Have we mentioned how much we LOVE LOVE LOVE our new shoemaking workshop? As much as we adored our former space, we've really come to appreciate having a ground floor loading door, ample elbow room and an abundance of windows... but those are just the beginning of what makes our new location so wonderful. We knew our building had a...

We've settled into our new workshop very well over the past couple weeks. Everything is now unpacked and the shop is running like a well-oiled machine (though Tim's red stapler is still MIA). It was actually a little surprising how quickly and smoothly the move went. We were preparing for unforeseen delays and kept waiting for some big disaster to strike...

It's the end of the year, holidays are fast approaching and our new workshop is sooooo close to completion! Utilities are up and running, the new showroom is ready to greet customers and our fancy green slide is mounted in place. We're all ready to move, but we're waiting for our holiday rush to be over to maintain the sanity of...

If you're an outdoor enthusiast, like many of our shoemaking elves, then western Oregon is a giant playground. We consider ourselves very fortunate to be within easy reach of mountains, oceans, rivers and moss-ridden forests that look like they belong in Middle Earth. Our location offers us a wealth of outdoor activities, including skiing, snowboarding, surfing, rock climbing, kayaking, camping, hang gliding...

UPDATE: Congratulations to Elke from Blodgett, Oregon! She was randomly selected as the grand prize winner of this contest. Be sure you're subscribed to our email newsletter and following us on Instagram to learn about future giveaways!   Amazing things happen when talented makers team up, especially when those makers hail from small American companies with a passion for fine leather...

Softstar continues its award streak, ranking 10th among Oregon Business's 100 Best Green Workplaces  Wow, what a spring it’s been here at the workshop! Just this past March, Softstar was selected from over 230 entrants to be named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon”. It was an amazing honor to have one of our core...

The US Government guards a priceless national treasure, and last month it opened it's vault...to America's fourth-graders. This past September of 2015, the White House launched the "Every Kid in a Park" program, giving fourth-grade school children (and their home school equivalents) free access to the US National Park System for one year. Since the administration didn't like the idea of...