Meet the Middle Ages
BackAslo the Strap-maker
Aslo lived in Kalmar at the end of the 14th century. His workshop lay on the main street in town - Västerportsgatan. This means that he must have been a prominent craftsman. Aslo made all sorts of things from leather - for example leather belts, leather straps and leather pouches. In the Middle Ages, no clothes had pockets, so everyone had to have a leather pouch. It was fastened to one’s belt, and there you would keep your money and other important things. No doubt, Aslo was an able craftsman, and many people came to his workshop to buy a strap or a pouch.
There were some other strap makers - "remslagare" - in Kalmar. One of them was Jakob and he was a friend of Aslo’s. Maybe they borrowed leather and tools from one another. They would have bought all their leather from the tanner. He in his turn bought his hides from the farmers who came to town.