush inside every time the door opens.

Price of gas at Chevron hit $3.43 a gallon last week and it appears that UP is the only direction gas is going to move. So, now is the time to trade that SUV that get's 14 MPG in on a nice Motorcycle that get's 35 to 40 or more MPG. Of course, then you need gear and you'll drop by the store or website, www.discount-leather.net to get the great quality and prices everybody knows I've got. I've got a Honda Shadow 750 sitting in front of the store, fully dressed with all the features, including custom pinstripe for just $6200. It's not mine, but a customers. Only has 1300 miles on it. Want to see, check it out at http://modesto.craigslist.org/mcy/474809921.html for the next 44 days.

I got in some real nice Deerskin Gloves Friday. Man are they soft! A little more expensive than my normal gloves, but in my mind, worth every penny. Look for them on the website soon or come in and try them on. The ones I brought in are wrist cut gloves, unlined. I also brought in glove liners made from Thermax (Dupont) so you can use your gloves both winter and summer. I'm probably going to be replacing most of my cowhide gloves with the deerskin variety, just because the dexterity and softness is well worth the extra $5 in the price.

Does it seem like your paycheck doesn't go as far as it used to? Everyone who lives in the middle class knows that inflation really isn't 2% a year like they've been telling us for the last 15 years. The following are a couple of articles about this: I guess the government really does believe that we are stupid...and since we as a population haven't done anything to dispute it, I guess the government is right. Anyway, enjoy: http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_04/paulos090904.html & http://www.financialsense.com/stormwatch/2005/0624.html

The second article is a little better than the first, but both bring home the point.

Anyway, slow day in the shop, but I got stuff to do.

Cooler Weather...Time to Ride

2007-10-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

The weather got cooler and the rush to get a decent jacket, pair of chaps, pair of pants or anything to keep you warm is on. Luckily we have the best prices in town and the largest selection (pretty much anywhere in the greater San Francisco Bay area and San Joaquin Valley.

Also coming..motorcycle whips. I've had requests for motorcycle whips (I had no idea what they were) but I've got some being made. Should be in stock in a short period of time. Also, I'm now having custom holsters being made, as well as decent quality belts. Funny thing, I've been asked by a number of people if we carried "Real" leather belts. Not the laminated crap that everybody from WalMart to Macy's carry. I've suggested Western stores to people (after all, we are located in the west...just 20 minutes from the self proclaimed 'cowboy capital of the world' in Oakdale) but guess what? The western stores do not even carry a decent leather belt anymore.

If there is a need, Discount Leather Mart will fill it. Check the website for custom made holsters and leather belts.

Enjoy.

Custom Racing Suits are Back

2007-09-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Back in July I wrote about the Death of the Custom made Racing Suit. My supplier at the time doubled the price on me without even letting me know, resulting in a big monetary loss for suits I already had in production plus the loss of approximately $10K in promotional expenses for the suits.

I don't need that supplier for my racing suits (maybe not for anything else either?). I found a new manufacturer, in Pakistan, that can produce custom made suits at approximately the price I had been paying for the last 3 years. So, I'm back in business.

I got a suit 2 weeks ago and had it inspected and checked out thoroughly by a number of local riders and leather craftsman. All said, it appeared to be better than the Himalaya racing suits (of which I've paid to have a couple of custom Himalaya altered because they were not made to spec. Also, one of the sleeve zippers actually pulled out of one suit when putting it on).

The test was when I gave it to a member of the Dysturbed Ryders motorcycle club to test and low and behold, three other members came in within a few days to check out the new suit.

We are back! I'll have more about this custom made motorcycle racing suit in a later post.

Blood Bath for Motorcycle Gear This Christmas?

