Massachusetts couple handcrafting ultimate statement of cool for close to 50 years
From Marlon Brando to the Fonz and even Danny Zuko, nothing says "cool" like a leather jacket. A North Shore company has been hand-making fabulous fashion threads for close to 50 years.
Tucked behind a plaza on Route 114 in Peabody, you’ll find U.S. 1 Leather Co. It’s where Anthony and Rose Bernardo have been handcrafting leather products since 1985.
“When I came from Portugal in '62, Peabody was considered the leather city. To get a job, I started working in leather, and I liked it," Anthony Bernardo said.
After first working 20 years for a different leather company, Anthony Bernardo decided to strike out on his own. He set up his original shop on Route 1 in York, Maine, and the company eventually found its way to Massachusetts a few years later.
Today, while fully stacked racks of leather jackets, pants and vests fill the sales floor in front, behind the scenes, in the back of the store, the Bernardos and a team of craftspeople hand-cut piles of leather from patterns they’ve had for years.
"The average jacket from cutting to finish this is almost three hours," Anthony Bernardo said.
The couple believes it’s a commitment to constructing quality — true legacy products, which are built to last a lifetime.
"You have to get the right leather to the right customer to the right product," Anthony Bernardo said.
Bernardo also believes finding the right partner, both in life and in business, is key. He’s quick to give all the credit for the company’s success to his wife.
"I think without her, U.S. 1 Leather would not exist," he said.
What also exists is what their jackets exude. It’s the ultimate statement of cool that even Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli would be proud to wear.
"We make all different types of jackets. You don’t have to have a motorcycle to have a leather jacket. But you can look cool. Oh ya, leather makes everybody cool, buddy," Anthony Bernardo said.