History

Thank you for taking the time to explore the website and view my work. My name is Jared Phares, I am an Eighth generation rancher in Florida, and I started working with leather in 2012 when I was just 12 years old. I was always fascinated by leather goods, specifically saddles, for as long as I can remember. In fact, one of my earliest memories is when my grandmother gave me my first saddle for my third birthday. With the interest I had in leather, needless to say I fell in love with the craft. My father got me a starter kit for Christmas that year and I managed make every project in it within the matter of a couple of days. I continued making small items such as fobs and keychains for the next year or two as a hobby. I then began making larger goods, starting with holsters and working up to saddlebags. It was at this point that I realized there was a market for these type of goods and started to sell them. I also created the Facebook page that is still up and running now, only then it was entitle “Phares Custom Leatherworks.” I continued making these type of goods, and still do today. Over the next couple of years I really wanted to start building saddles. It was not until 2017 that I finally acted on this urge and built my first saddle. Upon completing the saddle, I change the business name to Allapattah Saddlery and haven’t looked back.

In the fall of 2018, I moved to Gainesville, FL to further my education at the University of Florida. Upon moving, I got away from my craft some for a multitude of reasons, mainly that I did not have a good work place. It was not until students were sent home in the spring of 2020 that I got busy with work again and rekindled my passion for the craft. I kept myself very busy with work that summer while building myself another saddle. It was at this point that I realized I really wanted to turn this into my career.

Present Times

Since graduating from UF, I have turned Allapattah Saddlery into my full time career, and continue to make saddles and custom goods at my home in Fort Pierce, FL. I have plans to move the business back to my hometown of Okeechobee, FL in the coming years where I can be more centralized to the majority of my customer base to better serve their needs.