2007-09-25T14:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted. The shop picked up business as it finally got a little cooler outside. Been doing real good the last month. So, what is in store for consumers looking for motorcycle gear during the upcoming holiday season? I've been talking and gathering information from suppliers for the last couple of months and here's what it looks like:

Business is DOWN, way down from just a couple years ago and the suppliers of motorcycle gear, both leather and textile gear, are sitting on HUGE inventories. At least two prominent online leather & motorcycle merchants have gone out of business this summer and from what I hear, more are about to go out of business. The bad thing about websites going out of business is they leave a seed of doubt in Internet Shoppers minds. One website selling leather left a lot of people holding the bag and is featured at my three cents, http://www.my3cents.com/productReview.cgi?company=MotoBahn+USA . I expect more carnage either during the holiday season, or at the crucial January return season.

It's not just the online wholesalers that are sitting on large amounts of inventory either, but local distributors that supply local motorcycle shops also are in this bind. Motocross Bike gear is especially long on inventory and prices have already dropped to compete with other suppliers. Sport Bikes and Cruiser pricing at the wholesale level still remains strong despite the inventory crunch.

So what can consumers expect? There is good and bad in this news. Consumers should see a great degree of competition on the web this year and pricing may never be better. In store sales should also be quite competitive with wholesalers discounting items get rid of 2007 inventory.

Bad News? Unfortunately the shoe can drop the other direction also. If you purchase items during the holiday season and want to return them for either refund or exchange...the website you were dealing with may no longer be there, leaving you stuck! During the past 3 years, competition on the web has been ruthless and most folks starting web stores on the web are going out of business in droves, if they had any business to begin with. The world wide web brings common products down to a unprofitable price in a matter of months or even days. I found a website called "dropshippingsucks.com" and here is a little excerpt from his sales spiel but in effect, it is correct:

So, a product that started with a market value of $25 on ebay is now quickly down to $15 bringing your profit down from $13.20 each to $3.80 each. But it doesn't stop there... The cycle continues until the product is no longer profitable to sell and it seems that everyone is selling the product for less than cost and trying to make a little profit back with outrageous shipping & handling charges.

Sound like a familiar theme for ebay? What happens to people who are selling items but not making any money off of the products, even money to cover their costs? They go out of business and often times, their customers get the shaft with undelivered product or no place to return and item.

My advice to you: Purchase from a local store, where you can try on the items and see the quality and you can be pretty sure the store will still be in business after the holidays. Oh, like my store at the corner of Woodland Ave and Carpenter Roads in Modesto, CA. If you don't have a local store that sells at realistic prices, you can try the web but use a website that has been around a long time and has real testimonials to back it up! Oh, like my website, http://www.discount-leather.net/ since 2003. We may not be the lowest price on the web, but we stand behind what we sell and customer satisfaction is what it's all about.

Have fun this holiday season

Would you be suspicious

2007-08-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

I got a call about three weeks ago on my home answering machine. The phone call was from a Life Insurance Salesman that said he was following up on my online request for Life Insurance. I did not fill out an online form for Life Insurance. I figured it was a new way for Life Insurance salesman to get someone to talk to them. If you have ever been hounded by a Life Insurance salesman, you know what I mean: they will call and talk to you every day just to wear your resistance down so you will purchase Insurance. I ignored the message as a fluke.

This week, I arrived home to hear the same message. I took the phone number and name down and gave him a call the next day. When I told him that I did not fill out any online form for Life Insurance. He told me Gail Johnson filled out the form. I explained to him that Gail was my EX-wife and we split in 2005. I did not want or need Life Insurance, I'm single and have no kids and relatively no assets. The salesman apologized and promised to take my phone number off of the list so I wouldn't be bothered again.

My ex trying to get Life Insurance on me. Would you be suspicious?

I HATE LAWYERS--I HATE LAWYERS

2007-08-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

It's a wonder We the People haven't risen up and burnt the court system to the ground by now. Thugs, thieves and general malcontents do what they want and walk out of the system and back onto the street to do it all again because they have nothing to lose. The average guy...traffic ticket here (cha-ching), watering your lawn on a non-watering day, fine (cha-ching), your car windows are tinted not to standard (cha-ching), Divorce, (cha-ching). It's all about the money and the Court System and the legions of blood-sucking members of the Bar all feast upon the average person. I won't even go into Jury Duty...perfect waste of time. I went to Jury Duty many times, but I remember one occasion in particular when there was actually a Lawyer in the Jury pool. The judge dismissed him from Jury Duty with these words that I will never forget: "...he's entirely too busy to be on a Jury." I guess the Lawyers time is a lot more important than the average persons, huh judge?

