Uber family to restart hunters’ tannery
5 November 2012Members of the Uber family announced at the end of October a deal to buy back and restart their namesake Uber Tanning Co. in Owatonna, Minnesota which for more than a century took in hunters' rawhides and turned them into custom clothing and accessories.
Uber closed this summer amid a bankruptcy that left hundreds of hunters with little recourse to reclaim their hides. Now, there's a plan to restart the tannery, accept hides from this autumn's deer hunting season and finish the work on the existing inventory.
"I want people to rest assured that those hides are here, but it's going to take some time to work through everything," said Lanny Uber, the sixth-generation Uber to run the tannery.
Trouble for the company started in the autumn of 2010, when the Straight River in Owatonna burst its banks and flooded the tannery building. Insurance didn't cover the damage.
Uber was declared bankrupt earlier this year leaving more than 700 customers who had prepaid for their hides without a product or much recourse.
The company will accept hides from this year's deer season at its Owatonna location, but it won't accept prepayments. Beginning in January, the small staff of five or so will work through its existing inventory. Customers will be notified as their hides are completed.
Uber said he expected some customers with a bitter taste from the bankruptcy to be cautious. "If you get taken advantage of like that, you're going to be angry and less trusting in the future," he said. "We're going to do our best."
