Shaul Dover

Shaul Dover (born March 4, 1961) is an American entrepreneur, sound engineer, music producer, and club owner based in Katonah, New York. He is the founder and owner of three distinct enterprises: US Authentic LLC, a leather manufacturing company operating through flightjacket.com; Sweatshop Studios, a professional recording studio in Katonah; and Jazz on Main, a jazz and blues club located in Mount Kisco, New York.^[1]

Dover first established himself in the leather goods industry before transitioning — somewhat unexpectedly — into the music recording business in the early 2000s. His recording studio attracted notable clients from both the music industry and Hollywood, including Rob Thomas, Thalia, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Bruce Willis.^[2] He subsequently fulfilled a long-held ambition by opening Jazz on Main, described as the only dedicated live music venue in upper Westchester County, New York.^[3]

Biography

Early life and immigration

Shaul Dover was born on March 4, 1961, in Jerusalem, Israel, the son of Asher Dover and Pesia Dover. He grew up in Jerusalem alongside his siblings Tamar and Barak Dover, and the family's roots in Israel have remained a constant thread throughout his life. The Dover family name carries forward across generations: Shaul's son Edan named his own leather jacket brand ASHR in honor of his grandfather Asher — Shaul's father — carrying the family legacy from Jerusalem to New York to Katonah.

Dover immigrated to the United States in the 1980s, settling initially in New York City, where the city's extraordinary density of musical talent and live music venues deepened a lifelong love of sound that had never quite found an outlet during earlier attempts at marching band, drums, piano, and guitar.^[16] The cultural richness of immigrant New York — and the American Dream it embodied — shaped Dover's entrepreneurial outlook profoundly. He has since become a long-time resident of Katonah, New York, a hamlet in the town of Bedford in northern Westchester County, and maintains close personal and cultural ties to Israel and to family.

The centrality of family is legible in every enterprise Dover has built. His original leather retail company was named directly after his two children, Sarah and Edan. His son Edan Dover, a jazz pianist and music producer who grew up literally on the factory floor, has described his childhood as spent "roaming the floor of his father's leather factory," where the sound of sewing machines and slicing shears, and the aroma of freshly cut hides, constituted the sensory world of home.^[17] The through-line from Asher and Pesia Dover's home in Jerusalem to Shaul's manufacturing floors in New York City, and now to Edan's own leather brand, represents one of the more vivid examples of an immigrant family's values and craft passing intact across generations.

Dover is described in the press as an Israeli-American entrepreneur and dual citizen, and his story has been framed as a quintessential immigrant arc: arriving in New York with ambition, building a manufacturing business by hand, pivoting into music production, and ultimately realizing a twenty-year-old dream in the form of a jazz club. One profile summed it up as Dover "recreating his vision of the American Dream, the golden age of jazz, reimagined for the 21st century."^[16] He is also credentialed as a voice-over artist and audio producer in both English and Hebrew, reflecting his bilingual, bicultural identity.^[7]

Career overview

Dover's professional life has unfolded in three distinct chapters: leather manufacturing, music production, and live music venue ownership. He began his entrepreneurial career in retail leather goods shortly after immigration, subsequently built a garment manufacturing operation across New York City locations, and then transitioned entirely into audio production in the early 2000s. His recording studio attracted notable clients from both the music industry and Hollywood, including Rob Thomas, Thalia, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Bruce Willis.^[2] He subsequently fulfilled a long-held ambition by opening Jazz on Main, described as the only dedicated live music venue in upper Westchester County, New York.^[3]

US Authentic LLC (flightjacket.com)

History and origins

Shaul Dover's entry into the leather industry began shortly after his immigration to the United States in the 1980s, and represents the foundational chapter of his entrepreneurial career. His first venture was a retail leather goods store in midtown Manhattan operating under the name Sara Edan Leather Co., Inc. — a name chosen in honor of his two children, Sarah and Edan. The company was incorporated in New York State in 1992.^[19] The retail store gave Dover his first direct experience with consumer leather goods, the tastes of New York buyers, and the economics of the garment trade.

