Photo By Doug Schwarz
A note from the artist:
“PFS was named in 2013. I say “named” because, “Pigs Fly Shop”, was originally essentially just a label that I needed to assign to all of these different things that I wanted to create or already had. So that the “mess” felt a little more organized. It is an umbrella, if you will. Over the years it became an Etsy shop, then a freelance graphic design company, a tooled leather and vintage brand, one time it was a fake publishing company. It's an alias, a signature. It has been been whatever I have needed it to be!
Pigsflyshop.com is where my ideas and endeavors live. Past, present, and future. Pigs Fly Shop is me, but it is also a business. Part of my business model and the intent of the website, is to invite people to see how this whole thing works, and to be a part of its journey. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of community, and that for a strong one... anything is possible.
That'll do, pig. That’ll do.”
Ali Harter-Street, 38, is a mother, artist, musician, & entrepreneur from Oklahoma City. Growing up on acreage in rural Deer Creek with access to her father’s wood & machine shop, Harter-Street’s love of art, fabrication, and invention was second nature.
Ali’s mother nurtured her exploration of artistic mediums by allowing her to use her bedroom walls as a place to practice. Her father was a drummer and skilled tradesman with an artistic eye. Her mother, more of a bluestocking woman. A nurse with a love for literature, who instilled the importance of reading, knowledge, and self-improvement. Her two sisters, are also artists, musicians, carpenters, actors, authors, and creators in their own right. Ali began experimenting with musical instruments at age 13 after watching her older sister do the same. She took violin lessons before ultimately sticking with guitar. This was the beginning of a musical obsession, and an eventual career.
Harter-Street graduated high school in 2002. She spent a year away from schooling before attending the University of Central Oklahoma’s graphic design program. Her brief stint as a collegiate lasted less than a year before Ali made the decision to pack up and learn to make a living as a full-time, touring musician. Albeit a starving fledgling musician, Ali’s persistence eventually lead to a successful career as an independent musician. Her 15 years as a musician, have seen several independent records, innumerable collaborations, national & international tours, publishing deals, television & motion picture music placements, local & international accolades, a gold record earning co-write, a brief stint at NBC’s The Voice, and eventually guitar teacher/guitar tech at Oklahoma Cities Rock and Roll Camp For Girls.
In 2016, Ali’s father and biggest fan passed away. Her love of playing music and singing seemed to be lost as well. She moved back into her childhood home with her two daughters, mother, younger sister, and brand new nephew. After two years of grieving, working at a local bar, and spending time tooling in her father’s shop as she had done when she was a child; Harter-Street found her voice again. As she used her fathers tools to build a new future for herself and her girls, wounds healed, and her story as an artist came full circle.
In early 2020, Ali, the “shop kids”, a Great Pyrenees named Nocona, and a yellow tabby named Amaryllis, moved to a homestead in Oklahoma City. The property, which has been in the family for over 60 years, is the families & Pigs Fly Shop’s forever home! 2021 will see a shop build out, complete with a private studio, private shopping, mini-markets, family-friendly events, and more! Be sure to follow PFS on social media for updates. Welcome to Pigs Fly Shop!
Photo By Doug Schwarz
