The Literary Underworld includes more than books! We have artists and musicians too (okay, one musician). One of our long-time members has been Branson’s General Store, which offers custom leatherwork, soaps, honey… we think it’s time you learned a bit more about Branson’s.
Matthew Branson has been doing leatherwork since he was a boy. He even worked at a leather store for a while. While leatherwork is his main passion, he really takes on any project that catches his interest.
Over the years he has taken up soapmaking, blacksmithing, sewing, making chainmail, and all kinds of random little projects. The rest of the family are also amateur beekeepers, so they have honey and beeswax to play with.
In 2010, the whole Branson family came together and opened an Etsy store called Branson’s General Store. The store is named for Matt’s great-uncle Reuben Branson, who ran the general store and post office in Branson, Mo., and after whom the town is named. The profits are used for the beekeeping business, to reinvest in craft supplies, and to donate to local charities.
Last year Matt decided to start a YouTube channel to share some of his knowledge and ideas with the world. Over the last year he has done lots of interesting little projects, including leather carving, blacksmithing, knife-making, and some random projects like wrapping an ax handle and building a new forge.
Matt is always finding new projects to get into, so subscribe to the channel to find out more! You can also order a simple leather mask through Literary Underworld, or contact Branson’s directly for something more elaborate.