Why are there so many lawyer jokes? Because most of them are true. I'm not real fond of judges either...they used to be lawyers. I can see why in recent years, certain individuals have taken it upon themselves to "take out a judge." I can't condone it, but I can certainly understand it.

The system just does not work for the people. It only seems to work for the lawyers and people in the legal profession. Example: OJ Simpson gets off because he can afford to hire the best lawyers. If he tried to defend himself, or get an average (worthless) lawyer that the rest of us are forced to hire, he would have been strung up in court within two days of testimony and the judge would have probably held the noose!

So what's my beef. The average person (I consider myself average, even on my extraordinary days) goes to court a few times in their life: traffic tickets, jury duty, divorce. I've done all three, but this post is about the divorce.

So the wife and I came to an agreement before she became my ex. We both had lawyers. Pretty much split everything down the middle and I give her a little extra to compensate for my business and I pay her $600/month for the next 8 years. ( I might add, I didn't split from her, she just wasn't happy any more. boo hoo).

So we split assets down the middle, but her lawyer placed a lien on our house. According to the agreement, we were both to pay for our own legal bills, however, guess who would up paying for half her legal fees? (more about this in just a bit) Then, our sale agreement said that we were to pay to the buyer, outside of Escrow, about $18,000 within 2 days of funding. I paid my share, but my wife (on advice of her dumb fuck sister) decided paying the seller anything outside of Escrow was illegal. Even though her signature is on the agreement. So to keep from being sued by the new buyer, his real estate agent and our own real estate agents, I paid her share. So between her lawyers bill and paying her share of the mortgage agreement, I'm out $20,000.

So I decide, fine, I just will take the $20,000 out $600/month at time until the $20,000 is paid off. A couple of months go by and guess what, I get served papers that I haven't been paying my spousal support. So, my response is, I've prepaid my spousal support. Her lawyer gets pretty nervous when I show him the evidence because he knew nothing about this. Why is her lawyer nervous? Here is where I really find out about lawyers.

After spending over $10K on my own lawyers, plus picking up the tab for most of her legal bills both on credit cards I had to pay off and her lawyers lien, I didn't have any money left over. I couldn't afford a lawyer. So I look at the law myself to figure out how this pays off and what do I find:

1: My so called legal team did NOTHING---NADA, NYET. The extent of their work was filling out paperwork for the court. Standing with me in court when the judge told me I needed to pay her support NOW, and essentially brokering this deal the ex and I came up with. I refused to sign the deal for about 5 months because the lawyer that wrote it (hers) wrote it so poorly that it was virtually unreadable. I'm not talking legaleze, I'm talking just plain confusing, mis-written, just shit. Of course, I had to point all this out to my legal team ($300/hour for what?) because they never read it.

2. My legal team never filed paper work that was within my right to recover joint debt and even credit card charges that were made with a split and divorce in mind (her lawyers retainer!) even though I read clearly in the family law that this was perfectly acceptable. Lawyers can certainly collect a retainer, but they can't do any work!

So why is her Lawyer nervous? (from paragraph 5 above) Her lawyer is nervous because when I researched the law, the lien he placed on the house was an ethical violation of the law and State Bar. He convinced her to drop her claims to spousal support. You would think this is good huh? NOT SO.

So, I'm reading the law and it has a lot of information about Statute of Limitations regarding when money and items can be claimed or not and I figured I had about 3 weeks to file something or I would not be able to bring this up in court again. Since the original case was dropped, a judge never ruled on the validity of the claim. As you will see it didn't make any difference any way. So I filed a petition to get a judges ruling.

