Testimonials

Daniel, I ran across you at a show about 10 years ago and fell in love with your work. I have been putting off buying the Saranella bag for the past ten years waiting for a time when I would get good use out of it. I also have been waiting for a job that did not have me deployed on cutters. I am being reassigned to the Coast Guard dealing with international fisheries issues. It will be a change from the uniform for two years, (suit and tie, yuck!). It will also have me commuting for the first time in 10 years to an office, not a ship. Needless to say I have been waiting for a long time to finally buy this piece of art from you. Mid May would be perfect timing. I leave Alaska, after ten years, in June.

Thank you in advance for the bag, I am very much looking forward to having it.

Warmest Regards, Daniel
Kodiak, Alaska

Dear Dan Groussman

May I commend you on such craftsmanship... on such exquisite beauty that is your range of leather products and pure works of art.

I too am a traditionalist at heart, hanging dearly onto my late grandfathers Nikon FM2 35mm film camera with his singular prime lens.

I've been saving and saving and saving to travel Asia and explore the potential of my great little camera and of course the potential of myself as an aspiring cinematographer and photographer.

I came across your truly beautiful Hippo Leather Backpack displayed in mocha with roller-style silver mounts and immediately fell deep in love. It was like the kind of love you discover for the first sweetheart you could never have. I'm a struggling artist, a student and now, commencing in November-December an extremely budget conscious traveler.

Dan... I've only just been able to afford this trip overseas, and therefore this is a bag I can't purchase outright, which has left both me and my beloved Nikon camera very upset.

Is there any possibility you may have an old used one? A bag that was returned due to a defect? A backpack without the lifetime warranty?

Or can you do the most heroic thing imaginable and dramatically reduce the price for me?

I can't tell you enough how much I love your work... and as a tribute to this if I were able to have the backpack, I would use it as a true focus in my photography displaying it in all it's glory against several picturesque backdrops for the world to see just what a brilliant Leather Artisan you are.

Kindest regards
Nickolas, Melbourne, Australia

Mr. Groussman,

Today I received from my daughter - a birthday gift of your Hippo blank book. It is everything I thought it would be and more. I especially appreciate the time you took to place my initials inside the front cover.

Shannon said that you were interested in knowing how she heard about you and that perhaps I could let you know, so here's the story.

I have always been partial to quality leather products, had a fake leather journal cover which (as I suspected) did not last.

As I read through the pages, I became fascinated not only by the look of quality in your products but also by the fact that you have followed your heart and were able to make a living doing something that you love. It is refreshing to me that I see this taking place in our all too often false and corporate world.

My children are continually at a loss as to what to give me as gifts, they are always asking and since I have been fortunate and want for nothing, I just tell them to save their money, which frustrates them. To alleviate this I began keeping a list of items I might want as they came to mind. They asked about my birthday and I e-mailed them the list, your journal cover and website were at the top.

So that's how it all came to be, I want to thank you for this beautiful piece, I am very pleased to have it.

Emory, Fort Bragg, California