Maximus Leather, owned and operated by Max Oddi (he/they), is Pittsburgh’s one-stop shop for kink-related, as well as some non-kink, leather goods. There are floggers, leather cuffs, impact toys, and bondage gear in a variety of vivid colors, but there are also hand-dyed leather wallets and bags for the more, “straight-edge, vanilla” crowd. Oddi, a self-described “agent of chaos” who is frequently accompanied by one of their romantic and creative partners, makes a point to travel to local craft and oddity markets to sell these hand-stitched leather pieces. Their goods were featured at this year’s Queer Craft Market: Pride Edition, which has been building community for LGBTQ artists and makers since 2017. “I moved here in ‘02,” they tell Pittsburgh City Paper, “So I’m not a native but I’ve lived here long enough … so local-ish. I’m not not local, but I’m definitely not a native.” Oddi’s favorite Pittsburgh neighborhood is Wilkinsburg, which they have called home, despite a few moves in and out over the years, for the past 20 years.

Photo Credit: August Stephens/Pittsburgh City Paper