Community Highlights: Meet Mike Kreus & Sheila Merriman of Sun Treasurz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Kreus & Sheila Merriman.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started? 
MIKE: 12 years ago, and jobless, I walked into a Tucson store looking for a job. I used to make horsehair hatbands and belts and told the owner I liked what he had. The owner said, “I have a job for you, but not sure if you want it.” I was taken to the back and introduced to an old Navajo man sitting there making hard-sole moccasins. I said, “I’d give it a whirl”, and was immediately hired. It took a few months to get good at it, and the rest is history.

 

SHEILA: My background varies from working in the medical field to being a preschool teacher for many years, to bookkeeping and managing other businesses, to social media management. When Covid hit, my job at that time came to an end. One day I was asked to come to the store that Mike worked at because the owner needed help with his computer and wondered if I could help sort things out. After that we talked, and he asked me if I wanted a job. I said yes, and from there, worked for him for nearly two years.

 

MIKE AND SHEILA: In August of 2022 our jobs unexpectedly came to an end. At our ages of 55, we were unsure of what to do. We decided to start up our own business using the skills we had acquired. Hence, Sun Treasurz LLC was born. For over 12 years Mike had been making moccasins, and with Sheila’s sales and management experience, we decided to dive right in.

Everything started with getting all the legalities done, setting up our website and hitting up social media platforms. Then, we formalized an email and started searching for possible customers who might like what we had to offer. We got lucky with a small grant and secured the supplies and materials needed. At first, things were pretty slow, but then things started changing quickly with orders coming in. The biggest change for us was when we became vendors at the Foothills Community Market in Tucson. Being there on Saturdays gave us great exposure and the boost needed to help us grow.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The beginning was rough, as it can be with the start of any business venture. Typically, the first two years are the hardest. We’ve had times where supplies needed have been on back order, or we get supplies that are not good quality. Those are things that put orders on delay until we can get what we need to proceed. Competition with others in minimal since there is a high demand for what we make.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Sun Treasurz, LLC?
Making Navajo-style moccasins is a dying art, so we are proud to continue this time-honored tradition, along with the help of Mike’s Navajo Mentor. We primarily hand-craft 3 styles of traditional Navajo Style Moccasins. Sizes range from Childs sizes 1-3 to adults 4-14. Our suede is genuine, and we have multiple colors to choose from.

Our most popular moccasin is the Old Pueblo Style, which has a hard Latigo sole, is a just over the ankle wrap-around with a button and tie.

The second most popular is our Ceremonial wraps, which are a hard Latigo sole, suede toe top, and a Buckskin Wrap.

The Hogan Tie On is our third most requested, which are a hard Latigo sole and suede top that slip on and ties in front.

Over the past year we have taken our skills and have applied them 100% to our business. We are proud to know that we have become well-known for providing quality products. We aim to provide excellent customer service, and that has led to beautiful customer reviews. Personalized service is what we strive for. We aim to please.

We don’t have a brick-and-mortar storefront, just the Saturday Market. This is another thing that sets us apart from others. We also do home shows where people can book a date and time. They invite their friends and family. We go set up, and boom, instant showroom. As we said our biggest local exposure occurs at the market.

Mikes, and his mentors’ skills, in the art of handcrafting hard-sole moccasins is hard work. From hand-cutting patterns to adjusting custom patterns, all of the hand sewing. Mike lays out the latigo, and the thick suedes and then carefully measures and marks. Then he hand cuts every single one. There is a lot of time and energy put into hand cutting all of the pieces and then prep them for what they will become. It’s hard work. It can be hard on one’s entire body. The aches and pains. The raw fingers. It’s not easy. But the end result is absolutely beautiful.

We believe in supporting the makers. All of the jewelry, dream catchers, folk art, and more all handcrafted by Native Americans and Artisans. We honor exceptional handcrafted products, and the Artisans who make them, and want to support a world where beautiful goods and their makers can have a positive impact.

Some of our jewelry, dream catchers, and folk-art pieces are made just for us. Others are vintage, and treasurz we have acquired over time. Sheila takes time researching Artisans so that we can pass on what we know about their creations. For vintage pieces, we also try to acquire as much information as we can. She keeps new inventory coming in gets everything priced and updated. For Saturday’s markets, she sets up, organizes the displays, and after market, puts it all away. She also spends hours a week uploading and posting on social networks and prepping things for Saturday.

What does success mean to you?
Simply put, success comes from happy customers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://suntreasurz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suntreasurzaz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunTreasurz

Image Credits
Sheila Merriman