News & Views
Photo of Sandwich Village by Joe Janis
What is your name and the name of your business? My name is Heather Cameron, owner of Eastman House, LLC dba Eastman House Creative Counseling & Yoga. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? That’s a long and lovely story. In 1983 my husband Ray, whom I was dating at the time, brought me to New Hampshire to meet his family for Thanksgiving. After spending Thanksgiving Day with extended family in Andover, MA, Ray learned that the Lakes Region had received some snow. Ray was excited to share his beloved Squam Lake and family history that was deeply woven into the fabric of Rockywold Deephaven Camps where he had spent most of his summers growing up. We decided to venture north and hike up Rattlesnake Mountain, Ray’s Golden Retriever, Haller, joining us. Being an outdoorsy southern girl, I was overtaken with the natural beauty of the entire area. Ray chose the Ramsey Trail for our hike up Rattlesnake. Little did I know that there were other trails to meander that may have been a bit less strenuous. Our hike was exhilarating and once we summitted West Rattlesnake I took a deep breath and absorbed what I saw and felt. I was energized. Ray smiled as we took it all in and made the comment… “hmmmm, wow, you did it…” A month later on Christmas Day Ray proposed. Over the next 40 years our family, including daughters Hannah and Darrow, have spent time on Squam Lake vacationing at RDC. Summers brought annual rituals like pursuing the various businesses in charming Center Sandwich. As time went on, we began to ponder the next chapter of our lives and where we might want to spend our time. In the summer of 2017 during one of our familiar “what if” conversations, I offered the idea of retiring to New Hampshire. Needless to say, Ray was immediately on board and we began the exciting adventure of exploration. We had a lot of help along the way and ultimately knew that we wanted to live in the Center Sandwich community. In March 2018 we closed on our new home. Ray and I were fortunate to have bought Leo Dwyer’s fully and creatively renovated 1792 farmhouse on Holderness Rd. We were thrilled at the prospect of what lay ahead and began making plans. Over the next couple of years, we traveled back and forth from North Carolina and our work life there. Ray retired in 2020 and moved to NH permanently while I was figuring out my work exit plan. Then in late 2021 I finally arrived in Center Sandwich, making it my home. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? My business is service oriented. I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (NH and NC), an Expressive Arts Therapist, and a Registered Yoga Teacher. I offer counseling for adolescents, adults and elders. My work with individuals is collaborative and holistic. It is based on an appreciation for the connectedness of the mind and body. It addresses all aspects of a person's health and well-being. This includes spirituality and sense of purpose, social connectedness, physical health and living an authentic life. In therapy, I create a safe, non-judgmental space that allows the individual's own healing wisdom to direct the work. I teach practical coping skills that address immediate concerns like overwhelming emotions and anxiety. I may invite clients to explore their creative nature through expressive arts-based therapy and yoga, providing another level of insight. In addition, I offer yoga classes in my barn studio as well. I explain yoga as an ancient Hindu philosophy that encompasses a variety of practices which most commonly include postures (asanas), breathing exercises (pranayama), meditation, mantras, and lifestyle changes. In my practice I teach all aspects, generally with a focus on gentle yoga. Currently I provide three in-studio classes per week and may also hold virtual class opportunities when requested. I work with groups, and privately for individuals seeking deeper knowledge or those with specific needs. How did you get started in these professions? In late 2003 my life took a sudden and dramatic turn, shaking up the foundation of what life had been, giving me an insight on defining a new focus and direction. It was then that I began to explore what this life meant and how I wanted to BE in it. I decided to investigate a graduate program in counseling with a certification in expressive arts therapy. I wanted to better understand the psychological aspects of the human condition and how healing can be accomplished through the use of various therapeutic interventions such as art. My graduate school experiences were wonderful, challenging and life changing. After completing my graduate work in 2009, I had gained experience with treating cancer patients, their caregivers, and medical teams. I counseled women who had experienced domestic violence and sexual assault, and their families, as well as staff who worked with this population. Soon after graduation, I provided addictions counseling for opioid addicts at a methadone clinic, and later served as the clinical director for a day treatment center for children. Since then, I have continuously had a private practice where I hold gratitude for all my clients and their stories of hope, faith, resilience, pain, and their desire to live the life of their choosing. Upon becoming a resident of Sandwich, my friend Leslie Jose informed me that Dragonfly Yoga Barn was offering a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training that fall. As I was in the midst of a huge life transition and having been a student of yoga, I decided to enroll. I was not sure where the training would take me. I hoped that my desires would unfold naturally. For a long time, I could see the potential intersection of counseling, expressive arts and yoga, so that is where I began. Once I completed the program it was clear that I enjoyed teaching yoga and that my desire to integrate yoga into my counseling practice would add value and benefit my client’s wellbeing and healing. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? Making a difference in the lives of others. That’s all that matters… I have so much fun practicing yoga with others and I gain satisfaction when my students feel successful and less stressed as a result of the practice, connecting mind, body and spirit. What is the hardest? Living in today’s world can be very difficult and for some it can feel scary, unsafe, and hopeless. When faced with a client who has reached a dangerous space of hopelessness one must reach deep and access the necessary training and resources to provide immediate assistance. That’s hard… What are your goals and hopes for the future? My primary goal is to continue to grow and develop my counseling practice. I hope to offer group opportunities in areas of need, workshops, and expressive arts events just to name a few. Additionally, I hope that my yoga classes develop and provide an outlet for students to achieve physical health, mental clarity, spiritual growth and expansion. What else can you tell us about yourself, your business, and your life in Sandwich? The business name Eastman House is a historic revival of our home’s identity. The Eastman House was named through the ownership of Nellie Eastman (widow of Charles Everett Eastman) who had inherited the property from her family named Watson (Dana). Although the earliest known owner and presumed builder of the home was Gilbert Hodgdon, the name Eastman House seemed to prevail for some time until the reference became lost. I thought it important to focus the business around the land and history associated with our property. Eastman Brook flows through the land as it has meandered to Squam Lake for thousands of years. Eastman House Creative Counseling & Yoga is located in our barn which was relocated from a property on Wiggin Farm Road in 2020. Rich Benton and his amazing team took care of the dismantle, transportation, and re-assemble of the barn. My husband Ray then took on the finishing aspects of the space creating a beautifully warm and inviting studio for counseling, yoga, and art-making. It was truly a labor of love. What does living and working in Sandwich mean to you?
