Justin Tattitch is a man living in the wrong decade.

The 29-year-old Columbia resident, who has recently filed for his own business license, fosters interesting passions including blacksmithing, forestry, and historical reenactments. He credits his early involvement in The Boy Scouts of America to his current curiosity for all activities of the outdoors.
“I’ve been in the Boy Scouts for pretty much as long as I can remember,” Tattitch said.  “My dad was a boy scout growing up, so I was raised on it as well. My dad is still involved and he teaches adult leaders to do their duties, and I help teach blacksmithing at campouts.”
It was through Tattitch’s early exposure to blacksmithing on Boy Scout trips as a child that he began to practice the trade on his own. Tattitch has applied for a business license from the state to own and operate Whiskey Barrel Forge where to produce tools, artwork and commissioned projects.
  “With blacksmithing I get to bring things to life that others see as dead,” Tattitch said. “With forestry I just kill things that others see as alive.”
Before Tattitch was able to branch off with his own professional blacksmithing endeavors, he worked for the National Park Services for two years. For the past seven years, Tattitch has worked for a private forestry company where some of his duties have included managing contained forest fires and clearing mass amounts of forested land.
“I always thought I wanted to be a Park Ranger when I was a little kid,” Tattitch said. “But when I got out there I had to follow all these rules. I’ve never been much of a rule follower, so I found something else.”
Now that Tattitch is at a more stable point of his life, he is eager to put more time and effort into blacksmithing and his artwork.
“I come from a family of engineers,” Tattitch said. “I have the engineering brain but I also have my mom’s artistic skills. Art is all about trial and error and having patience with yourself.”
Most recently, Tattitch has been working on a metal sign for the store Muse Clothing in downtown Columbia. He began by twisting the iron into a curved design and then welded the pieces together to form the letters of the sign.
The sign took a few weeks to complete and Tattitch had to break it down to smaller projects in order to manage the construction. Although it was a time consuming process, Tattitch hopes the finished product will attract future business.
“He was great to work with,” Muse Clothing owner Nickie Davis said. “We met once and he got to business immediately. I’m going to have him do other jobs around my shop like the numbers outside the front door and things for the fitting rooms. I’ve given out all of his business cards to other customers already. I really loved working with him and the sign is above and beyond my expectations.”
In his free time, when he isn’t working on a project, Tattitch can be found participating in historical reenactments with friends. 
“When I was little, I was very enthralled and fascinated with the Civil War,” Tattitch said. “I used to do reenactments of the fur trade era like 1803 to the 1830s. I do French and Indian War, 1750s stuff now. One of the reasons I love history is discovering what really happened rather than what they just teach you in high school.”
Tattitch is also likely to be spotted at The Bridge, a music venue downtown, where he spends time with friends and helps with odd jobs.
The Bridge general manager Kara Miller enjoys having him around the bar while she’s working.
“Justin looks like he kind of guy that would beat you up, and if you messed with his friends, he would but he’s really just a big old softie underneath it all,” Miller said. “He looks like a scary dude, but he’s one of the most kind-hearted people I have ever met.”