Community leaders speak their minds, inspire us, share their visions, and challenge our thinking.

FEATURED WRITER:

the workshop is a heightened experience where the smell of leather leads to reams of skins of every type and color imaginable. The focal point is the work palate where everything is cut and sewn with leather jackets, corset’s and hand bags made-to-order hanging by the window. The smell of leather consumes you but the artistry, the workmanship and the stunning array of Milan-inspired works captivate. One might hesitantly ask the price of a stunning piece of rawhide that graces the front of a duffel bag, holding one’s breathe in anticipation of the price, but you might be stunned to discover the price tag at ¼ the price you might find in a luxury boutique. Wearing the leather is a statement in not only style but the back story that encompasses many of the pieces.

The first such story might be of a bag that sits gingerly at the front window. It’s made of stiff leather with a painting on the front of an African American girl to the left and a camera person to the right shooting her image. It is magnificent yet simple and was the inspiration 10 years ago for the opening of the shop. Porter had invested $600 with a homeless man to have him paint on and design leather goods. In return the man ultimately gave Porter one mere piece and it was this purse. “The only thing I got out of this guy was this bag and I was angry…what I didn’t realize is that this guy was an angel that’d been sent to me to see this gift that I had” says Porter. He continued, “The $600 investment changed my life and allowed me to change other people’s lives.”

Porter decided to quit his job and Designing Dreams was opened in Oct. 2006. The shop encompasses mostly authentic Arthur Porter designs but also those of other artisans as well as the 9-14 year old entrepreneurs through his 12 week Youth Entrepreneur Program.

For the Youth Entrepreneur, Porter says “The main thing I try to do is get young people to focus for three hours on a Saturday and they will be able to what I do as well as I do it…I teach them a recipe, like a cake recipe…the more you work with it the better the cake becomes.”

Craftsmanship is the foundation for a youth program that aims to develop the innate artistry that some students possess but don’t have an outlet for and works that talent into a successful business model and enterprise. Through the program every week students learn marketing, business card design, developing their bios., their hang tags and how colors affect the way you purchase. In the 2nd week they learn to sew and by the 3rd and 4th weeks they learn product development.

The program is not only for youth. The New Start program is a self-help program for adults  trying to get a new start. Cassandra Maddox started her business, Mad Bags after seeing some of the bags the Porter kids made at a church function. So impressed she’d initially asked Porter if he could manufacture bags for her. He declined but said he could teach her. Maddox says “He is an incredible human being who has a passion for what he does and for people. It’s a winning combination.” Darlene Rives-Parker quit her job as a principal after seeing Porter on Good Morning Texas. She has since opened her own line Rives-Parker Handbags & Accessories.

It appears that the $600 Arthur Porter gave a homeless man 10 years ago has blossomed into what might be the beginning of a “pay-it-forward” campaign spearheaded right at 1409 South Lamar, Suite 102 in Dallas, Texas.


For more information on Veridicus Films:  www.veridicusfilms.com

To reach Art Porter:  www.designingdreams.ifp3.com

 

At first glance Arthur Porter is a middle-aged man with the spirit of a teenager and the heart of a lion. He greeted me at the top of the concrete stairs that lead to the open door at his leather shop Designing Dreams on South Lamar in Dallas. Wearing a tailored western look and boots, he reached out his hand and with a broad smile and ready invitation, he led me in. The shop is a combination of leather goods from high-end designer styled handbags you might purchase at the mall for $1500 or more, to chaps to clutch bags made by students as well as pet collars and belts – the shop is truly a work of art in and of itself. Everything reeks of authenticity from the finely stitched accents to the embellishments that can only be Arthur Porter’s. To walk past the showroom into

 HOME  |  OUR MISSION  |  KEY PEOPLE  |  EVENTS  |  ARTICLES  |  DONATE  |  CONTACT  |  PRIVACY POLICY  |  TERMS OF USE

Contributions or gifts to The Progressive Center of Texas are not tax deductible.
COPYRIGHT © 2010, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE.