 |
|
|
|
“Now I don’t recommend treating our baskets like that, but they’re all made to last. Our lifetime guarantee is our way of agreeing with the fireman. “You can’t kill a Foxcroft basket.” The Nelson’s woven wood baskets are made of mahogany scraps and “cut-offs” that they buy from a musical instrument company. The size of the scrap or cut-off straps determines the size of the basket. Their inventory includes close to 100 styles of baskets, most with handles. In 1994, Joe and his wife, Cassie, joined her parents Ronnie and Rita Mixon in the basket making business. Cassie had learned the craft at an early age, but thought she’d like to get a real job when she grew up. There was only one problem with that idea. The family lives in Danville, Alabama, where the post office and the Dollar General are about the only businesses in town. Cassie and Joe love Danville and when they married, they didn’t want to move from this place they love. “My folks inherited the Mixon Family Basket company from their parents and that makes me third generation,” says Cassie. “Adding the website to the craft shows and stores that sell the baskets means there’s plenty of opportunity for all of us.” The mahogany scraps they use would otherwise be thrown away and they appreciate that their high-quality crafting recycles beautiful wood that just happens to be the right density for baskets. “We design baskets for particular tasks. They may be decorative but hard-working men and women will collect them to use in everyday life,” Joe says. “Our house is full of baskets. We have hand-woven tables, an island in our kitchen, baskets everywhere. We use them all so we know their usefulness quotient as well as the quality of the workmanship.” Whatever the family needs, they design a woven basket they can use to carry out the task. Need a plant holder? They make a 6 and 10-inch one. For the bathroom, check out a magazine rack or several uniquely styled tissue holders. Then, there’s the tank topper and that sturdy hamper. Moving into the bedroom, you’ll love the blanket chest and under bed baskets on rollers. If you want to read in bed, they have several styles of woven wood table lamps. *Every year, dining and kitchen accessories fly off their display. These include breadbaskets, cracker baskets and casserole trays in many sizes. Their corner basket fits the kitchen counter and to add additional convenient space, they stock double and triple corner baskets, Pie and cake caddies and a lidded picnic basket will protect the most delicate baked goods. “You may be surprised to see the variety of colors in our baskets and these are all the natural wood colors. We don’t paint them. Some of the baskets have raffia woven into the design,” Cassie says.
They don’t have a storefront, but they built a 4800 square foot workshop and warehouse not far from their house. They sell through craft festivals and through the website. Between weeks of the Shaker Woods Festival, the Nelsons go home and keep weaving those baskets that seem most popular. They also will take custom orders. Many baskets range in price from $12.99 to $49.99. Woven furniture prices range from a $129.99 ottoman to a $399 basket organizer. Find Cassie and Joe Nelson and his mom, Bonnie in Booth 118. © Copyright ShakerWoods.com |
|
For more information on the Shaker Woods Family of Festivals, please Site created by McGaffic Advertising. |
