steveb leatherworks: the blather

Jenna’s tiny Fin: a Happy Story

This is one of those stories that my close family and friends are not going to believe. They aren’t going to believe it because I exercised HUGE patience, found some restraint and dug down deep to find a sense of humor in it all, and once I did- it was all good.

So, long story short – Jenna emails me, she is the wife of a repeat customer. He’s been scoping FIN chain wallets on my ETSY store, and she is calling to see if we can make a special one for him as a birthday surprise. She’d like me to carve an Indian head figure on it, really plush it out and add a chain. OK, and I am good with making his birthday as a deadline.

I got busy right away, and knocked out a really nice Fin for him. Used birth year pennies, added a great chain, the color it is sweet – I finish it, take some pictures and I pack it up and send it to Jenna. Only to hear back 3 days later.

Jenna: the wallet is great, I love it, but it is too big
Me: The wallet is exactly the size of the one you looked at in my store, there is no other size
Jenna: the picture is deceiving, it looks smaller, this wallet is too big
Me: the dimensions are listed on ETSY, its exactly that size
Jenna: the wallet is too big, what can we do? Can you make a smaller one?
Me: This is a custom wallet, you want me to make another one, but smaller?
Jenna: Yes, this wallet is too big
Me: return that wallet and I’ll make a smaller version of it

Too big!

So you get the idea – Jenna beat me into submission, she wore me down, she wanted a Tiny Fin wallet – and she was going to get it! Now the Fin is a funky shape and not an efficient use of space, so I wasn’t sure it’d work well, and besides I always make a prototype of any new design to troubleshoot stuff. Problem was I had to hustle, the birthday date was fast approaching. So I hustled, made two (a prototype and the real one) and made the date, shipped the new wallet (the RIGHT ) size and all was well.

And I injected a little Polynesian influence into this new chunky unit and…

I heard back from Jenna:

You did such an amazing job on that wallet! Thank you so much for working with me And being so flexible! You will most definitely Hear from me again (because he wants the belt next!) I’d be flattered to be named after the wallet. Will it be called indecisive or pain in the neck? :) hopefully neither! Thanks again! I will post a review after he opens it! Jenna