Meet Kern Magazine’s March Spotlight honoree, Danny Solis, the Bakersfield firefighter-turned-maker behind Saint Florian Leather, a brand that’s winning hearts nationwide.
Published on March 31, 2026 | Featured photo courtesy of Saint Florian Leather Co.
There is a certain kind of person who never really stops serving. They trade the uniform for an apron, the radio for a sewing machine—but the spirit remains unchanged. Daniel “Danny” Solis is exactly that kind of person.
A Kern County native, husband of 30-plus years to his wife Trish, and father of three grown children, Solis spent 35 years as a firefighter and captain with Kern County Fire Department serving East Bakersfield before retiring in 2024. He ran the department’s helicopter program, worked as a canine handler, and deployed to disaster zones across the nation—including Hurricane Katrina—as part of urban search and rescue operations. He is, in every sense of the word, a first responder through and through.
But even before he hung up his gear, Solis was already building something new.
A Business Born at the Firehouse
It started, as so many great things do, with a problem to solve. A boy brought an old, retired fire jacket to the station—but the coat had seen too many years of service for the department to find a use for it. So Solis took it home, and using the repair skills he’d honed working at the fire department, he transformed it into a duffel bag. His wife Trish noticed. His colleagues noticed. The requests started rolling in.
“I would come home after work and teach myself how to sew,” Solis says. “My wife realized pretty quickly that it was the best thing for me.”
That instinct grew into something far greater. On March 20, 2017—a date that also happens to be his oldest daughter’s birthday—Solis and Trish walked into the county building, filed for a fictitious business name, and Saint Florian Leather Company was officially born. The name is no accident: Saint Florian is the patron saint of firefighters.
“It just made sense,” Solis says.
Built on Heart, Stitched with Purpose
What makes Saint Florian Leather Company remarkable isn’t just the craftsmanship—it’s the why behind every piece. Solis’ first major product was a leather radio harness designed to keep firefighters safer in the field, inspired by a tragic incident in San Francisco where firefighters lost their lives after communication cables burned through.
“We wanted to be the local company that does it,” he says. “And if anything breaks—even something you bought somewhere else—we’ll fix it. Because we care about you.”
That philosophy of care runs through everything the shop produces: custom leather patches made from a soldier’s battle dress uniform, baseball glove relacing and restoration, mask covers, glove holders, chin straps, ax covers, and even hand-crafted director’s chairs—including one commissioned by former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, modeled after Ronald Reagan’s own chair from the presidential library.
“For me, working with leather is timeless,” Solis says. “When I looked at that director’s chair from President Reagan—how old that leather was—it still resonated. It was still beautiful.”
Community Supporting Community
According to Solis, Saint Florian Leather Company grew because of the people around him who believed in it before it was anything more than a garage and a dream.
When it came time to get the books in order, he turned to Amanda and her team at Atlas Financial Solutions.
“We’re really, really tiny,” he told her. “We want to make sure we’re doing everything right. Her team is incredible. We really, really love her.”
For the big picture questions—the kind that keep a new business owner up at night—he leaned on Megan and Randy Raymond Sr. at Raymond’s Trophy & Awards, people he describes as a true pillar of the Bakersfield community.
“They’re pretty successful, and I want to be like them,” he says. “I don’t mind asking them questions at all. They are so gracious—they just sit with me. That’s how you learn.”
His friend of 30 years, the owner of J&L Custom Embroidery, offered a different kind of education—one Solis absorbed simply by showing up and watching.
Courtesy of Saint Florian Leather Company
“I was just in awe at how he ran his business,” he recalls. “He had to have product going out the door and people coming through the front door every single day. That’s real.”
And then there’s Riley Slayton—a family friend, fire family kid, and fresh marketing graduate.
“I told her when she was running track—Riley, we’re going to hire you when you’re ready,” he says.
True to his word, when she graduated, they brought her in. She evaluated the business, studied the market, and built their website from the ground up.
“We will never let go of Riley,” Solis says. “Those kinds of connections are why we’re here.”
It’s a throughline that defines everything about Solis, the instinct to invest in people, to ask for help without ego, and to bring others along for the ride.
Solis also speaks about what Cafe Smitten downtown means to him and the people behind it, Stasie and Shai Bitton, owners of the spot he calls “a safe place.”
“They are super, incredible, great people,” Solis says.
If you ever reach out to Saint Florian Leather to go over designs or your vision, you’re likely to meet Solis at Cafe Smitten in downtown Bakersfield.
A Family Operation
Saint Florian Leather Company is, at its core, a family business. Trish keeps everything organized and grounded. Daughter Emily manages social media and community outreach—and recently pinned up a map of the United States in their garage workshop, marking every city they’ve shipped to with a pin. Son Lucas, an engineering major, helps keep the equipment running. Youngest daughter Jessi works alongside her dad on the bench, building and designing.
“Everybody has a role,” Solis says. “We figured out who’s really good at stuff.”
The business has roughly 60% of customers from Kern County and the rest scattered across the nation through their e-commerce website.
Courtesy of Saint Florian Leather Company
When talking about his own success, Solis also turns the focus toward the community he spent decades protecting. Saint Florian Leather Company has partnered with several nonprofits—including JJ’s Legacy, the Kern County Firefighters Foundation, Kern County Firefighters, Armed Forces Support Foundation—crafting custom items and supporting fundraising efforts.
“I embrace that,” he says, “because it makes me feel like I’m still serving the community. That’s all I’ve ever known.”
On Business and a Servant’s Heart
For anyone with a dream of starting something of their own, Solis’ advice is as direct as you’d expect from a man who ran into burning buildings for a living:
“Reach out to the people that you are comfortable with and respect, and have a list of questions for them. Maybe they give you all the information you need, maybe you only get 10% of the information you need—and then you just keep digging. But you gotta be persistent.”
And for those with a servant’s heart, Solis says, “If you have a servant’s heart, you should go out and chase it. You don’t know what that may be. You may be a police officer, a soldier, an ambulance attendant, a firefighter, a teacher—if you have a servant’s heart and you’re willing to put their lives before yours, then consider the service.”
Kern Magazine’s Signature Questions
What do you love about your community?
“I grew up in East Bakersfield, and I’m in love with the environment on that side of town. We wake up and we can see the mountains. We know our neighbors. I don’t think I could live anywhere else. I’ve been to many places and I’ve always come back thinking—yeah, I don’t think I can do it. Our community is built on blue collar workers, educators, doctors, nurses, firemen. Those are the people I like to be around. You have everything you need here.”
Where do you like to eat local?
“We went to KC Steakhouse recently—my wife and I love that place. Casa Munoz is another good one for us. And really, anything downtown. I love downtown Bakersfield. If I were ever to have a shop, that’s where I’d want it to be.”
When you want to get out of town, where do you go?
“Avila Beach is a favorite—the tempo is slower, it’s beautiful. Morro Bay, Avila, the coast in general. Our son is up in Santa Cruz, so we’ve been making our way up through Monterey and Salinas lately. And we’re a sports family, so wherever we travel, we always look up whoever’s playing local—basketball, football, baseball—and go support them. It’s kind of our thing.”
Saint Florian Leather Company can be found online. To learn more or place a custom order, visit their website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
