PERRY COUNTY, Pa. — Ben Masters lives a simple, fairly quiet life with his wife in their tiny home in Perry County. But his job is certainly a creative one.
For five years, Masters has been giving new life to used or broken bike parts.
“I noticed that there was a lot of extra stuff that just couldn’t be used, that was dead, that was going to be either recycled or thrown away. And I thought, that would really make for some unique art,” said Masters.
After his time in the Peace Corps, Masters began volunteering at bike shops like LifeCycle and Recycle Bicycle, where he had abundant access to materials.
"It’s all junk in there. And so, it's fun to sift through things and find the things that I kind of deal with," he explained. "A lot of my friends that are at the bicycle collective have ideas and they find things online that are meaningful to them, so it’s kind of a collaborative effort."
Old gear pieces, bike tires, used license plates, and other parts are used to make Ben’s signature item, clocks!
Though originally intended to just be gifts for family and friends, Masters began to receive commissions for his crafts.
“Somebody said, ‘would you sell one?’ Of course! So, I sold a couple and then I opened a little Etsy business," Masters told FOX43.
He would later open a business account on Instagram to further promote his products.
Masters takes pride in sharing how each product is handmade in his workshop and tailored to each customer in some way.
He makes sure to embrace his own passion for cycling within each product and says he finds joy in the simplest of things.
“I think there’s something special about cycling, moving the cranks, just going in a repetitive motion but you’re going somewhere," Masters said. "Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life."
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