Couple finds fulfillment making globally coveted gardening accessories
By: Mike Schoeffel
Photo by Audrey Goforth
When Ashe County-based Wheeler Munroe started making and selling fine leather tool belts, she was hoping to use them as a source of income that would eventually allow her to pursue another one of her creative passions: woodworking.
But the popularity of her tool belts took off, to the point that she’s currently shipping international orders on a weekly basis. Thus much of her time is now spent inside a leather shop, and she’s content with that.
“I’ve fallen so in love with leatherwork that, at this point, I’m not motivated to create a business out of woodworking,” she says. “We’ve tapped into a market that at first I wasn’t sure was there. Our primary niche is gardeners, florists, and landscapers who are looking for handsome, functional leather tool belts.”
Munroe and her husband, Michael Waldeck, comprise the whole of Wheeler Munroe Leather Company. The pair operates as an efficient machine, with Waldeck managing orders and buying materials, as well as cutting and working on layouts. Once Waldeck’s job is done, the product goes upstairs to Munroe, who does the sewing.
The company conducts all of its business on Waterfall Farm, established in 1976 by Wheeler’s father, Doug Munroe, and used since 2012 for maple-syrup production. Says Wheeler: “We are the southernmost commercial maple farm in the United States — that we know of.”
Wheeler and Waldeck live in a house on the farm, which is self sustaining enough that the pair can often go a week or more without heading into town. Much of their time is spent churning out tool belts and related products — including drill holsters, tape bags, and toiletry rolls — all for sale on the Wheeler Munroe Etsy page. To date, Munroe and Waldeck have sold 2,205 products through the site, and have a perfect five-star average out of 314 reviews.
Photo by Audrey Goforth
Munroe admits that, for some couples, working together can be challenging. But because she and Waldeck are able to carve out individual fulfillment in a cooperative process, it goes smoothly.
“Our goal as a couple is to spend each day pursuing creative interests,” she says. “This business has been a vehicle for that.”
So, too, is the relatively simple way they live. For Munroe, it boils down to the “pursuit of love and beauty.” Making peace with remoteness is the starting point.
“The life that we are cultivating is finding a way to live inside the feeling of a beautiful sunset, every day.”
Wheeler Munroe Leather Company, Clifton, NC. To view gardening tool belts, holsters, and other supplies and accessories, see Wheeler Munroe on Etsy, @wheelermunroe on Instagram, or wheelermunroe.com. For more information, e-mail wheelermunroe@gmail.com or call 828-785-2139.