So we go to court. What's the judge say? "You need to hire a lawyer. You can't bring this up in this court, it needs to go to another court system. Plus you used the wrong forms and didn't give me a complete current statement of Income and Expense." Then in the same speech he tells me, "You are still required to pay Spousal Support of $600 per month, that's in my order."

The order also says that we are to split assets 50:50. But I guess $20K extra to the other side doesn't violate the order. The judge is a Prick. His name is listed below along with all the attorneys so that you know in Modesto, California, what lawyers to shy away from. Actually, you are better off staying away from all these leeches and bloodsuckers. Of course, the judge feeds from the trough of the taxpayer and is above taking any time to actually look into anything, just another government worker who could really care less and you know what, I get the feeling he doesn't really know the law either. Prick!

So now I need to go get a Lawyer. But every lawyer wants at least $1500 as a retainer. What to do. I think both my ex and her lawyer will be sued in the near future and since I know that her lawyer has lots of dough...I think I'm going to sue for all my aggravation, grief and time. I'd say, $80K-100K would be in order? What do you think?

Worthless Modesto, California Lawyers: My side.

Rebecca Roberson, attorney at law: Fired for not fighting for my rights. Worthless.

The law firm of Strauss, Neibauer & Anderson. In particular Tom Anderson. DO NOTHING firm that charges $300 per hour. Did I say they 'did nothing' and charged me $300 bucks an hour for it? Maybe I mentioned it once or twice.

Her Side:

Bernie Kempen: Ethically challenged and should be removed from the State Bar.

Judge Jack Jacobson: Prefers that lawyers do everything and has a real leaning towards the female side no matter what. A government drone bee, sucking off the nectar of the taxpayer and providing no benefit to society.

So How Bad is the Economy?

2007-08-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

I know the economy is bad. Sales dropped to nothing after three strong weeks at the end of June and into July. But just how bad is it? If true inflation were ever counted, we might as all just stop paying our bills and just dig a hole and climb in. More about that in another post.

Discount Leather Mart is located in Stanislaus County California. We are bordered to the North by San Joaquin County, Merced County to the South, the greater San Francisco Bay Area to the West, and Sierra Nevada Mountain communities to the East. Here are some stats from the Newspaper today: Modesto Bee http://www.modbee.com/business/story/43133.html

Stanislaus County: 1 in 30 homes with a mortgage is in forclosure (33%)
San Joaquin County: 1 in 27 homes with a mortgage is in forclosure (37%)
Merced County: 1 in 31 homes with a mortgage is in forclosure (32%)

So is the subprime lending market meltdown hitting our economy hard? You bet. It was bad enough with $3.50 gallon gas, but now, just getting to work and back is costing everyone plenty. And if you haven't got any cash left over after your commute, do you really need a new motorcycle helmet to sit in your living room and watch TV? That is...assuming you have a living room and a TV and aren't just living under the bridge down by the river.

Internet Business and Drop Shipping. A Word of Caution

2007-08-09T16:42:00.000-07:00

The Internet is a strange beast and the hype got ahead of most people, even me. I decided to write this Ebook about my experiences owning an Internet Business. Most people would think this is a cushy place, but in the real world, it's much different. This book tells about my experiences, starting, selling tons of merchandise worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but actually realizing a wage of less than minimum. If you ever thought of opening up an Internet Business, Ebay, Amazon or Yahoo Store, I would encourage you to read this book first. A DROP-SHIPPERS CAUTIONARY TALE, 15 chapters, 22 pages. $9.99.

Don't believe the ads in the newspapers or the hype on the web, Drop shipping and other forms of selling on the web is tough! For most web entrepreneurs, it is not at all profitable and may even be a credit killer!

Here is an excerpt from the book:

The whole inner back page of my local newspaper has an Advertisement on how to be a millionaire using proven techniques for Ebay Sales. This ad has been running daily now for two weeks. When someone tells you, 'you can be a millionaire if you just follow these steps,' you know you are about to be fleeced. It also tells you that money is so hard to make on the web, that it's easier to sell people programs to make money than it is to actually make the money. So who is making money on the Internet?

