Business Beat: Week of March 24

Deberge’s featured in Highroads magazine

WILLIAMS - The summer tourist season is right around the corner. That's one reason it's nice to see a local business featured in a national publication.

Tamara Bloomberg and DeBerge Saddle Shop were recently featured in the March/April edition of Highroads, AAA's travel magazine.

Bloomberg continues to maintain the Old West leatherworking tradition she learned from former owner Ray Deberge. She offers custom belts, holsters, chaps, saddlebags and purses among other items.

"Ray is still available to me as a reference," Bloomberg said. "He comes in when I have questions on things."

Bloomberg is now in her third year as the sole leatherworker in the shop.

"I'm really enjoying it," she said. "I'm a problem solver. I like a challenge and I don't like to do anything the same way twice. Every time I do a project I learn something from it and I try to improve it on the next time."

Along with some repair work, Bloomberg said she has increasingly taken on custom work.

"I really enjoy a challenge so if it's within my ability and with the tools that I have here I'm open to custom work," she said. "There have been several things that I have done that I wasn't sure about but, if I can see it I can probably do it. It's fun and I really love it when a customer comes in and says 'I have this idea and this is what I'd like but I'm going to leave it up to your artistic judgment.'"

Bloomberg comes from a media arts background, having graduated from film school and going on to work as a photographer. She said the move to leatherwork wasn't a part of her original career goals.

"For me to go in reverse as far as technology is kind of interesting but it's been a good fit," she said. "Working with my hands and then that creative eye, it all just seemed to blend together. It surprised me. If you would have asked me years ago if I would ever be making saddles I would have said no. Tooling leather? It never would have even crossed my mind."

With the tourist season picking up, the shop is now open seven days per week from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Bloomberg said there is plenty of new inventory in the store including Irriot boots, ladies fashions and purses.

DeBerge Sadlle Shop is located at 213 W. Route 66 in downtown Williams.