By Jensen Boyd
Walking through the jam-packed hallway, glimpse after glimpse.
Nearly everyone with their heads immersed in their phones scrolling through social media, listening to some “garbage” rap music and wearing trendy clothes that are “not it.”
Outpaced by the majority, one student decked out in denim clothing, wearing a lucky squirrel’s foot necklace and listening to Buddy Holly can’t figure it out.
What has the world come to?
“If I had the option, I would much rather live life in the ’50s,” sophomore Abe Witter said. “It was simpler back then … the U.S. was more independent, style was better and music was too.”
Like many, Abe’s lifestyle was influenced by his childhood. Raised by his mom (Carly Reagon), his step-dad (Troy Reagon) and his biological dad (Jason Witter), Abe grew up like most other kids.
When he was little, Abe often played outside with his brothers, Gus and Zeke Witter. Every summer break he and his family visited his grandparents’ house.
There he says he spent the majority of his time outside with his cousins. Occasionally, they would all watch “The Sandlot.”
The movie’s setting is the 1960s, which is a vintage look that Abe says he admires.
This was a major factor that influenced his liking for the older times.
But more than a movie, Abe believes his joy in the past stems from his love for the outdoors.
He grew up fishing and has done it all his life. His step-dad also introduced him to hunting, which he continues to do and enjoy.
When Abe doesn’t feel like doing something outside, he doesn’t load up his Xbox or watch TV.
Instead he chooses to make or build anything that comes to his mind. Which is why on a random day in May 2023, Abe was bored sitting at home. His plan … to build a new hand-made log cabin.
Abe walked to the woods about 200 feet away from his house. This is where the process began.
He located four trees naturally in a diamond shape. He took the wood planks and nailed them into the trees, creating the frame for the cabin.
Later that year, during the winter, Abe decided to expand on the frame. He, along with his brother Gus and his grandpa Dan Morris, constructed a steel sheet.
They placed the steel covering on top of the base, making a roof.
From this point on, Abe was strictly focused on perfecting his cabin to make it suitable to live in. From January 2024 to May 2024, Abe spent much of his free time on the cabin’s interior.
During this time, he detailed the inside by assembling a stove and a bed. He also added shelves for decoration. This shaped it into a cool hangout spot.
After those necessary accessories, Abe figured adding windows would enhance the cabin’s appearance.
He was given an old glass window from his grandpa, which he installed in the cabin.
He is continuing to perfect it, but for now, his passion has switched to a new hobby.
In the summer of 2024, Abe’s grandpa gave him some leather. Abe used most of the leather to make knife sheaths.
Then, Abe figured it would be cool to make a wallet with the small amount of leather he had left.
To start, he first measured the leather. Then he cut it into pieces, glueing them together.
From there he cut holes into the pieces and began stitching them. After he finished stitching, he put a bevel on the edges.
Lastly, he sanded and polished the edges to create a finished look.
That was Abe’s first model, which was just a card case. His first attempt didn’t go so great, but after many tries, his wallets improved significantly.
“I messed up a lot at first,” Witter said. “After a lot of time and attempts, I started to get pretty good and my final products got a lot better.”
In January 2025, Abe elevated this side hustle. Rather than just making the wallets for fun, he began selling them.
Now, he sells all types of wallets, with his best being a billfold.
The cost to make the wallets is around $10. He sells them for $25.
Although he doesn’t plan to make this into a full-time business, Abe is keeping himself busy and having fun while making money.
He continues to refine his wallets, with his newer ones being better than his previous.
It is unclear what Abe will do next, but it’s safe to say that Abe and his creative mind will most likely be on to a new project soon.
He is using the knowledge he is learning through his crafts and is planning to apply that to his future.
After high school, Abe wants to become a carpenter. This job is hands-on and requires the ability to work with building and constructing projects.
Abe, without even knowing it, is already learning the skills needed for his future job. In his freshman year of high school, Abe took a carpentry class with Mr. Kurt Griffis.
Through his hard work in the class, Mr. Griffis imagines Abe will do great in whatever he chooses to pursue. He thinks that Abe’s creative thinking differentiates him from the rest.
Along with this, Mr. Griffis believes that Abe has the mindset needed to succeed.
“A lot of students will tell people that they don’t care what other people think. And that is not true. But with Witter, it really is true. He does not care about what people think of him,” Griffis said. “If everybody’s going down a path to the left, and Abe’s going right, he wouldn’t think twice about it. He would continue going right and wouldn’t even look over his shoulder.”
