We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeff Pittman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jeff, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I learned how to do leatherwork by utilizing skills of sewing, I had learned in my youth, and skills of leather tooling from watching online videos. With what I now know about leatherwork, I wish I would have reached out for mentorship early on by the professionals I have met along the way. The most essential skill is the drive to do things on my own. The only real obstacles have been starting costs and building clientele.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My whole business started as a metal fabrication company to build and customize motorcycles. A large part of customization is leatherwork accessories. We started to get requests more and more for different kinds of motorcycle accessories, like seats, tool bags, and clothing. This turned into people asking for custom wallets, belts and other fashion items. At one point a fashion designer reached out to us for a custom belt that would appear of Project Runway, but thanks to the COVID pandemic it never saw the cameras. When events and markets started closing down we were forced to really reorganize and sell more items online. This changed how we did business completely. At this time we also added jewelry to our store. When a client requests unique items that serve a useful purpose and let us really use our creativity to help someone, that is a great feeling of making something useful. It’s also a lot of fun when someone say, “Do whatever you think is cool.”
Our unique way of approaching an idea sets us apart from other artists. Whether it is metal, leather, or jewelry we want to make sure that each piece is special because thought and process are all taken with a high level of value. We want every client to love what they receive from us. Period.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When the pandemic hit the way we conducted business hard, we reorganized and redirected our selling style and products.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

One day we would like to open a brick and mortar store. We realize this is a long journey, but we are slowly planning an approach to succeed once it happens.

Contact Info:

• Website: Etsy.com/shop/pittmanandco
• Instagram: @pittman_and_co
• Facebook: Facebook.com/pittmanco