If you’re looking for a gift or locally-sourced ware, be sure to tune into the Wilds Cooperative of PA Facebook page on July 11-12 for the first-ever PA Wilds Makers Market.
This online shopping experience is designed to help you ‘find your next WILD thing,’ specifically handcrafted products and services in the Pennsylvania Wilds.
Businesses and organizations in the Wilds Cooperative of PA — a network of rural entrepreneurs from across the Pennsylvania Wilds — will be participating in an online show throughout Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12.
The artisans and entrepreneurs will share demonstrations, tours and information on their handcrafted products live on July 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and July 12 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Many businesses have been impacted by COVID-19 mandatory closures and social distancing guidelines. This is particularly true of service sector businesses and establishments, organizations and events that rely on foot traffic.
“This is an opportunity for you to support small businesses and help them in this time of need,” said Abbi Peters, executive vice president of Creative Commerce at the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship Inc., a regional nonprofit that seeks to marry conservation and economic development and manages the WCO.
“Normally you would be having fun at a festival or show, where artisans could set up their tables and show off their products. That won’t happen this year. But this event will. Join in on the conversation, find new products and support the rural, regional economy.”
The event will feature live business spotlights, including demonstrations or tours; pre-recorded videos; and live posts and interactions with business owners.
PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES
- Alabaster Coffee Roaster & Tea Co. — Alabaster Coffee is a family-owned, nationally award-winning coffee bar & roasterie based in Williamsport. Alabaster also operates an online retail space and wholesales coffee and commercial coffee equipment to partners across the USA.
- Blackberry & Sage Market — Tara Heckler at Blackberry & Sage Market specializes in homegrown and handcrafted plant-based products for oneself, garden and home.
- Cottage Glassworks — As a glass artist for over 30 years Kathleen Schnell has grown to teach fused glass techniques in her studio, Cottage Glassworks, which also features a retail space in Wellsboro. Schnell also enjoys creating her own artwork and producing custom work.
- DRW Designs — Juried artisan Danette Wightman creates handcrafted, one-of-a-kind gourds for all occasions.
- Elk County Council on the Arts — The Elk County Council on the Arts is a non-profit sales gallery located in downtown Ridgway. The Wilds Cooperative is well represented through its roughly 60 artist members who sell their work in the gallery. Additionally, it’s the regional partner for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts’ PPA and AIE programs, which provide grant money for public art and educational opportunities to a broader 6 county PA Wilds region.
- Ellen Paquette — Artisan Ellen Paquette specializes in original acrylic paintings and limited edition prints of Renaissance style animal portraits. She also crafts soft sculpture plushies and art dolls.
- Foggy Mountain Studio — Lynn Kibbe is a fine artist working in scratchboard. Scratchboard is like drawing in reverse with a knife instead of putting on graphite. She draws with a knife to remove the ink layer creating the image.
- From My Shelf Books & Gifts — Kevin Coolidge is a bookstore owner and children’s author based out of Wellsboro in the Pine Creek Valley and PA Grand Canyon landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds.
- Lucky Shot Photography — Allison Shanbacher at Lucky Shot Photography offers photography services, as well as writing and graphic design. She loves sharing her images of the PA Wilds to help tell the region’s story and she enjoys thinking of and creating new ways to display them. Allison is currently working on a book based in the PA Wilds that she hopes to publish by the end of the year.
- Moments in Time Studio — Karen Heltzel at Moments in Time Studio is a photographer who primarily prints photos on metal, as well as photographic paper and canvas.
- PA Made — Mickayla Poland at PA Made is a painter and graphic designer who focuses on Pennsylvania, Elk County and outdoor-related designs for T-shirts, stickers and other merchandise.
- Peaces of Me — Cheryl Oknefski at Peaces of Me has a wide variety of skills and interests in her creative work. She enjoys making chainsaw carvings, as well as metal smithing, and making salves from natural products, many of which come from the Pennsylvania Wilds. She is a Yoga instructor and Reiki master with a Wellness Studio in Ridgway.
- Pine Springs Pottery — Pine Springs Pottery offers modern artisan stoneware made completely by hand, with love. From coffee mugs to casseroles, Marie Lewis crafts each piece to serve your everyday meals and very special occasions beautifully. With designs created to reflect your personal style, this unique and durable dinnerware will bring a little extra joy with every use, for a lifetime.
- Smith + Front — David and Staci Egan are a husband and wife maker team focused on supporting local + handmade within their shop, Smith + Front, which is located in historic downtown Philipsburg, Pa.
- Stephanie Distler Artisan Jewelry — Stephanie Distler is a jewelry artisan using nature for inspiration. She designs and creates jewelry with hand tools, using precious metals in wire or sheet form. Distler’s working studio is located in Elk Country where her focus is on materials and technique.
- The Gallery at New Bethlehem Town Center — This juried art gallery along the Redbank Valley Trail in New Bethlehem features works by PA Wilds artists and also provides tourism information.
- Your Fired Pottery — Your Fired Pottery is a gallery and ceramics studio offering handmade, lightweight, wheel-thrown pottery that is both beautiful and functional. Stacie Johnson-Leske also makes hand-built pieces featuring intricate textures by using antique doilies and foliage local to the Pennsylvania Wilds area. All pieces for sale at Your Fired Pottery are made in the studio by Stacie Johnson-Leske. Custom requests are welcome.
For more information and to learn more about all the participating businesses, visit www.WildsCoPA.org/PA-Wilds-Makers-Market.