our story

Who We Are

Since our founding in 1908, we have a near complete listing of supplies catering to leather, crafts, leather care & equine enthusiasts at our warehouse in Billings, Montana. Originally established to support the mining industry and shoe repair trade in Butte, Montana, our family-owned business has spent over 115 years perfecting the art of sourcing and distributing fine leather.

We’ve grown from serving local miners to supporting a worldwide community of professional leatherworkers and hobbyists. Join us as we continue our legacy of quality, helping the next generation of leathercrafters create something extraordinary.

Our History

115+ Years in the Making

1908

Founding in Butte

George Gordon MacPherson establishes Montana Leather Company in Butte, Montana. He brings a legacy of craftsmanship to the company as his father, John McPherson, owned the prominent John McPherson & Co. boot and shoe manufacturing operation in Hamilton, Ontario.

1910's

A Growing Family & Empire

George and his wife Elizabeth "Elsa"—a prominent piano teacher—raise their five children: Louise, John, George, Bruce, and James, who all eventually have a hand in the family business.

1920’s

The Next Generation Expands West

Jack expands the business by opening a location in Billings, Montana, which is later forced to close due to the economic devastation of the Dust Bowl. Bruce founds Oregon Leather Company in Portland and MacPherson Leather Company in Seattle. Kenneth establishes stores in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

1929

Jack Takes the Helm

Founder George Gordon passes away, and leadership of Montana Leather Company transitions to his son, John "Jack" MacPherson.

1945

James White Takes Over

Following Jack's passing, James White takes over management of Montana Leather Company. Ownership of the company remains with the MacPhersons.

1957

Markovich & Gregorich Era

Management passes to the duo of Bert Markovich and Joe Gregorich, while ownership remains proudly with the MacPhersons.

1979

Bert Markovich Leads Solo

Joe Gregorich retires after more than 20 years of service, and Bert Markovich assumes sole management of Montana Leather Company — still operating from its original Butte home.

1988

The Move to Billings

Douglas MacPherson (4th generation) takes over as President and relocates the company from Butte to its current home in Billings, Montana.

2016

Fifth Generation Joins

The fifth generation of the MacPherson family, Patrick, joins Montana Leather Company, continuing a tradition that stretches back over a century to George Gordon's founding vision.

Today

Five Generations, One Passion

Douglas and his son, Patrick, co-manage Montana Leather Company and maintain a commitment to excellence that they hope will continue for generations to come.

Find Us

Visit Our Billings Store

Store Hours

  • Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
  • Saturday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
  • Sunday Closed

Address

2015 First Ave N, Billings, MT 59101

Get directions

Fair Pricing, Quick Shipping & Beautiful Leather

4.7
UPS said it was delivered but the package hadn't arrived. Montana leather company did an amazing job to help correct the problem and was wonderful to work with. The employees I talked to were very kind, respectful, and understanding. I would definitely recommend them.
recommends
#1 for everything leather and a wonderfully helpful staff
My new favorite place. Only downside is its 3 hours away from me
Shipping was good 👍
I ordered a glue heavy duty. It’s excellent exactly what i hoped for. I will be ordering again.
recommends
I recently placed a phone order for a bunch of hardware and some latigo straps. They cut the straps to custom length for me and my order still shipped out same day! The quality of the hardware and leather are fantastic and beat the price of many other well known companies. Easy to work with and I will definitely be ordering from them again!
recommends
Just got our order. The leather looks amazing!!
recommends
Amazing quality leather and awesome customer service. My #1 Leather company of choice .
My favorite place to go in Billings! If you are into leather projects this is your new home. They have an extensive selection of hides, hardware, and more for anything you want to make.
recommends
You get what you order. You order a grade A hide that is what you get not a blemish at all. And their shearling hides i am proud to use on any saddle build. And you don't have to wait forever, shipping is fast.
I love this leather supplier! Fast shipping & great service.
First let me say, I love Montana Leather. I will definitely continue to shop with them in the future. I recently ordered two hides, both were on sale and it was made clear they could/would have blemishes. Not a problem. The orange hide with the light pull up is fabulous! The medium brown hide has about ⅔ of it covered in some sort of spots. It would be a beautiful hide but the spots are definitely an issue. Ill continue to buy from Montana Leather. I've never gotten any item from them I wasn't completely happy with. This is the first.
Great service, great quality, and great prices! What else is there to say?!!
First time using Montana leather. Was processed and shipped within just a few days. Was surprised and pleased. Then UPS got the package. They don’t get a star. Saturday arrival eventually showed up Tuesday after daily being delayed. I will shop Montana again. Leather was exactly as described. Going to make some great bags and pouches
recommends
just received my first order of the Walnut Apache Tan bison. best quality I've found out there. definitely getting more for other projects.
recommends
Just got my order, I was expecting a bunch of little scrap pieces but thanks for sending big scrap pieces, those will work great for the 4H kids! 💕
Very prompt service get out your order in a timely fashion any problems they will help you with it
Friendly, helpful, and personable!
recommends
AMAZING customer service! So polite and quick to ship! leather cuts are of amazing quality as well!
The best leather shop
recommends
Awesome customer service! Very helpful and made our in store purchases enjoyable! Very friendly employees!
I love the odd lot discounts! Free shipping and it is almost always faster than the competition. I’ve never gotten a bad chunk from MLC
Photo from customer review
I love the leather I have purchased from Montana Leather Co.! This last piece was a special sale on an odd lot and the price was so good along with free shipping that I couldn’t resist even though ordering through the mail can be difficult as you don’t really know the weight or feel of the leather. I was not disappointed and it was a huge piece and super nice! It arrived quickly and it was well packaged.
Love this place. They have some great items and super fast shipping.
Montana Leather company….Holy cow, I had a small issue and they went out of their way to resolve it! Not just fast but, “google fast” thanks for the outstanding service Pat! Keep up the great work. (Now, let’s see what else I can find to buy 😊)

Google Rating

4.7
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