Meet Pat Kawka this weeks #PeopleOfWilmDE. This Pittsburgh native delivers legal documents by day, but is known for his beautiful handcrafted lamps that Wilmington has embraced.
I moved to Wilmington with my wife, Catharine and dog Emma in 2023 to spend more time with Catharine’s family. In my spare time, I enjoy making lamps and tinkering with lighting design. I am also passionate about digging for antique bottles. I am an amateur birder, nature/outdoors lover, mountain biker, kayaker, haiku writer, found object assemblage maker, dog worshipper, explorer, and music and beer enthusiast.
I have a bachelors degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Environmental Health with a minor in biology. I was an environmental consultant for about two years. Then, I was a delivery guy in Pittsburgh for over 20 years before moving to Wilmington in 2023. Currently I am employed by a logistics company called Blue Marble. I deliver legal documents and mail on foot to law firms and courthouses in downtown Wilmington. Some days I walk as much as 20,000 steps through the streets of Wilmington!
Wilmington Connection
How did you end up in Wilmington?
I grew up in a small working class town in Pittsburgh called Millvale. The town is famous for its saw mill and epic floods. I spent most of my time as a kid exploring the woods around Millvale. I had all the typical first jobs that young boys have; grass cutter, dishwasher, and paperboy. I also had a job at night after school setting up duck pins at a bowling alley. The oddest job I ever had was as a Christmas tree shearer!
The town where I went to college (Indiana, PA), was nicknamed “The Christmas Tree Capital of the World”. As a Christmas tree shearer, I would get up very early in the morning and ride my motorcycle in the dark out to a rural Christmas tree farm, meet-up with a group of guys, get issued a 20 inch machete and shear the Christmas trees to give them a pyramidal shape so they would look perfect in time for the Christmas season.
How has being in Wilmington helped you be where you are today professionally and personally?
Wilmington has been great to me! So many people have embraced and shared my passion for lamp-making and lighting. I’ve made and sold hundreds of lamps since moving here. I really love working, living and exploring here in Wilmington. It’s got great history, architecture, restaurants and people.
I want to continue to live and work here because I want to contribute through art to make this city the best it can be. Wilmington has some great artists but it needs more. Two of my favorite local artists are Todd Purse and Geraldo Gonzalez. Look at their work! We need more creative people like them. In a sense, because Wilmington needs more art and artists, it makes it a great city to live in and a great time to be here. I am optimistic that Wilmington is entering a boom phase of growth and opportunity. It’s Time Wilmington!
Wilmington has been very supportive of my lamp making by the hundreds of people showing up and attending markets and events where they are sold. I continue to be surprised by how popular my lamps are here. I could not have had this success without the help of Wilmington’s small, independent local businesses. Nick, at Scout Cafe, Claire, Ryan and Jason at Huxley and Hiro Booksellers and Noah and Anna at Spaceboy Clothing. All these business owners encourage and support local artists and give Wilmington personality and uniqueness. These kinds of small businesses create a connected web of support for not only artists but the entire community. My first year in Wilmington has far exceeded my expectations! I couldn’t be happier anywhere in the world! My goal is to live, create and explore for many years to come. Thank you Wilmington for so many opportunities and adventures this past year!
Wilmington Favorites
Favorite Wilmington attraction/event and why:
My favorite Wilmington attraction/event is the Newark Union Church and Cemetery (I am on the board of directors there). It is a former church converted into a museum with an unbelievable historical bottle collection. As I mentioned above, I am an avid bottle digger and antique glass lover. The cemetery has soldiers from every major war. Bob and Anne Daly are the friendly curators of this North Wilmington hidden gem. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but Bob and Anne believe that there is a sealed-off tunnel beneath the church that was part of the underground railroad! There will eventually be a large celebration when the tunnel is excavated and the tunnel and its history will be a permanent part of the museum experience. There is so much local history preserved and displayed at the Newark Union Church and Cemetery, it’s a must-see for a unique Wilmington experience!
