About Us
Remember when eelskin was the rage? The glamour, the softness, the prestige. Well, we remember it well. Let us introduce ourselves. We're Fred and Merle Snook of The Hide Out and we remember, that's for sure.
1986 - With laundry baskets full of eelskin handbags and accessories in the trunk of our car. "What office door should we knock on today?" A bit of extra spending money - won't that be nice!
The move from the car trunk to a permanent location at the Pier in downtown St. Petersburg was swift. In 1988, with a $12 million renovation complete, The Pier was looking for innovative ideas in merchandise and marketing and we were ready to turn in our baskets. Retiring from our previous professions, we settled in for the long run.
That trunk business was thus transformed into perhaps the finest leather business in the state of Florida. Unique leathers and unique items are our specialty. You'll see eelskin of course, but check out our large variety of snakeskin, shark, ostrich, lizard, deerskin, a large selection of stingray leather, and being in Florida, don't miss the elegant and exotic alligator and crocodile accessories. They're as natural to Florida as fun and sun.
Fast forward almost 25 years to 2010, a new millenium and a new focus. After 22 years at the Pier in St. Petersburg, International Drive in Orlando and John's Pass on the Gulf of Mexico we have begun a new adventure. The travel bug has bitten and we're on the road. Keep an eye on our Festival calendar page (above) which tracks our movements to fairs and festivals. We might just show up in your area. Meanwhile, we continue to develop new unique items, very often exclusive, available for delivery to you. We hope you like our innovative pieces and ideas. We surely love bringing them to you.
Want more about us? Check out the NEWS page.
Check back often. New ideas are being developed into new items on a regular basis. Gotta go. I've got an idea...
Remember, we're proud to be a renewable resource, FOOD FIRST company. If it's being consumed at the dinner table, we're probably using the hides. No waste and no harmful plastics here.
