Jeremiah Knight
Class of 2000
I visited with Jeremiah Knight to see what he’s been up to since graduating from AHS with the Class of 2000. He is still living in Albion along with his wife, Jennifer Viza (class of 1996), and their four daughters. Jeremiah’s mother is Kim Martillotta Muscarella (AHS class of 1975), a local artist and owner of Marti’s On Main Art Gallery in Albion. After high school, Jeremiah joined the Army for an eight year tour of duty – thank you for your service, Jeremiah!!! After he left the Army, he utilized skills he had learned and went into a career in construction using heavy equipment excavating, grading, and doing other site work to prep a site for major construction and he is currently still in that line of work.
But, Jeremiah’s passion and true talent comes in the form of woodworking! About 9 years or so ago, Jeremiah started dabbling in making things for his kids, then for gifts for other people, then a few orders here and there…..and it blossomed from there! He truly loves creating things from old wood – his enthusiasm for it was more than evident as we talked. He said that there is a big market for repurposed wood items, which he does do and sells quite a bit of. But, what he really gets into is reclaiming old wood and using it to build something from scratch. He enjoys getting out to the site of an old barn, tearing it down, finding the beauty in the wood, and creating something amazing out of it or saving something from going to the landfill and turning it into a functional piece of artistic home decor. And, his 10-year-old daughter, Maleah, gets in on the action, too…..Jeremiah says she has a great eye and helps him by offering advice on his creations.
Jeremiah worked out of his barn for a few years, but it was soon way too small for the large items he was creating. He wanted a larger space to show his work – he wanted more people to see it – and grow his business. He also wanted to get others involved in showcasing their art. So, on March 20, 2013, he opened Knight’s Pride Custom Woodworking – a store in the historic Pratt Opera House building on the corner of Main St and Beaver Alley in Albion. Recently, another artist began offering her handmade jewelry, gifts, and home decor items in his store – you can now find MMIM items when you stop in to shop! Jeremiah hopes to add other artists to the shop, as well.
In this photo, Jeremiah is standing by a wine cabinet he created from an old piano. The following photo is a table made from the lid and the legs of that same piano. This is not the first piano Jeremiah saved from the landfill and created something amazing from – when his aunt and uncle (Deb Engle Martillotta – class of ’74 and Joe Martillotta – class of ’69 and former AHS teacher) opened The Crooked Door Tavern in Albion, they asked him to build a hostess stand. Instead of making one out of new wood, Jeremiah took an old piano that was left behind by the previous owners and destined for the landfill and used it to make a very special hostess stand – one that carried some of the history of the building with it.
The next few photos were found on the Knight’s Pride Facebook page. They show Jeremiah having fun reclaiming the wood from an old barn, working in his shop, and showing off a great bar he made from an old barrel.
Some photos taken in Knight’s Pride this morning……when you’re in Albion, stop in, look around, and chat with Jeremiah – there’s sure to be something that will catch your eye and you’ll want it for your home!
Congratulations, Jeremiah, on turning your passion into a business that you can be proud of and enjoy for years to come! You are so talented and we are very proud of you!
