Today we’d like to introduce you to Tyson Matthews.
Hi Tyson, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Yeah! Life is good. I’m a husband of 9 years to my wife, Grace, a father to two equally wild and kind sons, manager at a local coffee shop, pastor at a local anglican church, and most recently your neighborhood bible rebinder! I grew up in Tampa, FL until the age of 19 when I moved to Myrtle Beach to marry my then girlfriend. I’ve done many things for work over the years, but have been fortunate in my young age to find things that bring me so much fulfillment like music, coffee, and leather working. My priest taught me how to do leather working about 3 years ago when I asked to sit in one Christmas season while he rebound a few bibles for eager customers. I was enthralled by the simplicity and elegance that his work brought to previously ordinary bibles and wanted to learn more. After some time of apprenticing and growing in my own skill, I decided with his encouragement to start my own workshop that I now call the Matthews Rebindery.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Life is good, but anything good is worth struggling for. Yeah, it has been quite difficult along the way. Though I feel very fulfilled now, I was not for many years. For almost a decade I worked a job that “just paid the bills.” Of course, even that single perk ran out in time too as we welcomed two boys to our family prompting my wife to stay home full time. I’ve never had much money, but I’ve always been rich. Though we’ve had really hard seasons, financial setbacks, doors close, and dreams change, we’ve been truly blessed in every sense of the word beyond measure, surprised over and over again by the gracious faithfulness of God through community, friends, and a life made simple for the better. It’s not always been smooth, but it’s more real that way isn’t it?
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have always been an artist. Only recently would I call myself a professional. As a child, I was obsessed with visual arts and music. I always drew, designed, and crafted images as a way of imagining things new. That has never stopped. In high school I began playing and writing music for the church which led me into many positions at churches, including the one I currently have at Church of the Ascension. It wasn’t until I was well into my twenties that I began producing music and recording it for others to hear. And it wasn’t until the past year and a half, now in my thirties, that I embraced art in a new way as a leather worker. Embracing it as a means to continue that youthful passion of imagining things new in the form of a career. I have quickly set myself apart in my business with my attention to detail, constant expansion of skill, and in my sensitivity to the sacredness of the books placed in my care. My first real customer was a bank teller who I grew to know and adore over the years. She overheard me one afternoon speaking on the phone regarding my new business and was interested in having her grandfathers bible rebound to remain a family heirloom. This bible took me extensive hours in rehabilitation and then beautification, but when I was done it was as new as the day it was made. When I gave her the newly finished bible, I also handed her a double-sided frame displaying the old bible cover and inside notes of her grandfather. I knew it was too important to discard and too precious not to display. This gesture became a signature of sorts for the kind of work I do. I think this, among other things, is what sets me apart from contemporaries in my craft.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I am not in this to be rich. I really care about what I do, and that my customers are served well. I will not give something to someone that I wouldn’t like to receive myself, and once your my customer, you have my loyalty. If something is wrong, I fix it. No questions asked, no insurance needed. I fix it. I am proud of the work I do, and I am also willing to take ownership if something goes wrong. I don’t advertise, I don’t yet have a website, and I’m not on social media. My work speaks for itself.
Pricing:
- Small Book Rebind (4″x6″) – $110
- Medium Book Rebind (<6"x9") - $130
- Large Book Rebind (>6″x9″) – $150
- All rebinds include cowhide leather, spine reinforcement, loose page repair (up to 25 pages), new headbands, raised ribs on spine, and as many ribbons that the book size naturally affords.
- Added costs: Extra Ribbons – $5 | Luxury End Pages – $10 | Artificially Sewn Spine – $25 | Gilded Edge (Red, Green, Blue) – $30
