Author: Tyler Kearn
Henry Bojorquez, the not-so-mild-mannered Cooler grill chef, has a hobby that has earned him enough money to take a trip to Europe. What is that hobby? He designs and creates custom guitar straps and sells them on eBay.
Bojorquez works the grill in the Tiger Cooler and is known for his friendliness, his talkativeness and his sandwich, affectionately known as “Henry’s Special.”* But how did a humble grill chef come to design and create leather guitar straps?
As it turns out, Bojorquez’s hobby has some history to it. He has a background in design. “Prior to this job, I worked in the garment industry,” he said. “I designed shoes for Apache Shoes. My next step was working for a company called Phillipe California, where we designed briefcases. I was one of the first designers there. We were the first designer to bring in fabric handbags in ’71. In ’73, I worked (with many, many others) on the first line of Coach handbags. Because of Coach handbags, I was able to travel. I went to shows in New York three times a year. I did Coach and after that I worked for a company called Carpet Bags of America.”
Bojorquez went on to describe his experiences designing items as a personal venture. “I had three successful businesses after that: a children’s belt business, pillows for interior decorators-they were leather pillows or made of exotic hides-and I started this company called ‘Beeper Keepers’ for the city of LA where I made leather holsters for beepers,” he said.
Bojorquez specialized in leather. When he began to dislike the direction that the design industry was heading, he decided to try something different. “The industry changed a lot, so I decided to move on. That’s why I decided to go to culinary school,” he said.
So, how did Bojorquez go from designing belts and handbags to selling guitar straps on eBay? Despite his decision to leave the industry, he still felt the urge to design.
“I started to realize I was missing something,” he said. “I wanted to get back into the industry somehow. I was working in the kitchen at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Pasadena when the idea came to me. I used to play bass in a band called the Invictas. We played all the nightclubs—the Whisky a Go Go, the Hullabaloo, the Galaxy and the Stardust in Vegas for the Sons of Italy. I played on the same stage with Janis Joplin. I have the pictures to back it up.”
These experiences helped him to decide on a new project. “[B]ecause I’m a bass player, I hit upon the idea-leather guitar straps. Thus, ‘Leather Bound’ guitar straps was founded.”
Bojorquez’s idea was to make each of the straps custom and individual. “I only make one or two [straps] of a kind-they’re all unique,” he said. “I also use all kinds of leathers in my straps. So you won’t just find the same strap, produced again and again and again. Plus, they’re all hand-laced and handcrafted.”
Bojorquez is excited with how well this venture has been going-“for the past three years, I’ve been successful at doing this.”
Bojorquez did not start with selling his products on eBay-he started by going right to his target audience. “I go to the vintage guitar shows,” he said. “During the summer, I have three months off, and I try and do all the guitar shows.”
Bojorquez has sold straps to some famous guitarists. “I’ve sold already to Riche Sambora of Bon Jovi, Muddy Waters, and the lead guitarist of The Knack,” he said. “I sell to these guys at the vintage shows.”
Bojorquez started selling his straps online only recently. “Right before we left for school this last summer, May of 2007, I started selling on eBay,” he said. “It’s been really good.”
For Bojorquez, what is especially exciting about eBay is its ability to sell to people all over the world, and that people anywhere who might be interested in his guitar straps are now able to find him.
“I’ve sold to Australia, all over Europe, I’ve even sold to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,” he said. “[The fact that] people from the other side of the world can buy my stuff is pretty cool.”
How would one go about finding Bojorquez’s guitar straps? “Just search ‘leather guitar straps’ on Ebay,” he said.
Bojorquez is one of the most prominent sellers of leather guitar straps on the site. “It’s easy to figure out which ones are mine, because mine are the ones that start at $18 or $25,” he said. “Everyone else who sells actual handmade straps sells them for far more.”
Also, Bojorquez’s eBay seller name, without giving the name itself away, does have “henry” in it, in case you are in doubt. Of course, if you are really interested, you can always speak with Bojorquez in person.
Creating this business and making guitar straps has proven to be very rewarding for Bojorquez. For one, creating the straps allows him a creative outlet. “This keeps me mentally active,” he explained. It allows him a way to be thinking and productive in addition to his job at the Cooler.
Of course, when it comes to selling guitar straps, there are other perks. “The money I’m making from this is giving me a chance to travel throughout Europe, which is pretty cool,” he said. “May 23, I’m going to Amsterdam and Paris. The tickets are booked. The semester is over and I’m outta here.”
*A quick primer on “Henry’s Special”: Henry’s Special is a Philly cheesesteak or chicken Philly on toasted sourdough with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and spread with Malibu sauce (a 50-50 combination of mayonnaise and mustard). Bojorquez created the sandwich because he “wanted to do something different.” The sandwich first caught on with the football team, but word of mouth has spread among the students. The next time you are in the Cooler, feel free to ask for a Henry’s Special—they will know what you mean.
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