Houston man turns passion for baseball into making custom gloves
HOUSTON - A Houston man has turned a hobby into custom-creations to play the game of baseball. Like a lot of kids, Brad Bailey played baseball as a kid, softball as an adult, and started making repairs to his and friends’ gloves, along the way, when they wore out.
Now, in retirement from his oil & gas career, he's putting his skills to wider use.
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In a tight workshop in Northwest Houston, Bailey wields a sharp pair of scissors to cut custom pieces of leather, by hand. He designed his line of Bailey Gloves as an evolution of trial and error.
It's a far cry from the simple glove he used as a kid, that sits nearby. Among his personal innovations is a 'pocket' he thinks is stronger than most, when fielding balls.
It's become a passion that started when a friend asked him to repair a glove that was badly worn.
"He asked if I could redo the inside of that glove and I'd never taken one completely apart and thought, well, that'll be interesting," remembers Bailey.
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That was 30 years ago, as an experiment. Now, more than 200 gloves later, each one numbered as he goes, Bailey is transitioning from hobby to side hustle, offering a unique collection of features that each owner may want. From the length of the fingers, the size of the pocket, type of webbing, and colors, each of the choices make a difference.
"It kind of becomes a part of him," says Bailey, "It's a very important piece of the game."
Instead of the volume churned out by a major glove manufacturer, Bailey takes about 20 hours over a few weeks to make each of his gloves.
When complete, it's a one-of-a-kind piece that helps someone enjoy the game of baseball as much as Brad Bailey does.
"It's fun to know that someone is using your glove, and that becomes their favorite glove," he says.
The price of a Bailey Glove is $275, with custom choices included, which is comparable to a lot of 'off the rack' high-end gloves. While there are no notable players using one, Bailey says he'd choose a pitcher or shortstop, because those positions see so much action.