In the spring of 1976, Ed Vogler, my oldest, dearest friend introduced me to Gene DeSantis of DeSantis Holster & Leather Goods Company. I started working for DeSantis on a part-time weekend basis and quickly moved into a full-time position. At the time, DeSantis was in a barn in Long Island, New York and I was the only full-time employee learning the basics of holster making and design. In 1978 I moved to the state of Washington.

For the next five years, holsters were a hobby, not a business. I learned more and more about leather craft and honed my design skills. I made holsters solely for myself and a small group of friends.

In 1983 my wife suggested that we turn my hobby into a part-time business. KRAMER Handgun Leather was born. At this time we named our business PRO Line Handgun Leather. A trademark dispute with another unrelated company leads to our changing the name to KRAMER several years later.

By 1985 we were enjoying a reasonably successful, albeit very local holster business. We were networking with the local police officers and gaining valuable insights from them about professional carry techniques.

For the next five years, I worked full time as a mail carrier, and full time as a holster maker after delivering my route. I would skip lunch and breaks each day and run my mail route down so that I could take leave without pay at the end of the postal day and go home early to work on holsters. Five years in the Post Office gave me the time to refine my design skills and plot a direction for the holster business to take. Each day I would deliver the mail, keeping just enough presence of mind to make sure that letters went in the right mailbox. My mind was off in space designing a holster that I would make later that night, or dreaming of the day I would get a big break and be written up in a gun magazine.

The big break came in the fall of 1989. A soldier from Fort Lewis called and asked to come over and discuss a holster. I made several holsters for this individual over the next few weeks. Finally, he asked me if he could write an article about our holsters and submit it to a gun magazine. Naturally, I said OK, but I was somewhat skeptical of the chances that an article by an unknown writer would see the light of publication.

Three months later Duane Thomas came over to the shop, a big grin on his face, holding a contract for article publication from PETERSEN's HANDGUNS, the most prestigious of the handgun magazines! A couple of months later in the December 1989 issue of the magazine, Duane's article was finally in print. One month later I was so flooded with work that I gave notice to the Postal Service and haven't looked back since. This was the start of new careers for both Duane and I. He got out of the Army and is now a prolific, well-respected gun writer and author.

Several highly placed individuals at PETERSEN PUBLISHING were extremely instrumental in the success of our business. In particular, Jan Libourel, editor of HANDGUNS magazine and Geoff Steer, publisher of GUNS & AMMO and all of the other PETERSEN Outdoor Group magazines were very helpful by introducing me to significant players in the firearms industry and in getting magazine coverage for us. I couldn't begin to thank them enough for the support they gave us in the early days when we were launching the business on a national level, and for their continued support over the years. We have always viewed their support and friendship as a real blessing.

Through media coverage, the business grew, and we met many professional people who gave us their ideas and input. New designs were born from ideas presented to us by members of U.S. NAVY SEAL teams and other elite covert ops groups. As the business grew, we began to hire and train employees. Larger work spaces were needed. What was once a hobby and part-time business had become a well-known contender within the industry so much so, that we were  awarded a registered trademark on the name KRAMER. To register a surname, you must prove that it has taken on a secondary meaning. No small task!!