Learn more about us

Here’s a bit of a walk down memory lane, about who we are and where we come from.

Right back at the beginning.

My interest in leather dates back to my job between 1976 and 1986 working for a well-respected Wholesale Saddlery then based in Manurewa, South Auckland.

The Directors took me on their leather buying expeditions to E.Astley and Sons Ltd, then in Avondale/New Lynn, and I was fascinated by the care expended in securing the range of leathers required to make the Company’s range of saddlery, horse covers, and Pet Supplies.

It wasn’t long before I was on the road selling the Company’s wares, plus some imported hardware products too. So the leather caught my interest which has remained in spite of ten years in the Trucking Industry, transporting glass in very large sheets for one of the very well known Glass Companies with Branches dotted around the North Island from Whangarei to Wellington, and also several around the greater Auckland area.

This was followed by another 10 years selling Truck Curtainsider Curtains, Tarpaulins, and various other items, particularly for the Trucking Industry.

After this we started a Portable Toilet Hire business covering from Warkworth in the North to Matamata in the South which we did for about 15 years. After realising that this was not our passion, we changed gears and bought a small hardware business.

The love of leather rekindled.

Starting up our small hardware importing business in the Wairau Valley, allowed me the opportunity to sell leather around the country from our warehouse in Pukekohe, and it rekindled the interest and appreciation I had in leather work from 45 years ago.

We decided to sell the importing business to someone younger as it was getting a bit more complex than we could comfortably handle, and founded “The Hold Up”, concentrating on selling good-quality solid leather belts throughout the country, handmade to order while still wholesaling hides, sides, single butts, double shoulders, of leather for every purpose you could imagine, and quite a number that you would probably never imagine!

So, that is how The Hold Up, came about, which follows this little story, from the first interest and experiences with leather, and a number of diversions down other tracks, and now reverting back to the old ‘love of leather’ culminating in our great range of strong belts designed to give satisfaction for many years.