OUR STORY
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Since we started, our philosophy has been to help people “live their lives the way they wish they were” by offering distinctive, hard-to-find lifestyle merchandise for men and women inspired by our travels. The J. Peterman Company represents an aspirational lifestyle. Our selections enable our customers to feel transported to a world full of travel, adventure, and romance; a world where the uncommon journey creates the memories we cherish most. The company’s history is rooted in this aspiration and we try to live up to it every single day.
1989: How we started
In 1987, along with my partner, Don Staley, $500, a horseman’s duster, and an idea, we began an unusual adventure into direct mail. I took out a ⅙ page ad in The New Yorker and we eventually built that idea into something that I’m proud to say is still alive and kicking (thanks to you).How did we do it? By breaking all the rules. Our “Owner’s Manual” catalogue only featured one item per page, we used paintings of items versus photography, and each item was accompanied by intensive romantic copy. These were all things the “experts” said we couldn’t do.
1988: Owner’s Manual N°. 1
Image to Illustration
The J. Peterman Owner’s Manual, still showcasing content in superb artistic renderings accompanied by sophisticated narrative prose, was, and is, a one-of-a-kind experience, and something we’ve tried to recreate on our website. For those of you who only know us digitally, let us send you a catalogue. You won’t be disappointed.
On the road for the unique
We travelled the world for over 30 years in search of the unique, the unusual, and hopefully, a few things that help make our lives a bit less ordinary.
