Meet Nathan Martin of Go Forth Goods in Marietta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Martin.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Nathan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I had a duffle bag break on me while packing up for a family vacation that I had only had a few years. I was so frustrated that so many products nowadays are not quality made. In my pursuit of a quality duffle bag, I could not find what I was looking for. I could find a pretty cool looking bag, but cheaply made, I could find a really fancy looking uber-expensive bag, but I couldn’t find a quality American Made bag that was fairly priced and had the simplistic rugged design I was looking for. So I had this thought, what if I made my own bag and Go Forth Goods was born. I started small learning the craft. The first products I made were wallets, belts and key fobs and a mason jar leather-wrapped mug.

After six months, I created my first bag, The Avery Tote. I quickly the next month introduced my second bag, the Gunnar Duffle and sales started to take off. I was hand stitching all the bags one at a time in my basement in the evenings and weekends. And after a few months, I couldn’t keep up and I had to purchase a sewing machine to keep up with the demand. Fast forward six years and we have over 90 products all hand made in our shop and retail store in the city of Marietta Ga, just one mile from the Square. You can come in and watch us make, as well as touch and smell all the products in our retail store.

Has it been a smooth road?
Every business has it’s challenges for sure. I think that for me understanding that things change and you have to be ready to change and adapt with it to move forward makes the bumpy road feel more like an adventure in an old landrover than it does a tough and scary road you don’t know where you will end up or if you will make it.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are an American handmade leather goods company. We make over 90 products including, tote bags, duffle bags, briefcases, backpacks, crossbody bags, wallets, belts, key fobs, home goods, office and travel accessories. We only use the highest quality American sourced full-grain leather and solid copper and brass hardware and Old World construction methods. Then we back it all with a lifetime guarantee. We also believe in giving back and give 10% of our profits to charity. The Name Go Forth Goods is rooting in the belief that no matter who you are, you can make a difference in the world around you.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes absolutely! We love being in Marietta and also being so close to Atlanta. The community has been amazing and really supportive. We grew mainly in the first few years by word of mouth. So we would not be where we are today without this community.

Contact Info:

• Address: 795 Whitlock Ave, Marietta, GA 30064
• Website: www.goforthgoods.com
• Phone: 770-672-4249
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @goforthgoods
• Facebook: @goforthgoods
• Twitter: @goforthgoods

Image Credit:
Steve West, Silver Piston Photography (portrait of me only).

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