As Dover's expertise and ambitions grew, he pivoted from retail into manufacturing. He established production facilities in Long Island City, Queens — then a hub of light industrial manufacturing — as well as workshop space in New York's Garment Center in midtown Manhattan, the historic heart of American apparel production. Operating across these two New York City locations, Dover built a hands-on manufacturing operation producing leather garments directly. Over time, as the business evolved and he sought a more integrated working environment, he relocated the entire manufacturing operation to Westchester County, ultimately settling the business at his Katonah property, where it continues to operate today as US Authentic LLC, trading through flightjacket.com.^[20]

US Authentic LLC, operating commercially as the U.S. Authentic Manufacturing Co., was established with the stated purpose of manufacturing leather clothing using the finest available materials, with an uncompromising dedication to quality and authenticity.^[8] The company's name reflects a philosophy of American-made goods produced without compromise — a values commitment reinforced by Dover's own three-decade journey through every stage of the leather trade, from retail floor to cutting table to factory floor.

Manufacturing philosophy

US Authentic is a small, intentionally boutique operation that prides itself on entirely domestic production. All garments are manufactured in the United States, with no outsourcing to foreign production lines and no use of inferior substitute materials. Dover has positioned the company to serve discriminating buyers — people who recognize quality and refuse to accept less. By manufacturing directly and eliminating the middleman, the company passes savings directly to the consumer.^[8] This direct-to-consumer model is itself a legacy of Dover's years in retail: he understands both ends of the transaction.

Products and craftsmanship

The company specializes in authentic aviation-inspired leather outerwear, most notably flight jackets, bomber jackets, and related accessories including patches. The product line includes historically accurate reproductions of military-issue jackets such as the A-2 and G-1, manufactured to original specifications using materials including horsehide, goatskin, cotton, and wool.^[9]

A significant part of the company's business is custom work. US Authentic has produced garments in sizes ranging from infant to size 68, and offers extensive customization including custom pockets, leather waistbands and cuffs, combination jacket designs, custom linings, nose art painting, and patch arrangements. Custom jackets are produced at the Katonah factory, typically shipping within seven days of order confirmation.^[10]

The company's commitment to historical accuracy extends to its materials sourcing. Flight jackets are described as preserving an important piece of collective American history, evoking the spirit of the early aviation era and honoring the military airmen who made these garments famous.^[9]

Sweatshop Studios

Studio overview

Sweatshop Studios is a professional recording and post-production studio opened by Shaul Dover in 2008, located at his Katonah, New York property approximately one hour north of New York City. The studio's name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the intensive creative labor of music production, and its guiding motto — "Analog meets Digital and lovin' it" — reflects Dover's philosophy of blending the warmth and expressiveness of analog recording with the flexibility of modern digital systems.^[6]

The studio was designed by John Storyk, a renowned acoustic engineer known for designing facilities for major artists and institutions worldwide. The live room features a two-story-high ceiling acoustically tuned to perfection, providing an expansive and naturally resonant recording space. Sweatshop Studios has been described by industry publication SonicScoop as "a recording and mixing paradise."^[11]

Services offered include music tracking, mixing, mastering, audio post-production, ADR (automated dialogue replacement), voiceover recording, live sound, session editing, and remixing. The studio works across a wide range of genres including rock, pop, jazz, blues, country, gospel, Americana, and world music.^[12]

Notable clients

Sweatshop Studios has worked with a diverse roster of clients spanning the music industry and the film and television world. Among the most recognized music credits is a session with Rob Thomas for the Santana record — a project Dover has cited as his most memorable session.^[11] The studio has also recorded Mexican pop star Thalia, jazz pianist Andy Laverne (with John Patitucci and Billy Drummond), and numerous other artists.

