12/04/2025
Dear friends, customers, and the Tucker Gunleather family,
This is the hardest message I’ve ever had to write, but you deserve to hear the truth directly from me.
For over 30 years, Tucker Gunleather has been a small shop with a big heart — building handcrafted holsters we hoped you could trust your life with. Many of you have supported us from the early days. Some of you have carried our work for decades. You’ve trusted us. You’ve recommended us. You’ve kept this little Texas shop alive for a very long time.
And because of that, I owe you honesty — even when it’s painful.
My Health Declined, and I Lost My Grip on the Business
Something that most people don’t know is that the last few years have been some of the hardest of my life physically. I’ve had multiple surgeries — knees, nose surgery, and even a heart attack. I’m in my 80s now, and I kept trying to push through, believing I could still carry the same workload I used to.
But the truth is, those surgeries and health scares took far more out of me than I was willing to admit. Slowly and unintentionally, I took my hand off the wheel.
And when a small business loses its captain — even for a little while — problems grow quietly in the background until they become too big to ignore.
Costs Went Up, Mistakes Piled Up, and I Blame No One But Myself
While we were focused on building great holsters, everything else around us kept getting more expensive:
• Leather
• Hardware
• Adhesives
• Tools
• Marketing
• Shipping
• Operations
We kept our prices the same for years, believing it was the right thing to do for our customers. But inside the business, the numbers began slipping in the wrong direction.
At the same time, because of my health, I missed things — things I should’ve caught. Credit card balances grew on accounts I believed I was managing. Interest piled up without me realizing it. Bills got harder to cover. What started as a few problems became a tidal wave.
And I didn’t see it clearly enough, fast enough.
I am ashamed. Embarrassed. I feel like I let down my wife, my team, and most importantly — you.
We have built over 30,000 holsters over the last two decades. We have been part of your daily carry, your safety, your families, and your stories. And to now face the reality that I failed to keep us afloat breaks my heart.
The Truth: We Can No Longer Keep Our Doors Open
We’ve done everything possible to save the shop. We raised prices. We cut costs. We explored restructuring. We looked for help. We tried every path that could keep us alive.
But we have reached a point where we cannot continue operating.
This means that for the 633 customers with active orders, totaling $132,797.73, we currently have no way to complete those holsters. We have no way of refunding orders. We are completely out of money.
Writing that sentence out loud hurts.
Reading it, I know it hurts you too.
You trusted us. And we didn’t deliver.
You have every right to feel frustrated, angry, disappointed — and all of those feelings are directed at me, not my craftsmen or my team.
I accept that responsibility.
What Happens Next
I want to be fully transparent:
We are exploring every possible option to make things right.
We are speaking with advisors, attorneys, and potential partners.
We are searching for a solution that allows orders to be completed or refunded.
We will not disappear or hide.
We will communicate openly as soon as we have a clear path.
At this moment, I don’t yet know what the final solution is — and I won’t pretend otherwise. All I can promise is that I am committed to doing everything in my power to find a responsible way forward.
I've personally taken every single dollar I've had in savings to save this business. My wife and I are now on the verge of bankruptcy. I'm not asking for sympathy I'm sharing so you know how much making your holsters has meant to me. I’ve done everything I can think of. I'm at a loss.
Thank You for 30 Years of Trust
Being part of your lives, your daily carry, and your confidence has been one of the greatest honors of my life. The support you've shown us across three decades is something I never took for granted.
I am deeply sorry for how things have unfolded.
Sorry for the disappointment.
Sorry for the delays.
Sorry for letting you down.
But I am grateful — truly — for every one of you.
I will keep you updated as soon as we know more.
Thank you for giving us the privilege to serve you for so many years.
With heavy heart and sincere gratitude,
Rob
Founder, Tucker Gunleather
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𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠, 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑠𝑒𝑡, 𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑢𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎 𝑝𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑤. 𝐼’𝑚 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒.
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