It is as if I have come full circle, 40 years later. I am living my dream and so grateful for the new opportunities and friendships that have met me along the way. And what a place to land! The natural environment, flora and fauna, and the most interesting collection of humans… life is good! Note: All photos are by Heather and Ray Cameron Heather Cameron, MA, LCMHC, RYT200 eastmanhouse.heather@gmail.com 828-964-0828 What is your name and the name of your business? My name is Ashley Benes and I am the owner of Papa Beans Ice Cream. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? I grew up in the Lakes Region and my first time I can remember being in Sandwich was at the age of four going to the Sandwich Fair. This is where I experienced my first pony ride and my love for horses. When I was in my early 30s I taught lessons and volunteered for the local Mt Washington Valley Pony Club that was fortunate enough to use the fairgrounds for their practices. Around that same time, 2011 or 2012 I believe, I helped organize a 5K Turkey trot based out of the Sandwich fairgrounds as a fundraiser for the Pony Club. My father is an active member of the White Mountain Milers running club and I had dabbled in some races by this time in my life and was hooked. I went on to attend a 5k turkey trot from the Beach to Bar, Christmas Jingle Bell Run put on by a yoga studio, Booty Farm 5k, and the Old Home week triathlon. I remember thinking this is the kind of community I want to live in. When Brad and I started dating a few years back our first official date was hiking Mt. Israel and eating ice cream afterwards. As life partners and residents of Sandwich we find it important to enjoy the nature and beauty in our area as often as we can and our busy lives allow. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? I make small batches of homemade ice cream using local New Hampshire diary and source ingredients locally when ever possible to stir in the ice cream. We are located inside Young Maple Ridge Sugarhouse. You can purchase pints, half pints, ice cream sandwiches and ice cream cakes or pies. One of the most popular flavors is the Maple Bourbon Ice cream that is flavored from Maple Bourbon aged syrup made by Brad right in the Sugarhouse. How did your business get started? In the late 1980s my father’s construction business was taking a hit due to the economy. My parents decided to take a chance and open a homemade ice cream business they called Bobby Sue’s, located in West Ossipee where M & V’s gas station is located now. At the age of 7, I knew that my ice cream tasting passion would continue. My favorite flavor then was peach with rainbow sprinkles. After a successful couple of years my parents sold the business and my father went back to construction. My father has opened a couple other homemade scoop shops in Conway area over the years and acquired a few nicknames: “Scoop Man” and “Papa Beans.” Since a young age I have always dreamed of owning my own small food business and had been brainstorming this idea for several years. I have a BS in Business Management from PSU and was working as Assistant Utility Manager for a water company the last 8 years and knew I was ready for a career change. My father had given me his ice cream machine and Brad offered to share his kitchen space at his sugarhouse. I began the process of filling all the requirements for a new business and inspections needed before making the big jump of leaving my office job. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? Have you ever seen someone eat ice cream who is not smiling? The ice cream is not always the first thing guests look at when they arrive at Young Maple Ridge Sugarhouse. Often they are surprised by the assortment of maple syrup choices in glass & plastic bottles. Then they see the Maple Candy, Maple Sugar, Maple Cream, and Maple Bourbon Syrup. What gets most of the attention is Brad’s evaporator, the 40-gallon barrels, stacked syrup drums, and the wooden bourbon barrel filled with syrup that is aging before being bottled. We love seeing people’s reactions to the sugaring process and the assortment of flavors of ice cream we have made. The ice cream sandwiches are a huge hit and many are thrilled to see our unique flavors. What is the hardest? The hardest part is not eating all the profits. Starting a business with unstable and rising product costs has posed a huge challenge for me especially in figuring out my own costs and pricing. I have attended many farmers markets and estimating what items to bring or have on hand has been difficult. Having the support of family, friends and community has allowed starting this business a little less hard. Brad and his parents, Rae & Bob Streeter, are always available and willing to step in and help. My father is even finally sharing some of his secrets of success. What are your goals and hopes for the future? I hope to have a successful sustainable business that allows connections with other small business and community. Anyone local that has ingredients that would pair well with our ice cream please reach out. What else can you tell us about yourself, your business, and your life in Sandwich?
