About

Our story begins with James Alaimo, a man whose hands shaped history. He spent his career at Colt, eventually rising to become the Head of the Colt Custom Shop, a title earned through mastery, patience, and unwavering dedication. James believed in tradition, family, honesty, and craftsmanship, and he passed those values down like heirlooms.
As James continued his life’s work, his son-in-law Tyler began learning under him. In his 30s, Tyler worked part-time with James, practicing the craft and helping operate what had become a respected name in the world of custom gun work. In time, James’s daughter Emily stepped into the workshop as well, especially during years when new laws and regulations in Connecticut made the business more difficult to sustain.
To support the family, Tyler returned to work full-time at the Colt Archives while Emily assumed much of the responsibility of keeping Nutmeg Sports going. The work was demanding and the industry was shifting. There were years when orders slowed, when it seemed Nutmeg Sports might fade into memory. Emily carried the business forward during those years, managing the work, the customers, the craftsmanship, and the reputation all at once. The weight she carried ensured that Nutmeg Sports endured.
I grew up surrounded by all of this, the stories, the craftsmanship, the legacy. The workbench, the smell of ivory and horn, the pride behind every finished piece. Those formed the backdrop of my childhood. I built a career of my own as a diesel mechanic for the Department of Transportation, a respectable path I believed was my future from the time I was fourteen.
But sometimes the hands know before the mind does.
Though I had a stable career, the work didn’t fulfill me. I felt a pull back to something meaningful, something rooted in family, history, and skill. So I resigned. I returned to Nutmeg Sports, not just to preserve a craft, but to continue a legacy built on excellence and integrity.
Since August of 2025, I have dedicated myself fully to learning and refining the techniques passed down through my family. And in this chapter, Emily continues to be my teacher. She is the one showing me how to shape, polish, fit, and finish. She guides the handwork and the business alike. Her knowledge, her patience, and the responsibility she carried through the hardest years are foundational to everything Nutmeg Sports is today. This legacy is not just my grandfather’s it is hers as well.
Nutmeg Sports is more than a business. It is a family legacy. It is a promise to the craft. It is the continuation of a good name.
My purpose is simple: to honor what was built before me while guiding Nutmeg Sports forward where tradition is preserved, elevated, and carried into the future.