About Us

Roberta Weissburg Leathers began very humbly in my apartment in Pittsburgh's Shadyside after I left graduate school in 1979. I decided that I wouldn't, after all, become a professor of English Literature, as tenured employment was becoming very difficult to expect. Happily for me, this choice has been an excellent one -- providing my staff and me with an exciting business and a daily opportunity to enrich our lives in many ways.

I joined a group of three other women artists in December 1980, and we formed a working studio and gallery on East Carson Street in Pittsburgh's South Side. This was at the beginning of the resurgence of this great neighborhood. In 1984 I purchased a building in which to live and work, and became involved in the neighborhood. I served for 16 years on the board of directors and two years as president of South Side Local Development Company, as well as building my business. The commitment to this neighborhood culminated in the opening, in 2005, of our new Roberta Weissburg Leathers store in the South Side Works, which is located on the old J&L steel mill site. In keeping with this unique setting, we sell our one-of-a-kind leather apparel, lots of new and exciting items from many of the world's finest and brightest, and, of course, all of the beautifully crafted merchandise from our long-time favorites such as Dominic Bellissimo, Lucchese Boots, Rizal, Brighton, Vera Bradley, Ed Hardy, and so very much more.

In the late 1980s, we opened a second store on Walnut Street, Pittsburgh's most upscale retail area. Our space was all of 200 square feet, but this exposure afforded us a great boost to business. We moved into the larger side next door in 1999, and now, the Shadyside store is growing again, taking the "old space" and adding it into our larger side.  We are quite proud of our reputation for items as distinctive as custom leather wedding gowns, custom cowboy boots and furs from France. We're also Pittsburgh's only Brighton Heart store with the special distinction of carrying this wonderful company's full-line of leather goods and accessories. We invite you to visit both exciting locations, in two great Pittsburgh neighborhoods, and to "TRY IT ON"!

See you in Shadyside and the South Side!

Leather Queen Roberta Weissburg
Metropolitan September/October 2005 (PDF | 627 KB)

Roberta Weissburg and husband Richard Fox