Being an ice cream eater, I must stay active and where else to do that than Sandwich. I am an avid runner, hiker, and in recent years gravel bike rider. I am a proud dog mom of Simon (14.5) and Chuck (2.5) and enjoy spending time in the woods with them and Brad. Sandwich offers so much for such a small town because of the compassionate people that choose to live here. I truly appreciate and value being able to eat while listening to local musicians at The Foothills and The Corner House, shop at the numerous farm stands on my way home, take a yoga class, and still be able to explore quiet trails and nature. Ashley Benes Papa Beans Ice Cream 301 Wing Road, Sandwich NH 603-393-6948 Papabeansicecream@gmail.com What is your name and the name of your business? My full name is Carl Parker Hansen. Named after my father Carl, but not junior. To my closest friends and the government I'm Carl but I've gone by Parker my whole life. The name of my business is Lower Corner Millworks, named after our family home in the old brick store at the historic Lower Corner. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? My relationship with Sandwich goes back as far as I can remember. We summered in our small family cottage on Dinsmore Pond until we moved here permanently in 1999 to renovate the old brick store. My parents met in Sandwich in the early 80s doing theater with the Sandwich players in a production of Our Town. My father owned and operated the only gas pump by the only "traffic light" in town. Generations of our family on the Howe side (my father’s mother was a Howe) have lived on Diamond Ledge and Howe Hill, including Rev. Chester Howe. My father has cousins who still live on Howe Hill in Sandwich. I had moved away to Portland, Maine in 2014 after college, but returned in 2020 to start my own cabinet shop. What got you started in this profession? My father has always been a carpenter and cabinet maker, so growing up I would help him as much as I could. After gaining my degree in Environmental Studies from The University of Vermont, I pursued a career in teaching but after being waitlisted for grad school, I began working at a cabinet shop in South Portland, Maine. For five years I worked my way up to production supervisor at one of the largest cabinet shops in New England, while simultaneously attending Southern Maine Community College to earn an Associates Degree in Architectural and Engineering Design. I then saw an opportunity to return to Sandwich with the skills I had gained, to try my hand at running my own cabinet shop. I knew my father was retiring, as well as a few other cabinet makers/carpenters in town, so I felt that there would be an eventual void that needed to be filled. In the winter of 2020 I started Lower Corner Millworks. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? Initially I began making signs and small wooden crafts like cribbage boards, catch-all trays, cutting boards, etc., but knew I wanted to be making cabinets and furniture. It took about six months but I eventually built my first kitchen for a client. I’ve made several tables and I was hired to fill an entire home with bookshelf built-ins, bunk beds, an entertainment unit and a full kitchen. I still provide sign engraving services, custom gifts and other misc. products, including 3D topographical maps, flight boards for breweries (a flight board is a serving tray for small glasses of beer or wine or spirits) and the occasional cutting board! I also have a relationship with The Shaker Furniture Company to make furniture parts and I use a CNC router for some projects. A CNC Machine or Computer Numerical Control Machine is a computer-aided router that allows the user to program text or shapes to be cut out or engraved onto a designated material. In my case, I engrave signs into wood or signboard, cut out furniture parts out of wood, create 3D landscapes out of solid wood or cut cabinet parts out of plywood. How did your business get started? My business began pretty easy. Registering my LLC, acquiring start-up funds from The Wentworth Economical Development Corporation and finding a shop space to rent all happened very quickly. My first client was The Shaker Furniture Company, who hired me to make furniture parts before I even had my shop set up. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? The best part of my job is setting my own hours, deciding what jobs to take and basically just being able to do what I love every day. I could be working on a live edge table one day and then making a custom charcuterie board the next. The scope of my work is diverse, which I love. I also get to bring my dog to the shop which is probably the best part. What is the hardest? There are a few difficult aspects of my job. I make my own hours which is fantastic, but not having a "clock-in" time sometimes results in sleeping in a little longer than I should some days! Definitely the most difficult part of the job is juggling every task that goes into running your own business, specifically, bookkeeping. I cannot stress enough how boring yet important it is to keep track of all the ins and outs of my business and I'm learning quickly that hoarding receipts in a manilla folder until tax season is not a great habit to get into. What are your goals and hopes for the future? My goals when I started this adventure were pretty straightforward; to build what I wanted and continue the tradition of craftspeople in Sandwich. I had to leave Sandwich to really appreciate the town I grew up in. When I knew my father was retiring from his long career as a cabinet maker and carpenter, I knew that there would be opportunities to fill the void he left behind. The first year of operating I made four signs for local businesses, several large cabinet jobs, and a contract to provide Sandwich-based Shaker Workshops with furniture parts. I have made countless gifts and game boards for people I grew up around. I joked in my college essay that "Sandwich is a vibrant town full of carpenters and yoga instructors, where the post office parking lot looks like a Subaru dealership." Fifteen years after writing that essay, I find myself driving my Outback to the post office to pick up mail for my own woodworking business. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
I'm learning something new everyday. Working in Sandwich means a lot to me. Personally, Sandwich has always been my home, whether it be summers as a small child, becoming our "new home" when I was in 5th grade or when I returned after years away. Creating my business in this small town full of hardworking men and women makes me very proud. Carrying on the traditions of these people is something I take very personally and I hope I can make my family and neighbors proud. To learn more about Lower Corner Millworks visit: lowercornermillworks.com or get in touch with Parker at: 603-986-8391, parkerlcm@gmail.com. Facebook and Instagram people can search Lower Corner Millworks Sam Kachmar, new owner of the Corner House Restaurant & Bar, tells us how he came to Sandwich. Enjoy! Tell us about yourself: How did you connect with Sandwich, NH? What made you decide to live here? I connected with Sandwich in the early 2000s. A family friend bought a piece of land up on Smithville Rd, and engaged SKA, my architecture firm based in Cambridge, MA to design a weekend home for them that they could eventually retire to. It looks out to Red Hill. Over time they decided to reside permanently up in Sandwich, so we added two wings on either side of the main structure. In going up for site visits to the land in Sandwich, I heard about the Sandwich Fair, and came up for that with my wife and kids. We visited Beede Falls, hiked with family friends, and really enjoyed being surrounded by nature. We found Sandwich to be such a special place that our family came to visit often the following year. While here on a site visit my wife found a listing for a home down on Metcalf Rd. We went and looked at a beautiful cove with a really run down cabin from 1970. We bought it. We thought about tearing it down and starting new, but we loved the bones of the house, so we worked to restore some of the mid-century detailing as well as providing modern amenities to the home. While we don't live in Sandwich full time, we do spend as much time as we can at our home during the summer when it's not rented out. In the fall, winter, and spring we enjoy being in the quiet of Sandwich rather than the busy scene of Cambridge and Boston. What were you doing before you came here and what are you doing now? I have been running the SKA Architecture Studio in Cambridge, MA since 2008. We design residential homes in Cambridge and the surrounding areas, and now that I have opened up an SKA office in Sandwich, we offer that same service in the Lakes Region of NH. SKA is pronounced S…….K…..A, not skah, like the music. We utilize Virtual Reality in our work to allow our clients to experience their homes before they are actually built. This technique creates a reduction in variables and surprises during the construction process, and that makes our projects boring in the best way. When the project is complete, the clients say, "Wow, that looks just like it did in VR." What made you decide to buy a historic business in the center of town? I wanted to buy a building in Sandwich as I have loved the time spent up here over the last few years. 22 Main St became available and presented itself as a unique opportunity to house the Corner House restaurant, the Sandwich Creamery, and Sam Kachmar Architects (SKA). Where do you see the Corner House in the next few years? What are your hopes for the business? I see the Corner House improving as a destination restaurant over the next few years. The building and land are in need of some significant maintenance and upgrades. We are planning to replace the roof with a solar roof, upgrade the insulation and HVAC systems of the building, replace rotted wood, etc, in an effort to bring the building back to the prominent status that it has held within the town for decades. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your life here? One of the most fun and satisfying aspect of my life in Sandwich is to see people coming back to the Corner House and being excited to have the restaurant going again. Some people have described the Corner House as “Sandwich’s living room.” That is a really nice moniker to have associated with the restaurant. There are so many ways I love being in this town. I love spending time at the Foothills with Nancy and Rebecca, and going to the dump to see John and Kevin. Old Home Week this year was a such a fun event for our kids. I really love walking out into the woods near our house, and just standing in the trees. It recharges my batteries. What else can you tell us about your experience of Sandwich?
