THE BEGINNING

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kevin’s journey into the craft began in shoe repair, gaining experience in established cobbler shops from Montana to Lake Tahoe and Denver. Years spent taking footwear apart and putting it back together gave him an intimate understanding of how things were made—and a growing curiosity for the art of shoemaking itself.

That curiosity led him to Ashland, Oregon, where he studied shoemaking with Bill Shanor and made his first pair of shoes. From there, shoemaking became the pursuit. Living rooms became workspaces, kitchen tables became workbenches, and every spare moment was spent refining his technique.

THE PURSUIT OF CRAFT

Determined to take the craft further, Kevin sought out some of the industry’s most respected craftsmen. He studied with master shoemaker Perry Ercolino in Pennsylvania and apprenticed under custom bootmaker Mickey Mussett in Denver. His own work soon earned recognition, including Best Style at the Ashland Footwear Competition.
His work later led to John Allen Woodward, where rare and exotic leathers, precious materials, and exacting construction demanded absolute precision. With materials this exceptional, every cut mattered—there was no room for error. Later, in San Francisco, Kevin worked under Frank Beneduci at Beneduci Shoes. By then, his experience reached well beyond repair and shoemaking, encompassing custom leatherwork, luxury materials, and years spent learning from accomplished craftsmen. It was time for that experience to find a place of its own. For Kevin, that place was Lake Tahoe.