Dominic Cazzetta created his fine Don-Lou pipes on Bath Avenue in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, NY. His passing in the early 1990s has made them increasingly rare and collectible.
Tom Mistetta, a friend and collector notes “On one of my days off during the week, I would usually spend several hours at the shop talking with him. During these visits, I learned a great deal about the different types and styles of pipes and the materials they were made from. Don used primarily the finest grade Corsican briar, but I also saw him create pipes from exotic woods such as maple, cherry, walnut paduuk, bubinga, zebrawood, and rosewood He even taught me how to put the finishing touches on new pipes and how to blend tobacco. "To know the man was to love the man.
His shop was quite small and six people crowded it. On Saturdays, the shop was more like a social club with customers and friends standing inside and out shooting the breeze. These people were serious pipe smokers and collectors. Some owned more than a hundred of Don's creations and they cherished every one of them.
My brother remembers a reporter from New York magazine visited one Saturday, and interviewed Don and some customers. Don’s artistry was cherished by knowledgeable smokers and even in the 1970s some of his sets went for as high as $10,000.00”.
pipedia.org
Tom Mistetta, a friend and collector notes “On one of my days off during the week, I would usually spend several hours at the shop talking with him. During these visits, I learned a great deal about the different types and styles of pipes and the materials they were made from. Don used primarily the finest grade Corsican briar, but I also saw him create pipes from exotic woods such as maple, cherry, walnut paduuk, bubinga, zebrawood, and rosewood He even taught me how to put the finishing touches on new pipes and how to blend tobacco. "To know the man was to love the man.
His shop was quite small and six people crowded it. On Saturdays, the shop was more like a social club with customers and friends standing inside and out shooting the breeze. These people were serious pipe smokers and collectors. Some owned more than a hundred of Don's creations and they cherished every one of them.
My brother remembers a reporter from New York magazine visited one Saturday, and interviewed Don and some customers. Don’s artistry was cherished by knowledgeable smokers and even in the 1970s some of his sets went for as high as $10,000.00”.