This town is brimming with intelligence, energy, thoughtfulness, and caring people. I’m happy to see high speed internet making its way into the town. Sandwich is such an appealing town that it has become a beacon for retirees from many parts of the country. As we move forward with high speed internet utilities, there is an opportunity for Sandwich to chart its course and redefine what kind of town it wants to be going forward. I love coming up here from the city. I can feel the stress of the city falling off my shoulders as I drive down 113 towards Sandwich. What is your name and the name of your business? Ben Bullard, H.B. Bullard and Company, Inc. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? In the early 1970s, Betty and I would visit her family's summer home. We were living in Boston and going to college. She had been coming up to Sandwich in the summers since she was born and we both liked it so much that directly after graduation, we moved here and were married in the summer of 1973. At the time, there were 600 year-round residents. Sandwich was a different town than it is today. It attracted us because of the arts and crafts nature of the town, which persists today. What got you started in this profession? Trained as an artist, I loved working with my hands and creativity, and building became the way to use both simultaneously. Most of the carpenters back then in our age group started working for Van Adriance in some capacity. He started a large crew and we all, as friends and co-workers, built a few houses together. After a few years we started to peel off from that to start our own ventures and partnerships. Rich Benton and I worked together for a few years, then Roger Korpi and I partnered up for 20 years and built many beautiful buildings together. Around 2000, I started this company H.B. Bullard and Company, Inc. Tell us about your work. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? I started doing mostly timber frame construction. I was intrigued with Eric Sloan's books explaining the age old practice of mortise and tenon joinery in barn and house construction more than 200 hundred years ago. My first effort was building our house at Lower Corner. Trees on the property were cut down and hewed into beams with an adze and joined into a timber frame. Later we used local sawyers to mill the beams. Our company designs and builds custom homes and barns, does restoration work on old buildings, does whole house renovations and everything in between. Eighty percent of our our work is in-house designed, twenty percent with architects. Personally I like classic design, be it house, barn or camp and the use of as much local product as I can. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? I think the most satisfaction I get from this work is providing a beautiful home or workplace for people to enjoy over generations. It’s also fun to work with so many different people coming together to make the project a reality. Another rewarding aspect is watching the carpenters who have worked for me over the years hone their skills and become better and better at the execution of their jobs. I thank them for making our company successful. What is the hardest? The challenge of course is to be a good scheduler, keep everyone happy and make a consistently great product. You have to really like people and remain optimistic to do this consistent juggling. How has this last Covid year affected your work? Our industry is going strong in the Covid era but circumstances have changed making scheduling challenging because of lack of supply, lack of labor and availability of sub-contractors. What are your goals and hopes for the future? My goal at this time is to retire soon, become a recovering contractor and let the next generation of excellent builders take over! Hopefully I can use my fifty years of experience in building to inspire others to take up this vocation that I love. It is financially rewarding, and you use your head, heart and hand. What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich?
Sandwich is a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family. The strong sense of community is a valuable and special aspect of our town, and one that has meant a lot to our family over the years and continues still. What is your name(s) and the name of your business? Sarah and Mark Cotrupi. The name of our business is “The Porch.” How/when did you get to Sandwich, NH? Life before Sandwich? We visited Sandwich regularly for the past 10 years but only became Sandwich property owners two years ago when we bought Polly Jewett’s house. Before Sandwich Mark and I lived in Nebraska City, Nebraska for about 30 years. It was there that Mark retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency as well as his 28 year career as an Air Force active duty and reserve member. We were both intelligence officers in the Air Force but I separated after seven years and started “Peppercricket Farm,” an antique store and Bed and Breakfast. This was our first restoration project and was located on our 15 acre farm, utilizing the barn as a shop and workroom. I discovered quickly that selling antiques was way more fun than running a B&B and spent the next 15 years refinishing and selling antiques. In 2005 we bought and restored a double storefront in Nebraska City and opened a home décor and gift shop called The Keeping Room. Our plan was always to eventually move to New England (Mark has family in Vermont and we learned to love it on our many buying trips for the antique business). Now approaching 50 we decided it was time to move. We sold the business and came to New Hampshire about 10 years ago. How/why did you start your business? Mark and I always wanted to restore another old house and looked at dozens of homes in the New England area over the years and never could find “the one” to restore. Too expensive, wrong location, beyond our capabilities etc etc. Then there was this big old yellow one with the awesome porch. Mark loved it right away and I couldn’t wait to paint it!! So we bought it and got to work. We weren’t sure what kind of business we were going to start but the longer we worked on it the more sure I was that it had to be retail. This house was meant to be shared with others. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer? The Porch features an eclectic blend of antique, vintage and new home décor as well as a women’s clothing line. The building, with all of its natural light, high ceilings and expansive floorspace provides a great backdrop in which to showcase the merchandise. The antique furnishings also blend in nicely with the new items so that customers can better visualize what they may look like in their own home or office. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job? The restoration process of the house and working on antique furniture that will have a new home are definitely the most satisfying, but finding inventory with Mark and setting up displays with my sister Chris Milanovich are the most fun. Mark calls it “playing house”! The one on one conversation we have with our customers is also a fun part of the job. It is truly amazing where folks are from, their background and what their plans are for the pieces they buy from us. We both love the interaction with our growing customer base at The Porch. What is the hardest? The days when no one comes in. It happens in all retail but is never easy. What are your goals and hopes for the future? To become a shopping destination that brings more people to Sandwich to appreciate the unique beauty of the community. We are looking at expanding the shop into the second floor to complement what we already have in the barn and first floor. The architecture of this house lends itself to display and is something we want to take advantage of. What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich?
