Reading this thread seem like dajavu all over again. I have a friend that is in the same business as Mr. Garrity and hearing things from the makers side was an enlightening experience. There seems to be so many stumbling blocks faced by holster makers that we (the public) never consider in our frustration to get our gear.
Every piece of leather is different, its thickness, grain, imperfections ect., all play a role in what holster comes out of what hide. Just because your are next on the list, does not mean there is a piece of leather that will suit your project. Most of these guy's are one man shops with families emergency's and all the standard distractions. They are still business people and should conduct themselves accordingly, but you are not dealing with Galco who has a CS department and paid management to send you free stuff when you feel wronged.
I asked my buddy about taking deposits, as it seems one of the big irritants to customers is that fact that "the guy has had my money for XX months!" But if the maker does not take a deposit, they get XX months down the road, make a holster and find out the customer has gone elsewhere or has no funds. These artisans are the production shop, shipping and receiving and accounting, not to mention the hours they spend on the phone and on-line doing sales and talking guns with chowder heads like me. Factor in all of this, then ask for something "different" than a stock rig and you have all the makings of a disaster. Oh ya, and they have to eek out time to design new gear and make patterns for all the new guns that come down the line. I personally don't know how they stay sober enough to get anything done.
All of us on boards like this feel a sort of family or community connection to each other, but the real behind the scenes reality is that there are some folks who make a living here so the same "buyer / seller" capitalistic rules still apply. Makers need to quote reasonable times, but most often, they are over confident in their abilities to produce and like most business folks, never want to turn away a customer.
The real fly in the ointment for most of us (the public) however is communication. If it going to take 12 months to get my gear, tell me 14 and deliver it at 13. If it is going to be late, communicate that to me so I don't feel the need to fill your in box with "when will it be done" e-mails.
Every business has a limit as to how much product they can produce in a day or a month, if you have a 2 year back log, you need to raise your prices. People seem to be willing to wait for good product, Matt Del Fatti has a wait list that is over 2 years the last time I looked and I don't recall ever reading a negative thing about his business anywhere.
So the point in my ramblings are this: We the buyers need to be realistic about what it takes for a one man shop to produce a top quality product, and makers need to be honest when they take deposits and give approximate delivery times.
The internet has the power to make money for business, but it also has the power to ruin them without the burden of facts. While I can feel the frustration of those who have posted here looking for any signs of completion, I would caution those of us reading threads like this with our popcorn about rendering a final decision about a business here because of the frustrations of a few unhappy people. Not the they don't have good reason to be upset, but there is always more to the story, trust me.