LISBON, Ohio – Adam Pratt, owner of Youngstown Cycle and Speed, twists a wrench while building a custom Jeep and talking about his latest artistic endeavor.
Pratt has a lot going on.
Eight years ago he took his love for art and custom paint jobs and purchased Youngstown Cycle and Speed from the prior owner, Jim Nadasky, who founded it in 1969. After a fire in 2005, Nadasky moved the business from Youngstown to Boardman. Then Pratt moved the business from Boardman to Lisbon in 2023, giving new life to the former Bye and Bye Hardware building.
“I fell in love with the artiness of the town and just the small-town vibe,” said Pratt, who lives in Columbiana. “And this building – I fell in love with this building because it’s awesome.”
The front showroom is filled with motorcycles, some featuring his custom artwork on their tanks. He makes and sells custom signs and paints custom helmets. He also sells parts and riding gear.
Pratt also has a love for Jeeps. While Youngstown Cycle and Speed traditionally bought and sold used motorcycles, he expanded into Jeeps and other custom vehicle projects. When customers bring in vehicles – especially those being restored – Pratt often takes on the challenge, having rebuilt several Jeeps, from the frame up to a finished custom paint job.
“We used to build a lot of Jeeps,” said Kenny Paskey, who used to work with Prattt and now drops by the shop. “When you build them from the frame up, you start to see it once you put a few pieces on and then you get a rolling chassis. … They’re actually quite fun, just like a model car, only the size for us big kids that won’t grow up.”
Paskey and Pratt share a love of Jeeps that goes way back, and both recently had Jeeps they restored displayed at the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival in Butler, Pa., an event that attracts thousands of Jeep enthusiasts.
Pratt said he tends to take on bigger, vintage projects, especially when it’s slow in the winter.
Instead of using decals like many would, Pratt adds pinstripes and other logos with paint. He creates airbrushed effects on some pieces. On the glovebox of a Jeep he is currently working on, Pratt added a custom painted picture of the Jeep that belonged to the owner’s father.
His favorite part is creating art, which he plans to focus on more once he sells Youngstown Cycle and Speed, currently listed for sale.
“My art, I pretty much do anything,” Pratt said. “I work in any medium. … Most of the stuff I do is commission stuff.”
For fun, he is currently painting on vinyl albums he collects with a friend. The scratched albums are being turned into painted art. He also enjoys oil painting.
Pratt’s artwork also is displayed and sold at Source Gallery, in another part of the square in Lisbon.
Mark Hamilton, owner of Source Gallery, said Pratt is a member of the Lisbon Arts Initiative board, which celebrates the arts in Lisbon. Pratt also teaches art classes in Columbiana for children and adults.
“He’s been a really great partner,” Hamilton said of Pratt, adding they both have an interest in pinstriping art and the artists who do it. “He’s going to do a pinstriping class coming up.”
And as the Lisbon Arts Initiative continues to work to bring more opportunities in the arts to Lisbon, Hamilton said it is nice to have another business owner and artist on the board.
Pratt’s addition to Lisbon has brought several events to the village. The Lisbon Rumble, held in June, brings in more than 100 cars for a classic car show, as well as bands. He would like to see that event grow big enough that it can move to the Columbiana County Fairgrounds, where attendees could camp for the weekend.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride for classic and vintage motorcycle riders is a worldwide event that raises money for mental health and prostate cancer research. Pratt organizes a group to take the ride locally each year, dressed in their suits. The event will take place May 16 this year, and Pratt said he will be opening up registration for it soon.
Whatever events he holds, Pratt said he always tries to tie it to charity.
Pictured at top: Adam Pratt, owner of Youngstown Cycle and Speed.