Our number one priority in our lives are our two daughters Helen, who is now a freshman at Stonehill College, and Mary Lynn, who is a junior at Moultonborough Academy. Family is a very big part of our lives and something we have learned to cherish. We truly love the town and the folks who live here and the surrounding communities. Sitting on the front porch of the shop in the summer invites conversation with all who walk or ride by. We hope to be doing it for many years to come. theporchnh.com facebook.com/porchnh theporchnh@gmail.com (402) 326-5450 What is your name and the name of your business? Nancy Jones Hansen, my business name is Sewing. It leaves no question as to what I do! How did you get to Sandwich, NH? I met a guy....! I came to Sandwich in 1980, married a local. We lived here for several years and then moved to Bethel, Maine for 15 years, returning in 1999. On our first date, my husband, Carl, looked at the Brick Store and announced he was going to live there some day. So here we are in the Brick Store, running our businesses from one of the most iconic buildings in town. What got you started in this line of work? My mother was a sewer, and taught me to sew over Easter vacation when I was 12, on my grandmother's treadle sewing machine. (Sounds like I'm really old, but it was a really old machine at the time.) I've been sewing ever since. Once out of college I realized I could make money sewing. I applied for a job with a small wallpaper/fabric store. I had a basic book on how to sew everything. The owner would ask me if I know how to do... whatever. As long as it was in the book I said yes and got the job. I've been sewing for people in Sandwich for 30 years. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? There is no Home Economics any more in schools, so people are not learning sewing as a craft or vocation. I think it's a dying art. I am fortunate that I have sewed for over 50 years and have done just about everything in the field, from simple alterations to designer drapes and swags. I've done prototypes for people with new ideas, and repaired antique quilts. When/how did you begin your business? In the 80s Carl worked as a contractor and I became a division of that, Hansen Homes & Interiors/Sewing. Carl has retired from building, mostly, so now he works for me. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job? I like to see people happy with something they thought was ruined and now it's good. Weird is fun, repetition is repetitive, but it pays the bills. Quite often I get clothes or ties from someone who has lost a loved one and want a quilt made from them. T-shirt quilts are fun because usually all of the shirts have meaning to those who receive it. If I know the person, even better, then I can add to what I know of their personality. My business is my hobby, so I get to do it everyday. What is the hardest? The hardest is being sure people are happy. Even after all of these years making things for people, a little voice always wonders, "will they like this?" So far so good. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? I had the best job during Covid. People still needed things fixed. I just did a lot of business out on the porch. Of course I made many, many masks. Both donated and some for sale. It was a good way to use up small pieces of fabric. What are your goals and hopes for the future?
My goal for the future is to retire! This seems impossible as the phone keeps ringing. Two or three seamstresses have closed in the last year for different reasons so there are not as many people sewing. For the near future, I'm still working. I have a new shop space at our house and I hate to give it up. What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich? In 1980 I married into Sandwich. Coming from Detroit, it was a big change, but a good one. Friends from 1980 are still here and still friends, and now their grandchildren play with mine. All three of our children live in town, which made our Covid bubble very nice. We travel more now, but it's always nice to come home. We live in the most beautiful place. Sewing4u525@yahoo.com 603-387-4767 What are your names? Peggy and Bob MacArthur, Birch Corner Associates How did you get to Sandwich? After two decades in the Midwest, we returned to New Hampshire in 2004. Having spent fourteen years raising our family in Hanover and exploring many of the state’s peaks, trails and tributaries during our days with Outward Bound, we were happy to return to the land that is home to our spirits. While in St. Louis Bob served as president and CEO of the American Youth Foundation, a national youth development organization. Camp Merrowvista in Tuftonboro is one of AYF’s program centers, and over the years Bob made many trips east to oversee the expanding program and renovations to its facilities. It was during those trips that friends introduced us to Sandwich. Why the name of your business? Exploring the land while our home was being built, we were drawn to one corner formed by the intersection of two rock walls. We found the woods contain a preponderance of birch trees. Many are beyond mature, bearing the wrinkled bark of decades and the scars of the 1998 ice storm. Nearby, younger birches grow strong and supple with the skin of youth. An author we read at the time opined that the symbolic quality of birch trees includes “cleansing of the past, new beginnings and vision quests.” True or not, the attributes resonated, and we embraced the name as emblematic of our work in this chapter of life. Tell us about your business. Birch Corner is a coaching practice that helps clients identify, claim and amplify their purpose in life. We work with nonprofit leaders and boards, small business owners and individuals who are seeking greater fulfillment in life or have momentarily lost their direction and/or traction. Bob has worked with several organizations facilitating the creation of their strategic plans and conducting developmental sessions with senior leadership teams and boards. Regional examples include Geneva Point Center, Green Mountain Conservation Group, Project Adventure, Kimball Union Academy, the NH and VT chapters of The Nature Conservancy, Squam Lakes Conservation Society, Proctor Academy, and the Sandwich Children’s Center. In 2008 we helped launch the Touched By A Horse coaching certification program (www.touchedbyahorse.com) and have been principal coaches, facilitators and supervisors ever since. TBAH is a two year course for students who are studying and practicing to apply gestalt principles and methods in partnering with horses to engage clients. Peggy continues to mentor the coaches of these programs and makes several trips to Colorado each year for 3-5 day experiential workshops involving the students and the horses. Several graduates of the program continue to seek Peggy’s coaching. What happened to your business this last Covid year? Our work with individuals and some organizations continued virtually and was pretty much uninterrupted. Peggy and her colleagues at Touched By A Horse maintained weekly classes. In-person workshops were postponed and have subsequently resumed in the spring of this year. What got you started in this profession? Earlier personal and professional experiences shaped the building blocks for our current work. Each of us experienced the disciplines, successes and defeats of competitive athletics - Peggy as a nationally ranked ice dancer and Bob as a varsity athlete in college. Each of our professional lives has been characterized by a sense of vocation to support others in developing their potential and their emotional and spiritual health. Peggy spent a decade in human resources at Energizer’s world headquarters in St. Louis. In addition to raising our family while at Energizer, she earned her MSW degree at Washington University and acquired her LICSW license for both Missouri and New Hampshire. Her family therapy practice in Moultonborough and Wolfeboro anchored Birch Corner Associates, as we launched our coaching business. After attending seminary, Bob spent two years as Episcopal chaplain at Dartmouth. He recognized that his vocation was not to parish ministry but a broader calling to build community and help others attain their goals. In addition to chaplaincy roles, Bob’s formal leadership experience includes directing the Dartmouth Outward Bound Center for twelve years and for nineteen years serving as President and CEO of the American Youth Foundation. Goals for the future?
