Today we’d like to introduce you to Maribeth Leedy.
Hi Maribeth, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Job 1/ I relocated from West Palm Beach Florida with my newly acquired husband in 1983. I had been a Polo groom at that time, and we moved to Renegade Mountain Resort. We soon had a few retired polo ponies for me to knock around on and then it was suggested to me if I would consider getting a team of draft horses and giving tours around the mountain top. The team came with a tattered harness set so looking for someone to repair what I had led me the local harness maker. We hit it off instantly and she asked me to apprentice in her shop with a few other ladies. After 2 years of making less and less mistakes 😉 I was offered the 10-year-old business to take over. I mortgaged my little house on the mountain with my husband’s blessing and finally decided what I wanted to be when I grew up. I’ve been custom making and fitting harness now for over 33 years. These folks know me as the lady who makes harness in Tennessee
Job 2/ Being raised in a car crazy family with 5 brothers meant I was probably introduced to more vintage and modern muscle cars than the average girl and I was handy to have around in the garage to pump the pedals while bleeding out the clutch etc. so I’ve never been afraid of greasy nails and ruined sweatshirts. Hanging out at car shows gave me the idea that a mobile hot dog cart could bring in extra money because you’ll never hear the term “wealthy harness maker”. So, I did my research, talked to my local health dept. and bought my hot dog cart around 2006. Becoming a permanent fixture at the Downtown Crossville monthly Car Cruise In has been hugely rewarding. These folks all know me as hot dog Mari.
When my oldest brother Rod brought home a 1967 Jaguar XKE I fell in love at first site and my adoration for little British cars has never dimmed even for a minute. It took me until my 40’s to buy what I wanted instead of what I needed in the form of a tattered little 1970 Mini Cooper. It was my first foray into bringing a little piece of history back into working order and with the help of my brother who was kind enough to do an engine tear down and resurrection she was running the backroads of East Tennessee until she caught the eye of a fellow who couldn’t live without her so a deal was struck. With that money in my hands, I was able to get a reliable Saturn for my daughters first car and a 1980 MGB for myself. Fast forward to 2006 where I was able to win the eBay auction on a pretty tired 1970 Jaguar XKE roadster. It has been a 20-year learning curve in acquiring all sorts of skills I didn’t know I possessed and making more friends along the way. I have made the entire interior stitch by stitch. I now engage my car in photoshoots for local photographers for wedding pics,etc. My car needs to make a living as well. These folks all know me as Jaguar Mari.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I was running my harness shop and raising my 11-year-old daughter I lost my husband of 14 years to Lung Cancer in 1997. He was 47. I was 36. The harness shop kept me grounded and financially afloat.
I remarried again when I was 42. My 2nd husband has always supported my little Brit car obsession.
Thankfully
I’ll always find something to do to create a living be it reconditioning restaurant equipment or mobility scooters. What I usually need finds me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Between the harness shop and the hot dog stand everyone I interact with is truly happy to be interacting with me. That was a business decision calculating mental wellbeing over wealth. When the economy crashes up and down and a luxury item such as a set of new harness has to wait a while for some folks to catch up.
I get to be a mentor starting people down the road to driving horses and it’s an enormous responsibility for the physical wellbeing of my clients whether it’s a carriage for wedding guests or jerking a 1000 lb log with a 2000 pound horse alone in the woods.
My business motto
A good name is more desirable than great riches.
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
Proverbs 22:1
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I was a belayer on a ropes course. I could talk clients into climbing up a telephone pole, standing upright onto a spinning disc and leaping off to ring a bell 3 feet away without them feeling my support on their climbing harness.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stitchnhitch.com
