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The Legend of Pieter Parbuckle
"No matter where you go, there you are."
[Editor’s note: This is a transcribed version of an oral history that has been passed down by scoundrels and scalawags of questionable memory, morality and mental capacity. Virtually all of the facts presented here are unverifiable. No written records of the events mentioned here exist. It is entirely possible none of this tale is true. No aspect of this story should be relied upon in any way.]
 They say Pieter Parbuckle stowed away aboard a four-masted frigate leaving Boston Harbor in 1901 at the age of 14. Thought to be an orphan, he was put ashore in Maui (some say it was Malawi) but escaped and made his way to Goa (or possibly Genoa). From there he went to Melbourne (either Florida or Australia), Auckland (or maybe it was the Falklands?) and Valparaiso (Chile, not Indiana), then on to Pompei, Bombay, Mandalay, Monterrey, Parrot’s Cay, Piscataway and Galway.
Wet behind the ears but mature beyond his years, he was taken in by a succession of ship’s captains around the world and taught the ropes of the great schooners, clippers and other tall ships that plied the world’s cargo lanes in the early 20th century. Before long, Pieter was captaining his own 80-foot corvette—the Marvelesse—making a good living hauling questionable cargo through even more questionable waters for secretive patrons.
Pieter encountered many a baron and brigand along the way. He put in at virtually every major port in the known world and a fair few others. Over a couple decades he befriended princes and pirates; pashas and popes; presidents, priests, premiers and privateers.
Somewhere along the way Pieter set up an operation in Batavia (now modern day Jakarta) dismantling decommissioned ships-of-the-line, confiscated pirate clippers and, eventually, aging or damaged steamer ships, salvaging their hulls, decking, fittings and gunneries for resale or scrap.
Pieter established a lucrative side venture selling off the fine furniture and fixtures recovered from the private captain’s quarters and first class cabins. He and his partners set up a shop in London offering these goods to the public. A second shop was later opened in New York.
Demand soon outstripped supply. Seizing the opportunity, Pieter set up a small factory in Java to manufacture reproductions of some of the most popular designs. The fine woods, premium brass fittings and exacting design details were an immediate hit. He had a discerning eye and a commitment to quality construction and materials. Pieter's business and reputation grew accordingly.
The bigger and more prosperous the business became, the more Pieter longed for the open sea. One day he dispatched letters to his partners ceding them ownership of the business and set off single-handed in a 42-foot yawl—the Marvelesse Too—never to be heard from again.
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Periodic sightings of the legendary man were reported over the years. Sipping ouzo at a taverna in Paros. Taking in a bullfight in Seville. Smoking a cigar in the lobby of the Hotel Nacional. Dining with a lady friend at a sidewalk café in Buenos Aires.
But without his steady and capable hand at the helm, the business eventually faded into obscurity. And the fate of Pieter Parbuckle was lost to history for a good number of years.
Not long ago, a trunk with his journal and some other personal effects was discovered in the rafters of a little cottage in the Maldives where he apparently lived out his waning years. Among the findings were a number of drawings and design notes from Pieter’s furniture production.
Using those source materials as a guide, we reconstituted Parbuckles® and recommissioned the manufacture of his entire line of nautical-inspired furnishings. We proudly offer the full range of Pieter's genius to you here in honor of his memory and in the spirit of a life lived well.
As Pieter Parbuckle often said, "no matter where you go, there you are."
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