Merrick’s Wild Ride Merrick’s Custom Leather Handbags & Boutique

Merrick’s Custom Leather Handbags & Boutique, owned by Nick & Merrick Hall, is located in downtown Ponca City at 203 E. Grand. Merrick says she always knew she would be an entrepreneur. She also knew whatever she pursued was going to be something she was deeply passionate about. Today, Merrick owns her own business. She creates and sews custom leather handbags and other items, sources beautiful and unique jewelry and works alongside family and friends. To do her story justice though, we need to go back just a bit further.

Merrick shares this about her childhood and early entrepreneurial roots. “My grandparents owned the monogramming business here in town. They sewed and quilted, and they loved our downtown. My dad owns a construction company. Everybody in my family was self-employed. I knew as a little girl I wanted to work for myself. I had entrepreneurship in me.” Another significant part of growing up for Merrick was spending time with her grandmother, Linda Sue, who taught her how to sew at a very young age. Linda Sue stressed to Merrick the importance of knowing this lost art.

Merrick’s initial venture into the business world was as a cosmetologist. She began running her own salon and boutique in 2016. As she began stocking the boutique portion of her business with inventory, she couldn’t help but be disappointed with the selection of purses she was seeing. She mentioned this to her husband who encouraged her to make some herself. Merrick was unsure about sewing leather, but her husband Nick didn’t have any doubts. He was her biggest supporter from the very beginning. Merrick started taking custom orders and creating purses on the side, as well as running the boutique and salon.

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept our nation, business began to slow down. Merrick knew she had to do something to keep her business going. She took her sewing machine home at this point and began taking even more custom orders. She also started doing Facebook Live sales to get her products into the market. Merrick’s custom items were a big hit and she says, “since then, I never looked back.” Once she was able to open her salon again, she went back part-time so she could further pursue making custom handbags. Today, Merrick’s ships their custom items to 45 states and Canada. Merrick adds, “It's pretty wild if you really think about it.” Merrick has had the opportunity to become friends with many of her customers, near and far. She’s had customers visit from Washington and California.

Merrick’s has nine employees, five full-time and four part-time. Over the years, she and her staff have collaborated to create 32 custom designs. The very first design Merrick came up with was a simple 13” x 15” handbag with a pocket, appropriately named, “Linda Sue.” This bag is still in production today and can be found on the shelves of the boutique. This is just one of the ways Merrick strives to keep her Granny’s spirit alive in her work each day. They also ring a set of her grandmother’s bells every time they sell a bag.

Each leather item Merrick’s sells is handmade in their shop. When they create a bag, they also make a full set, meaning a matching wallet and clutch. Once a pattern is chosen, they move to materials. They decide if they want to use cowhide or embossed leather. Whatever is chosen will be the main component and the other materials (like backing, straps, pockets, fringe and hardware) must coordinate with it. Next, the materials are cut. Merrick says this is one of the most important steps in the process. One wrong cut and the item won’t come together correctly. For each product, they choose the outer materials as well as backing that will make up the inside of the piece. This means every piece is two layers thick. Once the prep work has been completed, the pieces are ready to be sewn. Merrick and her mom, Kim, sew all the items. To finish the items off, Merrick signs the inside of every piece.

Finished pieces get photographed and introduced on Merrick’s Live Sales that take place on Facebook Monday-Friday. The times of the sales vary, so be sure to sign up for the VIP Text Group to stay in the know! These events often feature discounted items as well. Each week they create 20-30 new items, so there’s always something new and fun for customers to see.

While most of the items created by Merrick and her team are designs of their own making, they also welcome custom orders. Merrick says they carry 180-190 different styles of leather for bags and around 50 different leathers for fringe. Anyone is welcome to come in and view the different styles to put together their own custom piece. Merrick says the fringe can also be taken off any finished item if fringe doesn’t fit a customer’s style.

Custom made items in the boutique start at $50-60 and go up from there. Merrick’s also carries a line of small gift items, candles and clothing. They are also beginning to create smaller custom leather items, per customer request. Merrick says they try to listen to their customers when it comes to creating new designs. If customers want something smaller, they go smaller, and vice versa. She eventually plans to add denim, as well as a boot line to their inventory. Merrick’s also carries a stunning selection of new and vintage turquoise jewelry, Navajo Pearls and other authentic stones she sources herself out of New Mexico and Arizona. Merrick’s offers Sezzle, Klarna and PayPal in 4 for customers who might want bigger ticket items but would like to use a payment plan.

While the pace of what Merrick has created keeps her incredibly busy, she is also incredibly grateful. She says the team of people she’s surrounded herself with keep her organized and help her not get overwhelmed.

Merrick adds, “I never have a day where I don’t want to go to work. I love what I do. It’s fun. It lets me be creative. I get to be with my friends and family. My mom’s been the coolest thing, to get to work with her every single day. I know my Granny loves that.” She goes on to say, “I couldn’t do it without my family. I’ve been very blessed. My mom works with me every day. My husband’s the biggest support system you could ever have. He pushes me all the time. My in-laws watch my little boy. My dad’s a huge portion of everything. I have a very good family and my friend circle is outstanding. And since we’ve moved into this building, the community has been really, really good to me.”

For more information, stop in and take a look at all of the amazing custom bags and one-of-a-kind jewelry at Merrick’s Custom Leather Handbags & Boutique at 203 E. Grand. You can give them a call at (580) 304-3773 or shop online at shopmerricksboutique.com. You can also text MERRICK (all caps) to 77948 to get added to their VIP Group and stay up-to-date on sales, live auctions and holiday specials.

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