A craft worth keeping alive.
The story of Auberry Glove Co. and the family that refused to let it disappear.
Mr. Auberry ran this business for 30 or 40 years. He bought it from a man who'd been making gloves since the Depression. That's how far back this goes, and for most of that time, it was just one man, one trade, quietly making gloves that working people relied on.
Jason's family had been customers of Mr. Auberry for years. In 2010, Jason stopped by his house to buy a pair of gloves and found him in poor health. Mr. Auberry didn't know how much longer he'd be able to continue. Jason asked if his kids would take over. He said he had no one.
We couldn't let it end there.
Nobody knows exactly when it began.
We offered to buy it.
He said he'd need to see Sharon sew first.
Sharon had no experience sewing. After two sessions of instruction, Mr. Auberry said she would do. We bought the business, moved the equipment to our farm, and started making gloves.
Our kids were young. It looked like a good family side business, something that could bring people together around real work. And that's exactly what it became.
Over the years we've had young people work alongside us during transition periods in their lives. Women sewing together, turning the shop into something closer to a gathering than a job. Our children grew up cutting, stitching, and serving customers. The best skill any of them learned wasn't how to make a glove, it was how to talk to people and serve them well.
We needed a storefront.
We didn't expect to end up with a BBQ restaurant.
For most of our time making gloves, the equipment lived in various buildings around our farm. When our daughter-in-law became our primary sewer, we needed a more central location. We started looking for rental space.
We found out a local BBQ shop was looking to sell. We asked about renting the building. They wouldn't give up the space unless someone bought the business outright. We didn't need another business. But the girls were interested, and they were ready for a new challenge.
That's how Meat Hooks BBQ became part of the story. The gloves found a home. So did a lot of other things.
Work is worth passing down.
We've carried this craft not just to keep it alive, but because we believe meaningful work matters, especially for young people. Every pair of gloves that leaves this shop represents someone learning to make something real with their hands, to serve a customer well, and to take pride in what they do.
We're small enough to do our own thing. Small enough to dye whole hides pink because one student asked for them. Small enough to redesign a glove from scratch when we kept meeting men with large hands who couldn't find leather gloves that fit anywhere else. Small enough to custom fit a glove for someone who's lost fingers and just wants to work safely again.
That's not a limitation. That's the whole point.
The gloves are just one part of the story.
Auberry Glove Co. is part of the Terrell Creek Legacy, a family built around land, livestock, craftsmanship, and community in Southwest Missouri. The same values that go into every pair of gloves run through everything else this family does.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." — Colossians 3:23