Ideal itinerary for a night out in Wilmington/weekend in Wilmington):
I’m not a night owl any more, so I don’t go out in the evening very often. But I really like Dimeo’s pizza and Metro pizza. I have a proclivity for hot latte from Scout Cafe. I take great pleasure in beer, especially IPA’s, Chelsea Tavern has a great beer list on tap (33 taps). All the foods at the DECO food court are fantastic. I sample everything on the menu at Taqueria El Chignon. For dessert, Terra has the most decadent baklava I’ve ever tasted! The Delaware Center For Creative Art, is always attracting and showing great exhibits and Huxley And Hiro Booksellers seems to have an engaging event almost every day. And last but not least, the First Friday Art Loop, is an event that everyone should attend! It’s free and a wonderful way to meet fellow Wilmingtonians.
Insights and Future Vision
What are you excited about that’s going on in Wilmington right now?
What I’m excited about in Wilmington is the feeling that I’m here during an urban renaissance downtown. Wilmingtonians are eager and hungry for art and creativity and new experiences
How would you like to see our city grow in the next year, next 5-10 years?
I’d like to see more opportunities for art and encouragement for self-expression. Wilmington doesn’t seem to have any on-street Bohemian buskers playing musical instruments or street performers. More independent small, local businesses. I’d like to see anti-strike bird film on downtown windows. More tree-planting initiatives, less downtown blight, more buildings occupied, the Delaware Art Institute buildings repurposed for higher education of some sort. Youth attraction/retention around Market Streets essentialI for change. I’d like to see Joe Biden choose Wilmington as the location for his presidential library. I’d like to see a fund for murals on some of the blank, bland building spaces around the city.
What advice would you like to give people living and working in Wilmington?
Advice for Wilmington, slow down and drive a little more carefully. Drive with empathy. Drive like you have someone you care about in your life. Stop littering. Visit the art galleries, attend First Friday Art Loop and support local small businesses.
Personal Reflections
What is one of your proudest moments of being a Wilmingtonian?
My proudest moment of being a Wilmingtonian would be when the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art asked me if I would like to sell my lamps inside their gift shop at the gallery. I had only lived in Wilmington for a few months and I felt really fortunate to have an opportunity like that. It really helped me get some momentum with selling my work locally. I sold lamps there for almost a year. I am also proud to have helped rescue a merlin that crashed into a downtown Wilmington window. He was rehabilitated by Tri-State Bird Rescue and released back into the wild.
What are 3 (or more!) interesting or surprising facts about you?
- In 1996 I volunteered for AmeriCorps in Pittsburgh. I worked for a stipend full-time for 6 months. I worked with a group of about 12 people to remove lead paint from low-income housing.
- My father always claimed that our Polish ancestors were removed from Krakow, and sent to a labor camp in Siberia. They then escaped from the camp and settled in Pittsburgh. I have no idea if it was true. It’s probably a myth, but myths like that can give you courage and strength. I have always used that story to motivate me, to not give up when confronted with a difficult challenge. My last name in Polish means “jackdaw” which is the European crow.
- I love to travel and in 1996, after college I wandered around the U.S. and Canada. I have been to almost every state multiple times. I particularly enjoy riding the train. I have ridden The Southwest Chief, from Flagstaff, Arizona to Pittsburgh sitting coach, the Empire Builder, from Pittsburgh to Seattle, in 2000, sitting coach. In 2019, Cathy and I rode the California Zephyr, from Pittsburgh to Sacramento, we had a roomette for that trip.
- In 1996, I stayed in a Miami youth hostel for about 2 months for $12 a night! It was located two blocks from South Beach! I was unemployed and broke but thirsting for adventure and something more meaningful than just a career in Pittsburgh.
- I had a job interview in 1996 at the World Trade Tower to join the Peace Corps, but I didn’t get selected.
- I got stuck on a mountain at night in Flagstaff Arizona.
