Lisa Chocholik and her husband Jim have their hands busy literally, filling orders for their unique belt buckle that their company designed and manufactures from their Chestermere Home. This buckle features the “Come Hell or High Water” slogan that has become the theme of Calgary’s determination in getting the Stampede back in the saddle, with all proceeds of the sales going to the Red Cross.
The handmade buckle comes in 2 shapes, rectangular and 2 sizes of ovals. It depicts the Calgary Tower alongside a heart shaped Canadian Flag with sepia colored water in the background at a price of 28 to 35 dollars.
Chocholik said they wanted to do something to help out with the flood relief and with having a young family wasn’t able to get out to High River to do what they would have liked to. They came up with an idea to make a special buckle and set out to promote it through local TV. Their goal is to raise $10,000 and so far have sold over 150 in total. Their Monday morning appearance on the morning news at CTV brought in 100 orders within the first few hours after airing.
Their company Inside the Leather, La Chik has been in business for 5 years. In a way it was because of the stampede that the idea for their business came to fruition. Chocholik was looking for a buckle for herself but only saw the typical cowboy or Harley Davidson styles. This led to the creation of their business with a multitude of designs and lines sold through their online business and home studio.
This husband and wife team quit their corporate jobs to fulfill their passion for what they love to do. Chocholik said, “We like to joke around by saying we are the new rich, we make a third less than when we did before.”
The move to Chestermere was influenced by their best friends who live here. “We came for the community, we know our neighbors. We feel very blessed,” Said Chocholik.
The couple is busy building their show room which should be finished in a couple of months. They can do custom work such as corporate logos or fill personal requests with the sky being the limit to what can be put on a buckle. “I saw a man wearing a tartan fedora and came home to design a tartan line,” said Chocholik.
She has been trying to get a hold of the Nenshi’s office so she can give him one of the buckles. She was very happy to see Alison Redford sporting one of their Burberry designs recently on the tube. “I’d like to give her one too,” she said.
La Chik, Inside the Leather will be holding a Driveway Sale this Saturday from 9 to 1 featuring all their buckles and belts in stock as well as the Alberta Floods Charity Buckle with all proceeds going to the Red Cross. If you would like to support this very worthwhile cause and pick up one of these or any of their other smart buckles stop by at 176 West Creek Landing. Check out their website at www.lachik.com to view their many designs.