The big boys are, that's who: Ebay, Amazon.com, Yahoo Stores, Google, Yahoo Search Services, Shopping.com, MySimon.com, Pricegrabber.com, United States Postal Service, UPS and FedEx, and of course the Wholesalers. These are the top tier companies making money off the web. Ebay, Amazon & Yahoo collect fees for letting you have a store on their space, plus final value fees, merchant fees, etc. As with my example of Ebay above, if for every sale, they collect about $8 and they are doing hundreds of thousands of sales per day, you can see how they are making money for providing software and basic support. Google, Yahoo Search Services, Shopping.com, Pricegrabber and MySimon are all in the business of providing comparative shopping experiences and advertising. You can sort items by price which forces retailers to sink to a rock bottom price if they want to sell anything. What was a great value at a 50-60% gross margin is now a terrible bargain if you can get the same product from another store charging only a 25% margin. The Internet has become a race to the bottom of the price spiral. Like Walmart did to Brick and Mortar stores, Ebay, Amazon and Yahoo Stores does to virtually everything sold on the Internet. Price is the only real measure. Service, integrity and to a certain extent, quality got flushed or are marginalized. I won't say it is Ebay or Amazon or the other Big Boys fault that a free fall in price has happened, but the general consumer expects it.

2007-07-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

DEATH OF THE RACING SUIT! Not so fast.

After spending tons of money promoting custom made racing suits and getting lots of buzz about them not to mention sales, my supplier for some unexplained reason doubled the price of the suits. The bad thing is, they didn't even let me know they were doubling the price of the suits. I found out on my credit card bill....5 suits custom made that instead of making a little, I lost big bucks on. I think there is more behind the doubling of price then I was told, because quite frankly, I don't believe that the factory doubled their price. I comunicated with other manufacturers in Pakistan and their prices are about the same as my original price.

I'm now searching for a new supplier so I don't lose the approximately $10,000 I spent promoting the suits.

For the time being, I'm still offering the Himalaya custom racing suits but the price has increased to $680 per suit with a $110 shipping fee. I really don't think I'll sell any though, because I've already been told that there are local people that can make a pretty good custom made suit for just dollars over the cost of a Pakistani made suit.

Sorry everyone, but I hope to be back in the business of $400 custom made suits soon.

2007-07-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of the Sierra Hope ride that Modesto's Harley Davidson puts on once per year for Muscular Dystophy. The ride passes right in front of Discount Leather Mart, http://www.discount-leather.net and I stepped outside to take a few pics. Here they are.

2007-07-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

Look who we have on the bike...Abe and his dog Jack, all properly outfitted for safe riding. Abe got our cowhide retro brown racer, http://www.discount-leather.net/mimage/BLS470C.html , and as you can see, the color is lighter than our web page picture. He's also wearing the matching retro brown chaps, http://www.discount-leather.net/mimage/BLS925C.html . Abe also picked up the matching Vest , http://www.discount-leather.net/mimage/BLS103C.html that he has his HOG patch on. I didn't have anything for Jack, but Abe found a light brown leather vest for him and believe it or not, Jack has a small HOG patch on his vest also. Abe wanted anything but black, because everyone has Black Leather. These pictures have been a while coming. Abe purchased these back in January of February at the store. We've got lots of the brown in the store and also on the web, so if you are thinking about a new set of leathers, Retro Brown might just be for you.

2007-07-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

Custom Made Racing Suits. We've got great prices and lots of satisfied customers. We got this custom made suit ready to go just in time for Track Day on July 14. This is a custom made one piece suit, white and blue with blue knee pucks from Discount Leather Mart, http://www.discount-leather.net/custom/ . Pinapple is the customer. He's with Dysturbed Ryders Motorcycle club here in Modesto, and he's not the first in the club to get a suit from us. The club tends to ride fast and ride hard every Sunday. Pineapple has other suits, but he is short, so getting boots on is tough with a standard suit. Also, he works out so his upper body is big, and he really needed a custom suit. Remember, safety is the key and these suits will keep you safe. Here are a few pics from the track day: Enjoy, and don't forget that for about $530 out the door you can have a custom suit of your own.