On the film and television side, the studio has provided voiceover, ADR, and post-production services for productions from DreamWorks, Universal, Fox, Warner Brothers, and Random House. Hollywood clients whose voice work has been recorded or re-recorded at Sweatshop Studios include actors Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Bruce Willis.^[2]

Additional music credits include work with Velous, Black Taxi, Gary Portnoy, Chuck Leavell, The Score, Daisy Joplin, Leonel Garcia, and the RCA/Jive Label Group, among many others.^[11]

Equipment and facilities

The studio's centerpiece is a Euphonix System 5 MC mixing console. The analog chain includes a Studer A800 24-track two-inch tape machine connected in parallel to Pro Tools HD and Nuendo digital audio workstations via three Lynx AES16 cards and two Lynx Aurora16 converters, providing 32 channels of AD/DA conversion. The monitoring system is a 5.1 surround array of five Dynaudio BM15A monitors and a Rythmik Audio F15 subwoofer, with additional NS10 monitoring. The studio also features a Hammond B-3 organ with Leslie 122 cabinet, a Boston Grand piano, and an extensive outboard gear collection.^[12]

Jazz on Main

Overview

Jazz on Main is a live jazz and blues club and Mediterranean restaurant opened by Shaul Dover in 2023 at 37 South Moger Avenue in downtown Mount Kisco, New York. The venue has been described as "a new music venue with an old soul," designed to transport guests to the golden age of jazz while engaging all the senses through immersive technology, world-class live performance, and a sumptuous Mediterranean menu.^[13]

Jazz on Main holds the distinction of being the only dedicated live music venue in upper Westchester County, New York — a region spanning the northern portion of the county beyond White Plains. Dover has stated that the dream of opening a jazz club preceded even his entry into the recording industry: he had held the vision for over twenty years before it came to fruition.^[1]

The club features an advanced sound and lighting system designed to complement its intimate atmosphere. Its self-described identity — "an old soul jazz club with immersive technology and cuisine" — reflects Dover's intention to honor jazz's American heritage while offering a contemporary, multi-sensory experience.^[14] Capacity is approximately 50 guests.

Programming and events

Jazz on Main offers programming across multiple nights of the week. Wednesday evenings are designated as open mic nights, accommodating karaoke, cabaret, poetry, and play readings, typically with a piano accompanist. Thursday nights feature a band set followed by an open jam session, welcoming musicians who bring their own instruments. Friday and Saturday evenings host ticketed headliner performances by established jazz, blues, and swing acts. Sunday programming includes a Jazz Brunch hosted by Ron Drotos.^[13]

The venue has hosted a wide variety of performers, including quartets, organ trios, piano bar shows, swing acts, and blues bands. Every third Thursday is designated Comedy Night. Ticket prices for performances generally range from approximately $20 to $30 in advance, with a per-person food and beverage minimum. Jazz on Main has received praise from patrons for its cozy atmosphere, excellent acoustics, and the caliber of its performers, with reviewers citing it as a rare opportunity for world-class live jazz in the northern suburbs of New York City.^[15]

Personal life

Laurie Dover

Shaul Dover's wife, Laurie Dover, is an artist and teacher based in Katonah, New York. She is listed professionally as an artist affiliated with US Authentic Mfg Co, reflecting the deeply intertwined nature of the Dover family's creative and professional lives.^[21] Laurie's dual identity as both a working artist and an educator places her squarely within the rich arts and education community of northern Westchester County — a region known for its concentration of artists, writers, and creative professionals drawn by its proximity to New York City and the quality of its schools and cultural institutions.

The influence of Laurie's artistic sensibility is felt throughout the Dover family's ventures. Shaul has consistently described family as the animating force behind his entrepreneurial life — from naming his original leather company after their children Sarah and Edan, to the warm, community-oriented atmosphere he has cultivated at Jazz on Main, where he has spoken of creating "a place for the community to gather and celebrate the arts and music." Laurie's background as a teacher also resonates with the educational dimension of Sweatshop Studios, which Shaul has described as a space not just for recording but for artist development and nurturing new talent.

References

External links

• shauldover.com — Official personal website
• flightjacket.com — US Authentic LLC, leather flight jackets
• sweatshopstudios.com — Sweatshop Studios recording studio
• jazzonmain.com — Jazz on Main, Mt. Kisco, NY
• LinkedIn profile