LINCOLN, Neb. (COLOGNE) – A Hickman man has carved out a career for himself in leather.
Nate Walenta has been a boxer, a juvenile corrections officer, and a haunted house manager, but his favorite job is his current one: owner of Walenta Customs.
Fifteen years ago, while juggling being a single father and working in a detention center, Valenta acquired the leather kit with no experience. He currently runs a business that fulfills over 1,000 orders.
“From that first crappy holster, I was obsessed with my guns,” Valenta said. “It was born out of a need to express creativity. When I first got it, I thought, oh, this might be a good thing, let’s make a prop for a haunted house.”
Valenta sometimes carries a business cell phone and runs a custom hat bar at a local market. He said he spends 60 to 70 hours each week in his basement shop, happily and passionately creating.
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