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| Appalachian Spring advertisement from 1977 |
Shopping at Appalachian Spring has been a lifetime adventure for me, having been here since its inception…40 something years ago! We were very young when we opened the first store and at that time couldn’t really afford to buy many of the beautiful things we were selling in the store because we were plowing all monies made back into growing the business. Slowly we began to furnish our home with the basics but instead of buying a “set” of dishes we began to buy functional pottery as we found pieces we really liked and felt connected to, and did the same with glassware, vases, placemats, jewelry boxes and on and on.
Women understand what it means to build a wardrobe. I first gained insight into building all types of wardrobes while helping a customer with jewelry. She explained that every woman needs a basic jewelry wardrobe much like a basic clothing wardrobe. When the basic wardrobe is complete, she makes additional purchases to add to the wardrobe over time as she comes upon a special piece that fits into her specific wants or needs. Her jewelry wardrobe is completely different from every other woman’s because she buying it over time and because she prefers handcrafted jewelry.
I have done the same for my home “wardrobe”. I started with the basics and have had great fun as I’ve added special pieces. I’m the curator of my personal collection. I select my collection with care, thought and true appreciation of what I’m doing. The purchases are made to enhance the collection and to fill in the blanks. I know it sounds as though I’m talking about a fine art collection but I’m talking functional tableware, candlesticks, etc. Opening the cupboards affords me so many choices. I get to take part in the creation of the table setting or in more contemporary terminology “tablescape” in much the same way as the craftspeople who have created the pieces. My table is unlike any other and I love it!