As long as we are able, we plan to continue offering our services to those who benefit, while enjoying the blessings of life in this community. We also keep in mind our ties to the land, inspired by Robert Frost’s wisdom related to birches and aging. …So was I once myself a swinger of birches. And so I dream of going back to be. It’s when I’m weary of considerations, And life is too much like a pathless wood Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs Broken across it, and one eye is weeping From a twig’s having lashed across it open. I’d like to get away from earth awhile And then come back to it and begin over… One could do worse than be a swinger of birches. ~Robert Frost Peggy and Bob MacArthur Birch Corner Associates PO Box 269, Ctr. Sandwich 284-7783, bob@birchcorner.com birchcorner.com What is your name and the name of your business? Anne Metcalf Perkins, Anne Made How did you get to Sandwich, NH? I am one of the fortunate who was born in Sandwich. I have always known how special that is. My mother’s parents had a camp on Winnepesaukee and they decided to settle in Sandwich at the end of World War II. Lester Lear was from Gallipolis, Ohio. Isadora Schmidt Lear was born in Philadelphia. My father’s family had a camp on Squam Lake. At the age of 20, my father, Lance Metcalf, decided to settle in Sandwich, after leaving the Marine Corps at the end of the war. My parents met in Sandwich, probably at a Town Hall square-dance. After my mother, Nancy Lear, attended UNH for a year, they were married at Saint Andrews in Tamworth. Tell us about your work. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? I am a textile craftsman and have made and sold everything from bed quilts and wallhangings to Christmas ornaments and dolls. Currently I’m working with cashmere and making fingerless gloves. What got you started in this work? My grandparents were both craftsmen. My grandmother, Isadora Lear, did crewel embroidery and was a weaver. My grandfather, Lester A. Lear, was a silversmith and did enameling on copper. My uncle, Peter C. Lear, was a silversmith. I was surrounded by talented textile people as a child, and l was encouraged from a very young age to work with textiles. Grandad studied silversmithing in London, England with Robert Stone, a member of the London Silversmith’s Guild while helping to set up Stars and Stripes, the military news magazine. When he came to Sandwich he studied with Karl Drerup and learned enameling. He sold both his work in silver and enameling at the Sandwich Home Industries. Grammy's parents lived in Mt Vernon, NY when she was growing up. Her father, Louis Schmidt worked as a medical illustrator, and later as a photographer for illustrations for medical books at the Rockefeller Institute located in Rockefeller center. He also did illuminated manuscripts and produced skilled etchings. Isadora Studied embroidery at the Royal School of needlework when they were living in London. She and Lester were both juried members of the NH League of Arts and crafts. When spending winters in Mexico both Isadora and Lester studied painting at the Art Institute of San Miguel d’Allende. Isadora taught herself how to do embroidery left handed so she could teach her left handed granddaughter the skills. Neither of my parents were full-time craftsmen. My mother, Nancy Lear Metcalf, was a skilled tailor and an accomplished knitter. My father, Winslow Harris Metcalf ( known as Lance) was a skilled welder, blacksmith, carpenter and mechanic. He designed many labor saving devices for many different trades in 1950s Sandwich. Growing up at 12 Main Street gave me endless opportunities to hang out and learn (pester, question) the League craftsmen. (Twelve Main Street was first my grandparent's home when they moved to Sandwich in 1945. They sold the house to my parents, Nancy and Lance, and I lived there until I went to boarding school.) I was within walking distance of the League shop and my grandparent's and my Uncle Peter’s homes during my entire childhood. I took many classes at the League as a child. Classes I took: pottery, silversmithing, drawing and watercolor and whatever was offered. I took classes every year. When/how did you start your business? When I was about 10 years old I was a locally-juried maker of potholders and Christmas ornaments sold at the Sandwich Home Industries. I’ve never stopped making things. I attended an arts-oriented boarding school, Wykeham Rise in Washington, Connecticut, and the Nantucket School of Needlery on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. I went to junior college for a year and I went to nursing school at Hartford Hospital and worked as a nurse for three years. Living away from Sandwich from 1964 until 1971 made me so homesick I got a pass to Old Sturbridge Village to remind of home within driving distance. I ran a bookstore in Conway and worked for Jan Burnell cooking and baking food which was delivered to Sandwich town folk by her husband. Many people remember Jan who worked as a chef for Jane and Don at the Corner House. For many years starting in 1981 I sold my work at the Corner House Inn when it was owned by Jane and Don Brown. Representatives from Better Homes and Gardens saw my work at the Corner House and invited me to design and produce kits for a variety of needlework techniques. I worked as a Better Homes designer for four years while remaining in Sandwich. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? I love the creation of designs, the problem solving in pattern making and color choices. I am never bored. I found it challenging and rewarding to use a sewing machine. I pretty much invented what I was doing so nobody had seen it before. What is the hardest? Working at home as a craftsman was a challenge at a time when it was not considered to be work by many. The local banks didn’t recognize craft work as employment so it was almost impossible to get a bank loan. There were a lot of interruptions because I lived in the village and people expected hospitality whether it was a convenient time or not. I was a parent and was trying to keep four employees busy. It is different now. I have more flexibility. My child is an adult. I have no employees. I have earned credibility. How has this last Covid year affected your work? Other than not attending markets or fairs, not at all. My work keeps well and I found retail outlets elsewhere. What are your goals and hopes for the future? To keep up my standards, abilities and eyesight as long as possible. What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich? There were many craftsmen who settled here in the fifties, sixties and seventies, and I remember some wonderful collaborations. Bob Wright and Lance Metcalf created metal sculptures from found objects. Peter Lear collaborated with a local potter to make lamps. The INN wallhanging was a collaboration between Elli Ford, artist, Don Brown, artist, Anne Perkins and Judi Dunlap quilters. Many craftsmen collaborated on a friendship quilt for Daphne Alcock Frentress who lived in Australia for a number of years, including, Louisa Miner, Nancy Metcalf, Anne Perkins, Ellie Dow, Helen Bryant, Bunny Michael, Louise Page, Robing Dustin, Bunty Walsh, Shirley Burns, Dot Harding. I want to thank Jane and Don Brown, Mark Duffield, Nick Floyd, Crosby and George Bonsall, Betsy Switzer, Denny Taylor, Ferne Tilton, Betsy Leiper, Bruce Montgomery, Catherine Hope, Nancy Papp at Mocha Rising and the League of Arts and Crafts for encouraging my craft business. I want to thank my employees, Judi Dunlap, Elli Ford, Betty Alcock, Priscilla Grant, and John Perkins. My Daughter Ellen Perkins collaborated on a lot of designs with me and was an employee for a long time.
