Amanda Bret, I am the owner and curator a lifestyle shop in Brooklyn.
What kind of Shop do you have? tell me about it.
Schafmayer & Co was born in 2013 when my grandad Arthur “Breeze” Schafmayer, a veteran and motorcycle builder, passed away. I wanted to pay homage to him by filling a store with things he would have loved himself. My shop is a retail space for independent artists and makers from all over the country which doubles as an art gallery. We are an authorized Biltwell dealer, and specialize in hand-customized/painted leather and hand-embroidered denim, as well as hand-forged knives made my myself and other knife makers in the US. We sell everything from handmade jewelry for both men and women, clothing and shirts with designs by artists exclusive to our shop, taxidermy, leather goods, vintage nudie mags, stained glass, vintage apparel, moto magazines, a plethora of pins and patches, art prints, and much more I’m sure I am forgetting at the moment.
What got you into bikes?
The day grandpa Breeze let me ride on the p-pad of the Triumph he built was the day I knew I loved motorcycles. We cruised the winding roads of upstate New York and stopped to count the herds of buffalo in a giant pasture. I felt like I was really flying. I believe I was 8 years old then. His wife also builds - to this day - and she taught me how to assemble a Harley clutch on my 10th birthday. Now I ride with my dad and we’re working on having my grandma build my mom a trike. I have my family to thank for my interest in motorcycles from a very young age.
What was the first song or record that got you into heavy music?
Black Sabbath Vol 4
What bands are on heavy rotation for you right now?
Electric Wizard, Dortha Cottrell, Sleep, Acid King, Melvins… the list goes on.
What relationship do you think music and motorcycles have in the current world?
There’s a certain intimacy in the connection between music and motorcycle culture that has always gravitated toward freedom and lifelong rebellion. The two will always go hand in hand.
What is your dream bike build?
My grandad’s Triumph chopper or a custom Schwinn Stingray with glitter tassels. Anything to cruise beyond the patriarchy. But I’m pretty stoked on my stock HD Sportster.
Promote yourself.
As well as being a visual artist, I work 8 days a week to support the arts in my community and beyond. I feel incomplete when I am not hard at work, these hands are never idle. I play guitar, banjo, and sing and have put out one EP and 2 full length records. My personal Instagram account is @bratoutofhell and my company’s account is @schafmayerandco. The shop website is www.TheBreezeLives.com
