It all began with a single, lovely rose. A rose made by a young man as a gift for his love in the medium he knew best, on a welder machine owned by his mentor, Barney Zeitz. That steel rose was the genesis of a business that won a Perfect Pitch prize last year, and that business has flowered and flourished ever since.
Gabe Bellebuono’s Perfect Pitch began as he passed around four of his steel creations to the judges, and told them that no two roses he made would ever be alike, and that was exactly what made each one so special. He remembers the judges handling the roses as gingerly as if they were real flowers, and their appreciation of the tiniest of details recreated in steel. Bellebuono had no idea that his steel rose would become a bestseller in the next year; a symbol of love that doesn’t ever wilt or die.
Bellebuono’s Perfect Pitch MV presentation was the result of a collaboration between him and his aunt, English teacher Angie Bellebuono. On one of his visits to her in Georgia, the two collaborated on his Perfect Pitch, and Gabe says her help and encouragement were invaluable. Aunt Angie told him that “each rose is better than the last,” and that he was gaining more knowledge and skill each time he created one.
Bellebuono told the judges he would use his winnings to purchase his own welder, and did exactly that. Indeed, he was able to purchase a nice welder at a good price from Zeitz’s supplier. That welder has brought his ideas to life since, and has allowed his creativity to expand beyond roses to other kinds of flowers, and to specialty knives as well.
In the past year, though Bellebuono has not advertised other than though Instagram (#islandironforge) and Facebook (Gabriel Bellebuono), his business has increased dramatically. People tell him they remember him from his Perfect Pitch, and have contacted him specifically to purchase a rose, mostly as an anniversary gift. Each rose takes him several hours to create from start to finish, because of the need to shape each of those petals perfectly and quickly enough while the metal is malleable.
While roses continue to be a mainstay, Bellebuono has branched out to making other types of flowers on his welder. The resulting daffodils, orchids, and ferns have been displayed at several galleries on the Island, including Chilmark Gallery, Night Heron Gallery, and Featherstone. One recent show at the latter gallery led to the sale of almost two dozen pieces.
Bellebuono says the galleries in particular have been happy to support him and his work. One manager at Featherstone told him she appreciated his work because it was “so unusual as well as beautiful.” He has had several shows in the past year, and that has in turn spurred his creativity. He would like to expand and have a brick-and-mortar shop, as well as new tools.
A forging press is on his equipment wish list, and will allow him to eliminate the tedious hammering of metal, as well as to introduce several types of metal into a single sheet. The latter will give his knives and petals a distinctive pattern. He calls this “Damascus” or pattern-welded steel, and because of the cost of the equipment, he will have to sell a lot more of his steel creations in order to purchase it.
Bellebuono says that pricing has been the biggest challenge for him thus far. Zeitz and others have helped with that aspect of his craft, but as his product has become more well-known, he finds he needs to increase production. He is currently taking business-related classes for help in both areas.
While Bellebuono still usually delivers orders in person, it’s likely he won’t have the time to do so as the volume of both orders and work increases. That has been a major learning he has taken from his Perfect Pitch experience. He advises aspiring “Perfect Pitchers” to “think big, because you always need the next thing that helps you scale up” your business. And he also asserts that the nicest gifts can be the simplest — like a single, lovely rose.