My current work is available for purchase at Willow Pond Antiques & Goods, 22 Main Street, Center Sandwich. What is your name and the name of your business? Jon L. Greenawalt, Sr., Personal Mastery Programs, Inc. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? My mother bought my current home on Bearcamp Pond Rd. in May of 1945, just at the close of World War II in Europe (VE Day). As a family in those days, we lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan and were summer residents until I moved here permanently in 2017. Our family’s interest in Sandwich began in 1911 as a result of my mother’s mother (my grandmother, Florence Spalding) contracting Tuberculosis. In those days, there were no antibiotics and the usual treatment was rest at cool, dry locations. For reasons unknown to me, her family chose to send Florence to a rehab facility in Wonalancet, NH called Ferncroft. During her two-year recovery period, the rest of her family would visit for a few weeks in the summers. As a young girl, my mom fell in love with the area and the Sandwich residents who hosted them during their stay. One of those people was Elizabeth Wilde, who lived in the home next to what is now the Sandwich Children's Center. Fast forward to 1945, when my mother visited here and reconnected with Elizabeth who encouraged her to buy what is now my home. How did you get started in this profession? I had been an HR professional in two privately held corporations in Philadelphia, PA then Detroit, MI until 1976, when I left to join a local management consulting firm. After 11 years of experience and getting a sound footing there, I started my own firm, PMP Inc which is still active today. While a risky move and challenge, it has proved to be the most successful and gratifying career choice. I was and continue to be inspired by my Personal Life Vision, which is “For all people to identify and have access to their unique genius and share if as a gift to the world.” Further, I am committed to having every interaction with others be a contribution to them. Tell us about your business. What do you offer as a service? PMP exists to “Ensure the survival and growth of organizations with empowering their people to achieve their own life purpose in support of the mission of the enterprise.” Our programs are comprehensive in nature. We deliver value to each individual in client organizations by combining Team building, Strategic Planning, Personal Development, Leadership Development, and Management Training into systems that facilitate the development of a personal growth culture. A frequently heard complaint about consulting/training is that people return from such programs with new concepts and, when faced with on-the-job pressure, revert to old, ineffective behaviors. PMP's comprehensive approach, backed by our promise for results, guarantees sustainable change and unprecedented results. If you would like to learn more about what we do, please visit www.pmpcoach.com How did your business get started? My last corporate role, which was in the early 1970’s, while successful, was missing the support and commitment of the owner to ensure the success of the company. Then, after being a successful part of another consulting firm for 11 years, that owner refused to sell me controlling shares of his firm. I knew it was time to leave and create my own future. My own consulting began when I was asked by another Michigan business if I could help them bring the culture and leadership tools I had implemented at my current employer to them. After getting permission to do so from the owner, I met with the other company’s CEO, confirmed the challenges they were facing and put together a proposal which they accepted. Truthfully, I didn’t really have much of a plan and for the first year was consulting only on a part-time basis. I was really “winging it” while I was developing rudimentary programs and workshops for their leaders. As a good listener, I was able to build trust, pinpoint key issues, and coach the company on how to approach them. By doing this, I began to build confidence in my ability to help other companies as well. At that point, I resigned from my then current employer and started out by joining an existing consulting firm (previously mentioned) where I received training, technology and tools to build a practice and become successful. Then, after being rebuffed by that firm's owner from acquiring ownership control, I took what I had learned and created a new enterprise. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? Experiencing the frequent appreciation from people for my contribution to them, often positively impacting life-alerting situations for one or both their career and personal lives. Watching the sparkle appear in people’s eyes over the power of some new insight or opportunity they gained, along with their determination and commitment to pursue their dreams. What is the hardest? Seeing people give up on believing themselves capable of taking control of their lives, and reverting to a role of victim, blaming others or the circumstances for their distress, suffering or failures. How has this last Covid year affected your work? Fortunately, with minimal negative impact. I was able to learn how to be effective using remote technology (principally Zoom) to conduct coaching sessions, sufficiently effective for my clients. Most difficult was the challenging and ineffective requirement to conduct normally in-person training workshops for clients online?, which eliminates the critical dynamics and personal interchanges/dialogues that can only occur when people are in the same room. What are your goals and hopes for the future?
