Shez Lil Bit Country (Lil Bit)
When trying to come up with a name for my business, I was thinking of something that was a big part of what gave me my spark with horses. When I was 13 years old, 4H horse was named Ladybug and unfortunately, she passed away suddenly. She was a big influence on my riding and overall horsemanship. After Ladybug had passed I acquired Lil Bit when I was 16 and whereas Ladybug taught me how to ride, Lil Bit taught me patience. Lil Bit came to me as a 4 year old with 30 days and needless to say there wasn't anything I didn't do with that horse. So what better way to honor both those horses by naming my business after them?
LIL Bit
LadyBUG
LilBug Leather
Meet the owner!
Kassie Strohmeyer
For most tack makers, they started out in grandpa's shop watching him tapping away on a piece of leather. My story is a little different here. I was born and raised in Middleton, Idaho. After ten years of 4H and when school was no longer a Monday through Friday thing for me, I decided to get my first job working at a local barn. It wasn't the typical out of high school job, but it got me on the right path to setting goals. A boarder who had her children's horses there owned a local tack shop and when they were looking for a western person, I immediately put in an application. Flynn's Saddle Shop was a great place to work at and I learned quite a bit about different types of horse tack and what they were used for. From pulling collars to tripping collars to roping breast collars. Different types of reins like what to look for in Romel reins, mecates, and weighted split reins. I even learned about half breeds and how to properly fit a latigo and cinch. I loved every minute at this local tack shop.
In August of 2014 I had my first son and the store was closing it's doors, which meant that after my maternity leave I was going to have to seek out other work. Scrolling through Craigslist one night, I stumbled upon an ad for a Sales Associate at Tandy Leather in Boise. I applied, did an interview, and got the job. While there, I learned even more about leather, types of leather, how to tool, dye, and finish a product. With this information I was able to learn how to start building my own tack. In 2015 I made my first halter and slowly started getting more orders in. Customers would come in and share more of their tips and tricks with us girls there and I would soak in all the info I could. That's where I also met Kelly with Wildfire Custom Horse Accessories and where our friendship and business partnership started. Kelly is my go to girl for all of my conchos and blinged out buckles.
As my son started getting older my husband and I realized that daycare was getting more and more expensive and we made the decision that it would be better for me to stay home. Slowly over the years I have been building my business slowly while being a stay at home mom and balancing the unpredictable life of being a trucker's wife. While also adding a little girl into the family in 2019. I have many plans a big goals for my little one woman business in the coming years, and I hope you will stay with me and watch my journey.
