In the Early 2000’s, when Eagle Leather was just a tiny 3500 square foot store, we often heard, “You don’t have anything to fit me” from the larger bikers that visited.
Well… we did… but it was just one style, an entry-level jacket… that went up to a size 70. The leather was stiff, there was no venting. That’s why those who could squeeze into a regular length size, instead chose a better-quality jacket because it looked or felt better.
Sad to say, back then there just weren’t many options for someone taller than 6’1” or 6’2”. A typical size run at that time was Small through 3X-Large, with a few styles going to a 5X-Large. And if you happened to be average height, or was short with a thick torso, you might find that larger size more comfortable, but the sleeves would be way too long.
It was frustrating to our customers, and it was frustrating to our staff, especially because so many of our customers rely on Eagle Leather because they can’t find what they want in-stock anywhere else.
So, in 2004 we made two important changes.
One was moving to a location three times larger than the one we were previously found, which gave us plenty of a space to increase inventory.
And the other was taking our customer’s feedback to heart… and creating our very own Big and Tall Line of Eagle Leather-branded apparel and gear.
Here’s the story on that...
Mike Toursal, our business owner, went to a trade show to search out and find a company who did Custom Motorcycle Gear. They had a high quality, size 100 Motorcycle Jacket on display. Immediately, Mike knew he’d found a solution.
Soon we had a size 100 on display in our own store, and the Big and Tall community finally had gear that was customized for their needs. And when they came in, our staff would show them the size 100 and tell them we can order it in any size they needed.
This was a good start.
But here at Eagle Leather we don’t settle for “good” enough – we felt there was more that could be done. So, the team all picked their favorite styles and combined it with the most popular regular sized Jackets, Chaps, and Vests.
The end result – our very first complete batch of Eagle Leather Big and Tall products. There were 4 Jackets, 4 Vests, and 3 Chaps selected and ordered. This was wonderful until we ran out of the most popular sizes. Sadly, for our Big and Tall customers, relying on this vendor meant we would have to wait months before we were able to reorder.
Then, in 2007, Eagle Leather moved to an even larger location – twice the size of the earlier one. We finally had enough space to keep a healthy supply in stock of our Eagle Leather Branded products – including those under our newly rebranded Big and Tall label.
While this was better, demand grew and we found ourselves running out of stock of our popular sizes, unable to reorder the smaller amounts to replenish what was sold.
We had to find a better long-term solution.
After several discussions with a number of manufacturers and suppliers, Eagle Leather came to an agreement where our suppliers would warehouse the products and order more from the manufacturer when supply started to run low. We didn’t have to wait until we sold out product to restock, and the supplier was able to sell us more of the quality jackets and gear customers loved more frequently. It was a win-win-win for everyone.
At last, our customers could get whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted.
Today, Eagle Leather not only carries its own private label for big and tall with sizes going as large as 10X-Large, but we also have an on-site tailor who can make almost anything you buy fit you just right.
So, come into our store and try them on, or shop our Big and Tall products online.
Yet, there’s no denying it: Unless you plan to ride exclusively around the Southern United States, you’ll face some chilly winters. And even before it...
