[3] In 1986, John Peterman bought a cowboy duster in Wyoming and received multiple compliments when he wore it.

Products were illustrated with black and white drawings, and described in a literary style, often at considerable length:[4] "When a man puts on this authentic French farmer's shirt he may very well find that his hands look bigger … Is that woman over there giving him the eye and nodding toward the haystack?

[4] In December 1992, the J. Peterman Company opened its first retail store in Lexington, Kentucky, and sold strawberry preserves, a Chinese-made BMW-style motorcycle with sidecar, and a 38-pound silver bar from a 17th-century sunken Spanish ship.

[9] During the 1990s, the J. Peterman Company catalog attracted attention from celebrities, like Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, and Paul Newman.

[4] From 1995 to 1998, Seinfeld, the most popular television series at the time, parodied the owner and the company with Elaine Benes working at the catalog under eccentric businessman and world traveler J. Peterman, played by John O'Hurley.

[4] The show's lawyers approached the real John Peterman after the first episode and allowed him to review each script before it aired.

[4] In 1996, the company began making plans to expand even though it cancelled $1 million worth of inventory orders.

[4] In December 1997, the company made a deal with 20th Century Fox to sell both original and authorized replica costumes and props from its upcoming film Titanic.

When Titanic proved to be the biggest financial hit of all time, the J. Peterman Company found itself with a lucrative line of collectibles.

The best-selling product was the only authorized replica of the film's iconic Heart of the Ocean blue diamond necklace.

In January 2011, the J. Peterman Company received a Job Creation Tax Credit incentive from the state of Ohio valued at $122,000 over a six-year term.

The next year, John Peterman became more active in the company and brought back Kyle Foster and Jonathan Dunavant, another long-time employee.

[4] On April 11, 2016, the company launched a Kickstarter campaign[19] to raise money for new product development such as the “Urban Sombrero” from Seinfeld.

The campaign offered different levels of participation, which includes pledging money for an Otavalo shirt, limited edition silk/cashmere turtleneck, limited edition Mod Flapper dress, the Urban Sombrero (inspired by the hat on “Seinfeld”), full kilt outfit, and a trip with John Peterman.

[23] In 2018, the J. Peterman Company hired French West Vaughan, a public relations and advertising firm, to help with brand development.