You can smell the rich scent of spanking-new leather now. Belts, slouchy bags, duffles, wallets, outdoor gear, the Northwest's most popular item, the camping stool — it all started with Matt Pierce’s itty bitty DIY blog on how to make leather goods at home.

“People enjoyed the projects, but really there were more people who wanted to just buy the products,” says Pierce about his path from DIY blogger to owner of the highly successful leather goods manufacturer Wood & Faulk.

The now five-year-old company sits quietly in a workshop off North Interstate, where leather, sourced from tanneries across the US, is stacked high waiting to become one of Pierce’s Northwest-inspired products, which Pierce calls durable and never fluffy. “Some light weight REI bag might be shredded in a few years,” Pierce says. “The materials and the build quality we use are going to be useful much longer than that.”

Much longer indeed, with many of the products treated with water-repellent wax and made with the highest quality leather from the nation's largest and oldest tannery in the US. Wood and Faulk products have garnered national attention, with shipping designations from coast to coast, but at the heart of every design is that woodsy regional style. A style Pierce calls timeless with a sense of adventure.

“Our pieces are classic with kind of a rugged edge,” Pierce says. “They have that Northwest feeling combined with classic nostalgia.”

From coaster sets and dog leashes to backpacks and key chains, Wood and Faulk continues to spit out quality products every month with new lines. Up next, a mens line complete with two duffles, a billfold wallet, a laptop bag and a shaving kit, planned for release this month.

Although the national manufacturing side has taken over the company, the DIY spirit hasn’t died.  Wood and Faulk’s website streams videos of do-it-yourself leather goods, something Pierce says his customers appreciate. “They’re proud that they know how everything is made with us. We are pretty transparent and people appreciate that.”

Wood & Faulk products are available on its website woodandfaulk.com and throughout many retailers in Portland.