JG Read learned saddle making at the age of 17 while working for Cornish and Walton in the 1870's. In 1883 he bought the firm and renamed it JG Read Harness & Saddlery.  In 1884 his brother joined him and together they purchased another firm called Cheyenne Harness & Saddlery of Ogden.  In 1898, a third brother, Oscar, joined them and they formed JG Read & Bros Co.  The retail portion of JG Read & Bros Co. sold in the early 1900's  But the saddle shop and machinery was purchased by long time employee Kelly McGuire.  

​

Kelly McGuire has owned and operated the saddle shop, known as Read's Leather & Canvas and located in Ogden, Utah for over 40 years.  At 73 years of age, he has been building saddles under the Read brand for  over 50 years. He is "the last of the Mohicans" as he says, one of the last great saddle builders in our country and Read's is one of the oldest, continuously run saddle shops in the United States.  With over 125 years of saddle building and leather crafting, Read's has continued the long tradition of handmade custom saddles, repair, tack and leatherwork. Read's also manufactures handmade canvas products to include, wall tents, cowboy bedrolls, tarps, panniers, saddlebags and much more. In 2022, Kelly joined with the Stokes family and their family owned saddle shop to carry on the saddle making tradition, as well as adding quality handmade leather purses, bags, belts, holsters and accessories.  

​

Our work is one of a kind.  You can see the history in our stiches and our Made in the USA pieces. It is forever our goal at Read's, to keep the history of the West, Utah, saddle making and leather crafting alive and to share it with generations to come.