My own story started on the road, traveling the world with my family. School never had much appeal, so my life has been enriched by collecting experiences instead of grades. I needed to learn by doing, by living. That restless spirit led me to work as a welder, carpenter, truck driver, mechanic, and cowboy.
In 1983, I found my path. My father, my brother and I started a company called Holland Sport. During those first days, everything was sewn by hand. But in order to scale our business we knew we needed to sew with machines. I didn’t know how to use a sewing machine, so I taught myself. We worked at it until we got it right. That company eventually became Mulholland Brothers, and over the next three decades, we built a reputation for quality and originality. We used leather, metal, wool, cotton, and wood to build leather bags, accessories, jewelry, furniture, outdoor gear. We sold events and excursions, and the motorcycles and cars to enjoying the trip. Our work made its way into the hands of clients from Abercrombie & Fitch to Bergdorf Goodman, from Range Rover to Ford Motor Company.
We were visionary in our expansion. Our factory grew to 50,000 square feet, where we employed 500 talented artisans. We opened stores in San Francisco, Berkeley, Las Vegas and Santana Row in San Jose California. We designed and installed hotel suites that were furnished with our furniture, accessories and design esthetic. Everything in the rooms was for sale.
We built a 4 wheel drive race course on our ranch in Bodega Bay California, and in collaboration with Range Rover North America, held televised off road race events. We built a 200 square foot tree house on the Ranch, 50 feet up the tree. It was fully furnished with our furniture.
Our business was our reason for being. Nothing could get in the way of our goals. But, I needed a hobby to break the tension of too much focus, so I carved out a little shop space in the back of the factory, where after hours, I’d stay behind, wrenching on bikes—mostly Harleys, hardtails, softails, and one custom I was particularly proud of: a rigid-frame beast with a 103" motor, a wide rear tire, a Dell'Orto two-barrel carb meant for a car, and twin nitrous cylinders mounted to the frame. It was perfect. I could strip that bike down with an Allen set I carried in one pocket.
The physical healing was brutal, but the mental and spiritual work was harder. I wasn’t bulletproof after all. Facing my own fragility—and my own humanity—for the first time. And somewhere in the long stretch of rehab, surgeries, and soul-searching, I found something better: resilience with humility. Toughness with a heart. The scars an everyday reminder of how close I came, and how truly wonderful life is. That accident didn’t end my story, it was the catalyst that pushed me to create a good one.
After the wreck, it was a slow fight back to my feet. The surgeries to rebuild were many; thirteen on my right knee, seven on my ankle, a hip replacement and titanium running through my limbs like rebar. But eventually, I walked. Albeit with a cane, but I was walking. It wasn’t just my body that needed rebuilding. The accident had cracked something deeper open in me. For the first time, I found myself genuinely curious about something bigger than success, work, or pride. It was about a year after the accident when life took another unexpected turn.
A call came in from Burt Avedon, an old friend and a legend in his own right. Burt had been everything you’d expect from what was described in the 1970s as a “playboy": fighter pilot, ex-CIA, man about town. He had bought the Willis & Geiger company and breathed new life into its storied history, turning it into a brand that felt like it could fly even higher than its past.
We had made bags and accessories for Burt’s line, and though he eventually sold W&G to Lands' End, they asked him to do one final catalog before shutting the doors. Burt called me up, said he was sending over two stylists to gather props for the shoot. One of them that walked through the door, changed everything, again.
I shook her hand—and in that moment, I knew. I wrote myself a note on a yellow sticky that simply said: Get the blonde’s name from Burt.
That was Karyn. A few days later, I tracked down her number. One date turned into a lifetime. A year later, we were married. And from that marriage came our two daughters: strong, brilliant, creative and confident, modern women.
Meeting my wife, building our family, stepping fully onto my spiritual path—it wasn’t an accident. It was the life I was always meant to find. Today, my journey is about more than building things you can hold. It’s about studying the truth of who we are, why we’re here, and how we can live with deeper meaning. That search—for connection, for purpose, for the spark inside us all—is the road I’m still traveling.
It’s the reason I get up every day, grateful to still be moving forward.
Over the years and miles, I’ve learned a few things: the value and satisfaction of creating. The importance of choosing your tribe wisely. Pressure reveals true character. You don’t quit. Ever.
Now, with Mulholland Outfitters, I take those lessons further. This company isn’t just about selling goods, it’s about telling the stories of colorful characters, men and women, young and old, who believe in something bigger than themselves and still create something, and what inspired them to do it. All are seekers, adventurers, visionaries and doers. People who found inspiration and clarity in an unexpected places. Honoring the history, the passion, and the risk that every true craftsman carries with them in their soul. The people who, when life turns sideways, don’t hit the brakes, they hit the throttle.
Mulholland Outfitters is both a return and a reinvention. Many of the products you’ll find here are built by me. Inspired by people, experiences and places that have made an impact on my life. Everything is designed, finished, and tested with the same attention to detail I’ve always believed in. Alongside my own work, you’ll also find gear, goods and objects from others who share a similar philosophy. People who still believe in the power of creative endeavor. People who make things that last. People with stories worth telling.
Welcome to Mulholland Outfitters.