It looks like these pics may be copyrighted, so I'll thank in advance for the use of the pics that Pineapple sent me.

2007-06-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I had my first website about the Hillbilly Dinner Napkin. That site went down years ago, but I keep it on my Discount Leather Mart Site, at http://www.discount-leather.net/hillbilly/ . It was a fun idea for a novelty product and when I started the site, I had my wife (now my ex-wife) sew the Hillbilly Napkins together. The napkin is cool, but it's the story that goes along with the napkin that really makes it.

I sold maybe 15 napkins in the last 5 years and I had 4 left. You really can't find the site using search engines, I don't know how anyone would find it, but guess what? Three got sold today. We got us a real Hillbilly that knows a good deal when he sees it. Congrats to Malcom and have fun with them.

Have a laugh and check out the site. If anyone wants more, I have a place to make them up, so I'm not completely out.

2007-05-12T10:18:00.000-07:00

I have bugs stuck on my jacket from a country ride. How do I get them off?

In the last few weeks, I've gotten a number of requests from my customers regarding cleaning Bug Splats from their leather jackets. Specifically the distressed leather jackets that are light in color. A dead bug on a light colored jacket makes a big impression.

Here is how to clean just about any leather jacket from unintended spots. Damp sponge (water only) and rub the spots on the jacket (do not try on Suede). Damp means very little water! Most of the spots should be removed by this method, however, water and leather usually are not good for each other and a dark spot will appear where the leather got wet. Hang the jacket to dry out naturally. This may take a couple hours or a couple of days depending on how much water was in the sponge and how deep the bug penetrated.

In order to help your leather and make it easier to clean, we strongly recommend that you use an OIL product specifically designed for leathers. We sell Mermac Mink Oil with Beeswax in our store, http://www.discount-leather.net/wimage/Mink.html but any good quality leather oil will do. Note I capitalized OIL: DO NOT use water based silicone products on your leather. Many leather stores sell these silicone based products, including most of the major leather sellers in the local mall in your area. Why? Silicone is a good sealer against water penetration, as a matter of fact, that is the primary ingredient in Thompson's Water Seal that you apply to your decks, driveways and whatever to prevent weathering. Your leather jacket, vest or chaps are not driveways or decks though. Leather needs to be fed in order to last for the longest possible time and replacing oils lost through time or breakdown is the way to make sure your leather apparel last for the longest time. Naked Leather & Distressed Leather tend to dry the fastest and really need an annual oiling.

I've read on other sites that I shouldn't use oils on my leathers because it darkens them. Why are you advocating oil?

The other sites are correct, using oil on your leather will darken them. In this era of instant gratification, everybody wants instant results. Leather Oils, like Mermac Mink Oil with Beeswax, take time to work. If you use Mink Oil on a distressed brown jacket you may get REAL SCARED because your light tan jacket will turn almost black. But just wait, in a day it will lighten considerably and in about two weeks it will almost be back to it's normal color but with a deeper, richer hue and a better, softer feel. As an added benefit, cleaning with a damp sponge will not allow the water to move into the leather, since we all know, oil and water don't mix.

Leather is a natural product and contains oil naturally when new. This natural oil allows it to remain soft, flexible and waterproof. Over time the oil breaks down and the leather will dry out, so you need to replace the oil with an oil that is close in composition to the natural oil that was originally in the leather. Taking care of your leather and oiling it regularly should keep it in good shape for decades. Remember, if you can't find leather oil close by, we have it at Discount Leather Mart at http://www.discount-leather.net/wimage/Mink.html

2007-05-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Been a while, but I've been busy. I've got a lot of stuff to show. We did the Grand Opening Event on April 14 and I'm just now getting the pics up. The pictures are from Joe Salas of http://www.4theriders.com , a professional photographer with a great eye. He's my first picture.

