About

Initially established in Savannah, Georgia in 1997, Witchdoctor Trading Company had a mail order catalog and shared a storefront on Broughton street with Savannah Serpents. Offerings back then ranged from spiders to scorpions to potions and beyond. My name is Olie Sylvester and I’m the proprietor.

In 1999 I moved from Savannah to the Atlanta area. A small town called Auburn nestled exactly at the halfway point between Atlanta and Athens. Back then, the local mall (Mall of Georgia) had a Tinder Box shop. The second I saw it, a flood of memories came back. Growing up in Deland Florida, I had a small pipe collection that my parents allowed, so long as I never tried to smoke them. I don’t know why, at the age of 10 or 11, I was so absolutely drawn to pipes, but I was. My small collection was mostly pipes of interest I found at yard sales. In particular, I had a neighbor named Mr. Follis, a snowbird, who often sold tables full of items at a local flea market. Many pipes from my early collection came from his tables.

These pipes were like small sculptures to me. Fascinating and all unique in their own way. So many years later, there I was, at a Tinder Box shop in the mall, about to begin collecting pipes again. A Peterson Aran was my choice that day. From here, I stumbled upon Pipes and Tobaccos magazine in a local book store. To my surprise, in the back were lists of pipe clubs, one being in Atlanta. Of course I began attending.

The Atlanta Pipe Club at that time often met at Joyce’s house. She ran a local pipe shop and had a long history in the industry herself. I remember one conversation we had that involved tobacco snuff. The amount of tobacco snuff she sold was far more than I realized anyone could sell in modern times. Living in the US, it just wasn’t common here.

From time to time, a pipe maker or representative would come through and bring their wares to the pipe club. This is how I met the always kind and incredible pipe salesman, Steve Monjure. It was through Steve that I would learn about Radice pipes. Eventually I would meet the Radice family in their workshop in Italy.

In 2008, Joyce had a very special guest come to the pipe club. Bjarne Nielsen, an incredibly famous pipe maker from Denmark. It was during this time that my wife kept telling me that I should create a podcast about pipes, since I spent so much of my free time in the history of pipes and tobaccos. Through Joyce, Bjarne agreed to be interviewed, and that was the first podcast I created.

Fast forward to my wanting to create pipes. At first, I saw the creation of Monstrosity Pipes as a way to help support the podcast. I began with blocks that Mark Tinsky would drill for me. I would butcher them up and those first creations were often quite large and menacing. One found its place into a pipe museum in Texas, a story for another time. The process of creating pipes this way was fun, I was more of a pipe designer than pipe maker. I had many famous makers give me quotes about these early horrific pieces to post on my site in a tongue in cheek way to advertise them. While I had some friendly support, I also had a number of detractors right from the start.

Eventually, I wouldn’t be happy until I learned how to make pipes from start to finish myself. I had taken part in the pipe making seminar at the Chicago Pipe Show, which was great fun, but of course, not enough. I will say it was quite amazing to have Anne Julie discuss my design that year with me, and help talk me through some ideas. It would be a number of years later at the same Chicago show that she saw a table full of my pipes, and commented on liking them. Of course I was beside myself, as she has always been one of my favorite pipe makers.

Some time after the pipe making seminar and before having my own table at the Chicago Pipe show, I decided to seek out some sort of apprenticeship with a world renown top carver. Todd Johnson and I came to an agreement and I spent time in his workshop in Tennessee, learning from one of the greatest. During that time, and in Todd’s studio, I would meet Bruce Weaver. At that time, Bruce lived just across the street from Todd. Over the years I would also learn a great deal from Bruce.

In 2013, I was honored to have my work as the cover story for Pipes and Tobaccos magazine, fall 2013 edition. My work was as avant-garde as it came at that point, and that issue shows some striking stand outs.

Now, my work continues to grow and change as any artistic endeavor does. And if you’re curious about the other art that I make, please do go my other site: www.oliesylvester.com where you will see works of mine from small to large, mostly paintings and some sculptures. I studied both painting and graphic design at The Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah. I also studied biology for a few years at Stetson University in Deland, Florida.

I am incredibly fortunate to have my work (both art and pipes) in collections around the world. In the early 90s I had a studio in City Market in downtown Savannah. As a member of that community, I was in their annual group show, but also had a solo show and lecture while there. Over the years I’ve been in group and solo shows, my most recent being in a group show currently happening in Orlando Florida (2026).

On this site, Witchdoctor Trading Company focuses only on the Monstrosity Pipe line. Please contact me anytime with any questions or comments on pipes, art, or anything in between.