We've been huge fans
of Lyn Carey’s pottery and her lovely store Earth and Wears in Dallas which is
a haven for local handmade enthusiasts. She’ll be bringing her hand formed stoneware & porcelain jewelry
and pottery to Arts on the Square this year!
Tell us a little bit about your business. We know you have a
beautiful storefront in Dallas, PA. When did you open and what type of
wares and artists do you feature?
Earth and Wears opened
on November 1st, 2008. My shop has been described as a brick and mortar etsy
shop. All of the work is handmade, by mostly local makers. In addition to my
hand formed porcelain and stoneware jewelry and functional pottery, I carry the
work of several other potters and jewelry makers, wonderful wire art by local
wire artist Sean Brady, hair accessories, hand painted silk scarves, felted
wool creations, stone coasters, fused glass art, hand crafted wooden gifts,
dreamcatchers, prints, cards, mixed media wall art, newborn and toddler tees,
stained glass lamps made from recycled wine bottles and more. New items arrive
every week.
When did you realize that there was a need in the community for
this type of business?
I love the unique handmade
items I have found at craft shows and on etsy. I thought, wouldn't it be great
if I could create a brick and mortar where shoppers could find the works of
local makers all under one roof.
.
You are an artist as well as a business owner.
Tell us about your pottery and how you got started in that?
I started taking
pottery classes in 2001 with Jean Adams (Wilkes University) and fell in love
with clay. I began on the wheel creating functional pottery. I was disappointed
with the way some of the glazes on my pots were turning out so I started to do
some test tiles. Looking at the tiles, I thought I could use these tile-like
pieces to create ceramic jewelry and shortly thereafter started my line of
earthy ceramic jewelry. I very often incorporate vintage pieces with my jewelry
as well as textures from vintage stampings. I participated
in a few craft shows with my daughter (Nicole Carey of Nicole's Threads) and
discovered people really enjoyed my pots and my jewelry. Around the same time,
my friend Skip Sensbach of Green Dog Pottery put his brick and mortar up for
sale as he was going back to school for his Masters. I decided to buy the tiny
building and fill it with "handmade lovelies" from mostly local
artists. It will be my sixth anniversary on November 1st.
What type of work will you be featuring at Arts on the Square?
I will be bringing my
hand formed stoneware and porcelain jewelry and functional pottery.
Do you do a lot of festivals and events and, if
so, what’s your favorite thing about it?
I participate in nearly
40 craft shows and festivals a year. I love the people and the fact that they
appreciate handmade things. Very often, a buyer will leave wearing the jewelry
they just purchased. It's the best feeling in the world to be at a craft show
and see a returning customer from the previous year walk in to my booth wearing
the earth and wears purchase he or she made the year before. In addition, I
love meeting other makers at the shows and many have become great friends. It's
also a great place for me to find unusual items for the store.
What do you enjoy most about owning your own
creative business?
What’s not to
love about being surrounded by all things handmade? And the shoppers are the
best! I have met and become great friends with so many of the earth and wears
customers. How many stores do you go into where the customer is hugging the
shop owner (and vice verse) by the time they are done shopping!!!
Where else can our readers find you?
Store Location: earth and wears, 68 Main Street,
Dallas, PA 18612
Phone: (570)690-6399
Facebook: facebook.com/earthandwearsstore
Etsy: etsy.com/shop/lyncarey
Instagram: @earthandwears
Other Festivals/events: Clover Market (Ardmore, Philly and Chestnut
Hill, PA), Art Star Craft Bazaar, Communiversity in Princeton, NJ, BloomsburgArtFest, Arts at Hayfield and Homespun Christmas at PSU W-B, Indiemade CraftBazaar (Allentown), Fine Arts Fiesta, Danville Spring and Fall Festivals
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