Tiara is of the many faces behind Shinola’s leather production team inside our 12,000-square-foot leather factory. Read more about her story below.
As a lifelong Detroiter, what sort of changes have you noticed in the past few years?
I was born and raised here, and I live here still.
I think all the changes are great actually because as a kid I noticed everything and everyone was leaving, and nothing was really here in Detroit. Now its like everything is coming back and more people want to come to Detroit and move to Detroit, and I think its amazing that so many people are having a part in reviving Detroit.
It will be good because I have a daughter now so she’ll be able to see more things and experience more things than what I have. Her name is J’Nyah and she’ll be five in March.
She knows mommy makes watches. I went from mommy makes donuts to mommy makes watches. She’s getting the hang of everything and she knows the name Shinola, so if she hears it on the TV or news she says, ‘Mommy, that’s your job.’
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Inside the leather factory.
How old are you and what is your role at Shinola?
I’m 25. I’ve been here since April 2014 when we first opened the leather factory. Now I’m the trainer for the whole leather side, so everyone that comes in through those doors has to go through me to train for their specific location on the line.
What did you do before this?
Before this I was working at Tim Hortons. I was looking to get out of the fast food industry so I was looking for a factory job.
After the first interview, I finally realized, ‘Oh, they are the ones who make the big clocks around town.’ But I never expected it to be like this. I expected it to be like a giant warehouse and this is totally different from the factory type job, so I like it — I love it actually.
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Prepping leather wristbands to be sewn together in the leather factory.
Why were you chosen to move up to this position as a trainer?
I get bored easily, so I learned everything on our floor and everything in the factory. I learned from the beginning to the end so I know everything from pulling the leather to the finished product.
What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
Relaxing because I don’t get to relax at all. My daughter keeps me on my toes, so relaxing is my number one.
This interview is part of a new series called JOBS that highlights the people that make Shinola tick. Find their stories here on The Journal or on our Jobs page.
Nearly all of Shinola Products are Built in the US with US or Imported Parts