From boat captain to built‑ins, Stillwater Customs crafts Knoxville’s finest woodwork
By Nathan Sparks | Photography by Nathan Sparks & Kevin Pitts
Appeared in Cityview Magazine, Vol. 41, Issue 6 (Nov/Dec 2025)
It had been a long, fruitless day. We’d tried everything, and the fish just weren’t biting. Dinner depended on it, and we were coming up empty. Chris Goodwin was on the phone, talking about maybe heading into town for supper—not what we wanted, but it was starting to sound like our only option, at least that’s what I thought. In reality Chris was pulling on the short list. The elite group of people in his life he can always count on, and I was about to learn why.
Then, just as the sun began to fall, I heard it: the distant whine of a single outboard coming closer. Moments later, a boat eased up alongside the pier, and out of the live well came a beautiful seven‑pound tripletail—enough to feed all seven of us. That was the first time I met Kevin Pitts, and it wouldn’t be the last. That’s the heart of a giver. He could have kept that fish for himself, but that just wouldn’t have been Kevin. And true to form, that’s how he runs Stillwater Customs—always giving more than expected, not because he has to, but because he can. That’s just who he is.
Kevin’s path to becoming one of Knoxville’s most respected woodworkers began far from the shop floor—on the open water. Before crafting fine cabinetry, he spent years as a biologist and boat captain in Beaufort, South Carolina. His introduction to woodworking came later, when he apprenticed under an expert craftsman in Nashville. “About twenty years ago,” Kevin recalls, “I was introduced to an expert woodworker who offered me the chance to learn. While I was doing basic carpentry, he was building for big names—politicians, musicians, people at the top of their game. Working beside him, I fell in love with woodworking.”
Today, that same passion drives Stillwater Customs, recognized as a Cityview Best of the Best Gold Winner for 2025—and for good reason. Kevin’s work stands apart because it begins with the simplest, most honest materials: rough lumber, milled and shaped entirely by hand. “What I do is different,” he explains. “When people say custom, they sometimes mean they ordered something from a catalog and put it together. We start with raw boards and build from scratch. No computer‑controlled cutters—just tools, craftsmanship, and care.”
Every piece begins with a conversation. “It’s important to be a good listener,” Kevin says. “I work with each client from the first idea to the final coat of finish. Some want to be hands‑on through every step; others hand me the reins and trust me to bring it home. Either way, it’s personal.”
For Kevin, woodworking isn’t just a trade—it’s a calling. His shop is his sanctuary, filled with the scent of sawdust and the rhythm of creation. “I love being in my shop,” he says. “It’s peaceful. Sometimes my daughters join me, and that’s the best part.”
In an age of automation and shortcuts, Kevin Pitts reminds us that beauty still lives in honest work—where a steady hand, a generous heart, and a piece of rough wood can become something enduring.