You might not see it in the picture, but it rained buckets on the Grand Opening Day. Although it put a little damper on the party, it wasn't that bad and I'm happy to say we had a good turnout. My competition up the street, Renegade had their annual Customer Appreciation Day on the same day. I almost scored a coup when the Renegade Girls, pulled into my parking lot and asked if I was the Renegade store they were suppose to be appearing at? I didn't think quick enough to say yes...and leave the competition with no models and the bill for them to pay also. I sent the girls on their way, since I already had models. For those of you who have never seen me, the next pic is with me and one of the models:

The day started the night before...with a lot of last minute prep. Getting hot dog buns into serving pouches, making sure the soda was ready to go, cleaning the store, repricing, getting change, making sure I had all the parts to my booths, calling folks and reminding them to be there. On the big day, I was there at 7:00AM putting up plastic flag streamers around the parking lot, getting the booths up. The event was suppose to start at 11:00 AM and at 10:30AM, none of the people who said they were going to show up, showed up! At about 10:35AM, everyone showed up, Randy Glaze with his racing bikes and bulldog in tow, Dave with the barbecue, and Mike from Mikes Trikes. At about 10:50, the models showed up and Robert, the Zox Helmet Rep...oh and the rain started.

The Register was manned by Debbie, ex wife's sister, Mike came to help with security, but would up doing all the inside sales, my Mom was there to help inside the store, while I was being pulled in all kinds of different directions ..."I need this, I need that...Can we do this...What are we suppose to do, it's raining" and the big one "The roofs leaking, where is the bucket and towels? Is it going to get on the leather?" So, the customers walked in from the rain to be rerouted around a leak in the ceiling that was splashing a steady drip of what into the store. (as an aside, it was dry and sunny yesterday, with good wind gusts when all of a sudden, water started pouring from the ceiling into the store???)

Here are some pics of the day, Enjoy. Also check out http://4theriders.smugmug.com/gallery/2712239#143743167 and

http://4theriders.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/315007 for a lot more pictures. Enjoy. Here is Randy's racing bike with the prominent DLM Logo on the Bike, oh and girls too! Note the Discount Leather Mart Girls are wearing Leather from Discount Leather Mart, including some from our favorite lingerie supplier, Confession Leather. See the ruffled thong pics further down the page.

Here is Randy with one of his Bulldogs, hence the name 'Bulldog Racing'.

Here is another spot of the race bikes and Discount Leather Mart Girls, brought to you by Discount Leather Mart and Wesbiz Entertainment, http://wesbizentertainment.net . Oh, and me also...

Here is Mike Machado from Mike's Trikes, www.mikes-trikes.com , in his booth with the trikes next to him. Also, you can just barely see the hot dog booth at the corner next to the trikes:

Hot Dogs were free for all, and that included the Discount Leather Mart Girls too:

Here are some customers enjoying the day: This first one looks amazed at how Low the Prices really are plus the Grand Opening 10% off. (note my competition 3 blocks away had only 5% off their leathers and they are higher priced than Discount Leather Mart to begin with. Some Customer appreciation.

Here's Ronnie. She and her husband Larry are regulars here at the store and their bikes are adorned with saddlebags and stuff from Discount Leather Mart. Always welcome, they showed up in the rain, but not on their bikes and stayed for quite a while.

Here is the store with people in it mingling around and generally trying to stay dry.

Here is a biker visitor on his chopper talking to Mike. There were very few bikes in the lot due to rain...so I was happy to see this custom bike show up. The two gals standing at the table are regular customers also. They drive a nice metallic gray trike that Mike did for them.

Here's My Mom

Zox should give me a better deal than I get. This is the way to promote helmets:

Here are a couple of angel shots...are those halos? I've met the girls and the halos are only a part time thing.

