 |
American Craft
7042 Carroll Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912
301-270-3138
Holiday Hours (Nov. 24-Dec 24):
M-F: 12-7, Sat: 10-6, Sun:12-5 |
American Craft
Promoting craftsmanship
and matchless beauty
By Janelle Zara
Photos: Julie Wiatt
In the heart of Old Takoma, American overflows with one-of-a-kind pieces by artists from around the country, preserving the art and style of creating things by hand.
The spirit of American Craft has been around since 1979, when teacher Mary Giammatteo opened a shop called Craft Studio of Takoma Park in the same commercial space. In the mid-'80s, Jan Schwartz purchased the store and called it Finewares and American Craft Gallery.
Three years ago, Finewares caught current owner Kathy Brooks' eye, and she began working at the shop with the hopes that Schwartz might have the intention of selling it.
"I kind of knew that she was going that route. You could just tell," Brooks said. "She had owned the shop for over 20 years. She was getting to the age where she wanted to retire and I knew that."
Schwartz eventually decided to sell the shop before moving to Asheville, North Carolina, and "it worked out for both of us," Brooks said, who would've hated to see the shop close. "It would be a loss for Takoma Park," she said.
 |
| Potter Mary Giammatteo serves up an artful dish. The dish shows a unique pattern, typical of glazing. |
A native of Montgomery County, Brooks had been living in Manhattan's garment district for years before returning to live in Takoma Park with her husband. With her degree in textile science, Brooks had an eye for art, and was a frequent patron of Finewares and other galleries and craft shows like it. She also worked with her husband in his environmental consulting firm, which she still does today.
"With my background in textiles and sales and running my husbands business, it was a way of pulling from all these different parts of my life," said Brooks.
She dropped the "Finewares" part and opened American Craft in October, 2005. "I wanted to have a name that told what the shop was," she said, since close to 100 percent of the merchandise is made by North American artisans. At right, American Craft also offers hand-crafted jewelry.
The store specializes in handcrafted pottery, jewelry, wood and handcrafted items for gifts. According to Brooks, the store has evolved every time it's changed hands. Since buying the shop, she's hand-selected 40 percent of the artists American Craft represents and changed the inventory to farther-reaching artists from Hawaii to Canada.
"Good sellers, I kept, but I think its nice for people coming in to see new things. I'm always buying things from different people," said Brooks. She finds her artists throughout Takoma Park, as well as three main craft shows she visits each year in Baltimore, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
 |
| Kathy Brooks reflects on the importance of preserving handcraftsmanship. |
She likes to provide a wide selection for customers, and tries her best not to carry artists from other shops. American Crafts, like all Takoma Park stores, wants to be a unique place to shop.
Against the idea of mass production, Brooks also strives to preserve the dying art of handcraftsmanship is a dying art and takes pride in the high quality of her merchandise.
"You're paying more for it, but you're getting something for that. People have no idea how hard it is to make a mug."
Supporting North American artists is her greatest concern. Over the last year, she's lost several artists who couldn't afford to keep up
"American artisans have to compete with Target and Pier 1," Brooks said. People can buy handcrafted pottery, she said, or "people can buy a mass produced bowl at Target or Crate and Barrel where they have 100 versus 30."
Brooks spends more than thirty hours a week in her shop with a small staff and her dog, Chessie, a favorite among customers. She's there before and after hours, taking care of paperwork and making new orders. The store currently has only four other workers, but Brooks likes the close relationship they've formed with their shoppers. As long as she lives in Takoma Park, Brooks said, she'll always own American Craft.
 |
At left: A cat gazes out from a tile created by Sligo Tile Works. At right: American Craft also offers a selection of hand crafted jewelry. |  |
No comments have been posted to this article.
Want to post a comment to this article? Click here.
|
