In my town, I have a leather and shoe repair business downtown and not only does the owner, err, cobbler (?) make, clean, and repair shoes, he cleans and repairs leather goods as well. I had a Birkenstock buckle break and he replaced it for me (a real Birkenstock buckle too -- jackpot) and he replaced a broken zipper in a leather jacket for my mom. Sometimes those places surprise you! If you have someone near you that does that, see if they can help you out. My guess is that they have scraps of leather laying around and for a decent price, they may be able to help you out. Another idea, if you're crafty yourself, sewing and craft stores often sell leather pieces so maybe you could purchase a piece close in texture and color and using an Exacto knife and a cutting surface, fashion a piece and glue it in the inset. Good luck!
