A few blocks from the interstate and tucked between car repair shops and warehouses on Enterprise Drive lies an innocuous and non-descript building with a solid metal door and a simple sign that reads “Open.”

Inside, the fragrance of new leather and the sight of 7,000 square feet of leather-making possibilities greet those who walk into Tandy Leather Factory Store.

Tandy Leather opened the Round Rock location at 2001 Enterprise Drive in Suite 130 on Feb. 17 to serve as a resource for leathercrafters by providing leather, tools, kits and instructional workshops to those interested in creating anything from a purse to a saddle for a horse.

“It’s not much on the outside, but you step in and it’s a whole ‘nother world,” said Dee Cole, Round Rock store manager. “We’re working on getting a glass front door and we’re waiting on a permanent sign, but you open the door and the smell (of the leathers) is intoxicating. Then you see all the leather.”

Cole pointed out whole hides, half hides and shoulders of various animals, not just cow.

“We have pig, cow, calf, snake, rabbit, and we randomly get other things in,” she said. “Sometimes we get stingray and it has a really neat pattern. It’s also durable.”

While some might be opposed to a store selling the hides of animals, Cole explained everything sold is already used. Tandy Leather only receives the hides from the animals already purposed for other uses, including meat and medicine.

“We only receive our products from trusted suppliers worldwide,” she said. “It helps keep the peace with organizations like [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals].”

In addition to the hides available to consumers, the store also carries tools and kits for novice to expert leather-crafting customers.

“Most of our clientele is very well-versed,” Cole said. “However, we have schools, scout troops, and beginners who we help.”

Soon, the Round Rock location will also be teaching workshops to customers. Through Tandy Leather, people can learn how to tan their hides, outside of a tanning salon.

“We have stuff for beginners and stuff for people who have done it for fifty years,” she said. “There’s kids’ projects, untreated hides, upholstery, hair-on hides, rivets, stamps, pattern books, craft sheets. You name it, we have it. We have a little bit of everything.”

Tandy Leather is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each Saturday.