>Jekyll and Hide Luggage and Leather Goods
7 East Ridgewood Avenue Ridgewood, NJ 07450
ph 201.445.6525 fax 201.445.9433
Jekyll & Hide is a family owned luggage and leather goods store that has been located in the heart of downtown Ridgewood, NJ since 1978. We are the only specialty luggage, leather, and repair shop in Bergen County, and we serve many customers from the surrounding counties in New Jersey and New York. We take pride in being members of the Ridgewood downtown business distric and belong to the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and the Ridgewood Guild
Saul Gardner always loved the feel and smell of leather, and at the suggestion of his soon-to-be wife, Susan, they took a leathercrafting course at Cooper Union in 1971. He learned how to make a variety of leather items in the course, and he began to sell them in the student union building at Stony Brook University. In 1972, the newly married couple took a ride to Sugar Loaf, New York and wandered into a little leather shop. Saul told the owner of the shop that he would love to have a store just like his and inquired if the shop owner knew of another town that might be suitable for a similar establishment. He suggested Garrison, New York, a picturesque Hudson River town right across the water from West Point. That same day, they drove to Garrison, found a small shop and rented it for six months. This shop provided the time and space for Saul to learn to make new leather items and set the groundwork for the future.
The business potential they saw in this venture encouraged them to expand the business to a larger location in Englewood, New Jersey, shortly after a traveling stint in Greece during the winter of 1973. As the business grew in this new location, the selection of products expanded beyond items just made in-house, to include a wide variety of luggage and leather goods. After 6 successful years in Englewood, they decided to take the next step and open a larger store in beautiful downtown Ridgewood during the fall of 1978. The store has since become a staple in the Village of Ridgewood, and has continued to grow and meet the needs of its clientele.