Ex-MLB employee starts company in his home making vintage leather sports balls
The products are made in America, with leather mostly sourced from American tanneries, he told FOX Business' "Mornings with Maria."
A former Major League Baseball employee started a company out of his home making hand-crafted vintage leather sports balls, and now he has five full-time employees.
Founder Paul Cunningham told FOX Business' "Mornings with Maria" Tuesday that Leather Heads Sports has sold thousands of balls this year.
"We've had a very busy holiday season," said Cunningham, who worked as an MLB photo editor for 12 years, according to his LinkedIn bio.
The products are made in America, with leather mostly sourced from American tanneries, he told FOX Business co-anchor Lauren Simonetti.
"My typical customer, I think, is a style-conscious, somewhat affluent sports fan," he said. "Doesn't necessarily have to be someone who's team-oriented, but someone who loves sports and loves to play. These things are really designed to be played with."
Cunningham grew up in Cooperstown, New York, playing with a vintage-style baseball.
"My idea was to ... take that style and create something beautiful with that," Cunningham said. "Just really take the sculptural form of a sports ball and use it to showcase craftsmanship and leather."
His company uses many unique leather types, such as ostrich, to keep with his inspiration to take "exotic leather" and "turning it into sports balls."
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The products range from $40 to $800 and can be customized.