Secrets of My Success: Occhicone Fine Leather Goods

Giuseppe Occhicone has no competition. That's because there are few people left on earth who can do what he does.

At 80 years old, the Port Chester leatherworker has a lifetime of experience in his craft, combined with old world methods perfected over the five generations his family's been in the business.

That may explain why customers from across the country are eager to fork over $5,000 for custom alligator-skin bags, and upscale department stores like Saks and Neiman Marcus continue to deliver orders despite a nightmarish economy.

Born in Italy, where he learned his trade from his family, Occhicone set up shop in New York City for more than 20 years before settling his business in Port Chester, where it's thrived for three decades.

In an interview with Patch, Occhicone talks about the secrets to his success in Port Chester and his plans to continue his work for as long as he can.

Q. How did you get started in the leather businesses?

A. I started with my father, and my father with his father, and so forth. Five generations in the family. 

Q. Why do you think they went into leather?

A. Oh that I don't know. I only know what I'm doing so that's the only thing I can tell you. 

Q. When did you start? How old were you when you started working?

A. Oh, I started to work in my grandmother's house, six years old. 

Q. And that was in Italy?

A. Yes.

Q. How long did you have the store in Italy?

A. Well, I used to work with my father in Italy and then when I came over here, I opened the first shop in New York City, on 58th between Park and Lexington. Twenty-three years I was in the city. And then I moved up here and we are here for 31 years. 

Q. What was your toughest challenge when you first started?

A. In my trade, I never saw anything tough. It was, as a matter of fact, very easy to start in New York. I started the business and it went very good for me. 

Q. What did you have to learn in the beginning, when you started as a child?

A. You learn every day- doesn't matter how old you are. You can be 90, you can be 100. You always learn. You can learn from your grandchildren. A lot. Never the end of learning. 

Q. What is a day in your life at the store like? 

A. 8 o'clock [a.m.] to 5:30 [p.m.]. I do anything. We do custom work. We do custom handbags with alligator. Custom belts, custom shoes. Expensive alligator can go for four, five thousand dollars. We do anything the customer wants to do with the leather. It doesn't matter what it is. We do it.

Q. Who is your competition?

A. I don't have competition. We have mail-order customers in California... The very few people, my age group, that learned the trade properly... they're dead or they're retired. So now it's the young generation. They don't learn the trade the way we used to, from scratch. So it's different, a different way of working. But we have no problem at this point because I like what I'm doing and I think I'm going to do this until God says, "Look, you can't do it anymore". 

Q. Who do you work with, your family?

A. Yes, it's all my family. My wife, Rosa, my daughter… my grandchildren, after school, help me out. The oldest one is in college. Now it's vacation.

Q. Do you hire people who aren't family?

A. We have about 12 outsiders, about 16 altogether. 

Q. What do you have to teach employees?

A. So my employees, each one has a different task. And I supervise; I guide them. You know, that is the way it's done. 

Q. What do you look for in new hires when they're applying?

A. Well, I usually only take in somebody who knows a little and then I teach them my way.

Q. What do you think the secret is to your success?

A. My secret? Do the best for your customers, always be honest in your profession and do the best quality that you can give out to your clientele. Honesty, so people come back. Don't try to take advantage. 

Q. So given that you have no competition, how do you deal with all the orders that you are given?

A. It's a lot of work. We do a lot of work for the big shops like Saks and Neiman Marcus. 

Q. What suggestions do you have for someone who wants to go into leather?

A. First of all, they have to learn the trade. That requires years of training. You can't go in and open up unless you know what you're doing.