Okay, one last picture then we'll call it good for the day. It was a great day and we gave away a pair of super premium cargo pocket chaps in Naked Leather! The winners picture in another post.

Enjoy your day and remember, comments are welcome and if you have a chance, come to the store!

2007-03-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

Today was the day. I pulled all on-line advertising off. Google Ad-Words was the last place I was advertising on-line and the sales just can not justify the expense. A little background: In 2003 I started advertising on Google at first $5/day then $10/day and I got good sales, not great, but good. This continued through most of 2004 and then I came up with the idea of doubling my advertising expense, I could probably double my sales. It worked. September of 2004, I increased Ad spend with Google to $500/month to about $1500. Sales didn't double, they tripled! In 2005, the cost of advertising kept rising but the sales were not there. It got worse in 2006. Here is a number that will surprise some, Since I began advertising on Google in 2003, I've given Google $119,186 for my ads. Here are some breakdowns although not accurate since I didn't include Shopping.com, Yahoo or Pricegrabber.com ad costs which not as much as Google, are still substantial:

2003: Ad costs 7% of sales
2004: Ad costs 11% of sales
2005: Ad costs 17% of sales
2006: Ad costs 11% of sales

I didn't advertise with Yahoo or anyone else in 2003, but I did in 2004. Yahoo can suck money with no return of sales faster than a Las Vegas Casino can drain your pocket. Definitely not worth the price to advertise. Shopping.com and Pricegrabber have pretty low Returns on Investment. Shopping.com doesn't even give you a representative to talk to even though I was spending about $600/month on them in 2004 and 2005. Figure my Ad Costs as a percent of sales is probably about 4% higher for 2004-2006.

What causes this? I'm sure Click fraud has something to do with it, i.e. my competitors (of which there are a LOT) click on my ads forcing my cost to rise. For instance, every time an ad shows for Motorcycle Jackets in Google, depending on the time of year, the cost is about $0.80. This is charged to me if a sale occurs or not. So the new leather site that is competing with me clicks just 5 or 6 times a day on this ad, that's $2.40 a day or an extra $72 per month I have to spend. No let's say, they are not only clicking on Motorcycle Jacket Ads, but Chap Ads, Vest Ads, Pant Ads, etc. Figure 3 X $72 or an extra $216 per month. Now that's just one competitor!

In 2005, I signed on with a company that can monitor and check for Click fraud, for a substantial fee. How? I put a piece of code on each one of my advertisements in Google or Yahoo or whoever. When someone clicks on that ad, the service throws a cookie on their computer. When the person returns to click the ad again, the service knows recognizes the cookie and records their IP again. So what did I learn from my service? About 30% of my clicks came from the same IP with the cookies again and again. They were all AOL members or clicking from AOL where the IP addresses change constantly. I could see trends in the data that say the same computer with the same IP address was clicking at a certain time per day, perhaps 15 to 20 times in a day.

I gave the data to Google, also owner of this blog service, and asked for a refund of the fraudulent clicks. After a two week review, they determined that it was an anomaly of AOL and that no fraud occurred. The service that I paid money to wouldn't back up their service and mechanisms. So I'm stuck, unless I wanted to take on Google in court. A lot of forums said, "just figure in fraud as a part of doing business and either continue to advertise or not based on your sales and returns." Is it click fraud or not? I was approached by a person in Pakistan that for $50/month, would click on my competitors ads two hours per day, 30 days a month as a service. That is so unethical. Of course I declined.

I think fraud is now even worse than it was and I don't see it getting better anytime soon. Google claims that they screen for fraud, but I know of at least one person getting hit with a $700 tab in one evening after posting an ad that would not normally generate over $300 in clicks a month. That person was told by G that there was no fraud.

Anyway, the Ads just do not pay for themselves anymore. Google and Yahoo both claim great fraud screening ability, but I don't see it and I don't see a good results on sales anymore either. So, that's the way it is. Now that I have a brick and mortar store, I think the money spent on Google would be much better spent on local advertising.