Continue to fulfill my life’s purpose; treat others with dignity and respect; live to be 100 years old, and when I arrive there, plan for the next 10 to 15 years. What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich?In addition to my business, I have been active since arriving in 2017 on various committees and board. I am a past Board of Trustees for the Barnstormers Theatre and a past Vice Chair of the Sandwich Business Group. I am a current member of the Sandwich Zoning Board of Adjustment and a member of the Bearcamp Pond Association. It is a joy living here full-time, realizing a lifelong dream. It is a beautiful state and community, with honest, helpful people who are good neighbors and a credit to our town. What is your name and the name of your business? Lobin Frizzell, Team leader of 603 Property Group How did you get to Sandwich, NH? As a native to NH, I grew up in Plainfield, NH on the Connecticut River. I brought my son Bryce to the Sandwich Fair when he was 6 years old and I knew then that this is where I needed to live. How did you get started in this profession? My mother was a realtor and she passed away when I was 20 but before she passed she made me get my real estate license as she had several transactions that would close after her death. I have been in and out of the real estate business ever since. In my younger days, I would start a business and then sell it, which is where my love for commercial real estate began. Tell us about your business. My team and I work all over the state of NH to sell residential and commercial real estate. We specialize in customer service and marketing of luxury homes. How did your business get started? I began working under the brokerage of Keller Williams and by their coaching and training my business grew to a point three years ago that I needed to bring on people to grow my business. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? I love helping people find their homes or hit a milestone in their life, like buying their first investment property. What is the hardest? When you cannot help. It's challenging when you have a young family that you have a relationship with that are hardworking and they are in need of housing because their rental is being sold and they are unprepared to buy. How has this last Covid year affected your work? Covid in the beginning was a boon to real estate. There seemed to be endless amounts of money-cash to buy any property on the market. As of late, the buyers are fatigued from the bidding wars and the seller's overinflated pricing is being corrected. The market seems to be shifting to a balanced market. What are your goals and hopes for the future? I love what I do. I have my license in Maine and Florida as well as NH, and I am building teams there. What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich?
Another Sandwich project of mine was buying the North Sandwich Store in the hopes of adding value to the community. Pre-covid when my older children Bryce and Baylee opened the store for me as part of a why-not-try-it campaign, the store actually did okay, and with consistency would likely have continued at okay—okay meaning just covering costs, which I was fine with. However, when they left for college, staffing became the issue. What I would love is to find a like-minded individual who would like to operate it. At the moment I am working on a plan for a food coop but again I am stretched pretty thin and would need help. If you have any good ideas, please let me know! Sandwich has my heart. It has a lot going on for a small town. I love that I can ride my horse into town and get a cup of coffee. Really the thing that I find most amazing about Sandwich, beyond Squam, the hiking, and the Sandwich Creamery, is how interesting the people who live here are. I have raised three children in Sandwich and they tell me I can never leave. I think they are right. www.603propertygroup.com 66 Route 25, Meredith, NH, 03253 (M) 603-662-4095, (O) 603-569-4663 lobin603@kw.com What is your name and the name of your business? I am Cathy Crooker and my business is Crooker Consulting. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? Mine is one of the typical Sandwich stories – I spent my summers here as a kid. As a family we hiked, played tennis, went canoeing, and performed together in the 70’s versions of the Sandwich Players Gilbert & Sullivan productions under the legendary Bob Bates! When my parents, Charlie and Lib Crooker, retired here in 1980, this became “home base,” the place I came back to for family visits. I lived in Oregon all those years, primarily working for nonprofits doing fundraising, but treasured my visits to see family and get back into the mountains I love. When my husband, Griff O’Brien, retired a few years ago, I had the flexibility through my business to live anywhere, so we chose to return to Sandwich full-time. And we are so thrilled that we did! We love this community and are honored to be a part of it. What got you started in this profession? After graduating from Oberlin College with a Soviet Studies degree I migrated to Oregon. Like many fundraisers of my time, I happened upon an opportunity in development with no notion that this would be my career. When an entry-level job at the Easter Seals Society showed me how donors could help improve the lives of children with disabilities, I was hooked! From there I went on to run all the special fundraising events for The American Heart Association in Oregon, and my path in fundraising was set! I went on to work in healthcare and higher education fundraising in and around Portland, Oregon, with a detour during the 1990’s running a business exporting food to Russia (another topic for another day!) Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? Crooker Consulting helps dedicated nonprofit leaders achieve bold visions. I help volunteers, boards and staff learn how to raise more money, I help them develop strategies & visions that will resonate with donors, and I help boards grow and evolve. I have a passion for improving our community. It is a gift to be in a profession where I help connect committed donors with organizations that are creating positive change, whether that is curing cancer, housing the homeless or enhancing the cultural fabric of the community. And I know that anything is possible when we align our energies in common purpose! How did this business get started? In 2015 the wonderful woman I was working for at Community Action in Oregon was set to retire. I decided at that time I was also ready for a transition to the next phase of my life and was ready to launch out on my own to offer what I could to a range of clients. My experience in both very large and very small organizations lends me a unique set of skills. I am trained in the best practices of major fund raising inside large capital campaigns and I use my creative abilities to bring those vital tools to organizations with small staffs and limited budgets. I have learned that budget and size are not a hindrance to creating breakthrough fundraising strategies. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? When I see a board and an organization pull off a big dream that they weren’t sure was possible, I get a lot of satisfaction. The size of the budget doesn’t matter that much – for example, it was just as exciting for me to help the small arts cooperative raise the $100K they needed to repair their gallery as it has been to help the $55M arts center raise the money they needed. The joy comes from helping these incredibly dedicated volunteers achieve what they set out to do for their community. What is the hardest? I wouldn’t say it is hard, but it makes me a bit sad when an organization turns out to be “un-coachable.” It doesn’t happen often, but I have had a few instances when organizations paid me to give them advice, to help guide them, and then they decided not to listen and learn. I have come to understand over the years that when this happens, I need to sever the relationship as early as possible, and not take any more of their precious money, most of which was usually given to them by donors. I have to recognize when they are just not ready for the next step. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? At the start of the pandemic my business did drop – several capital campaigns that were underway or about to start stalled or didn’t launch. But after a few short weeks of mild panic and some readjustment, I found new projects with some long-term clients who needed extra support during the crisis. For example, one of my very first clients, a food bank in Portland, Oregon, was raising MORE money than they ever had and needed a lot of help navigating through their busiest fundraising year ever! I was inspired to see how the community stepped up in unprecedented ways to give to this organization that was right on the front lines of the crisis, and it was also amazing to realize that with all our modern technology (bad internet in Sandwich aside…) I could be just as helpful to them from our little village as I could have been had I still been in Portland. Griff & were also able to adjust our lives so that during COVID – and now moving forward – I don’t have to work a hard as I did! So, I am taking more time for tennis, hiking, fiber arts, and spending time with friends. What are your goals and hopes for the future? My goal is to continue to be of service to the clients I have the privilege of supporting, and to balance that with plenty of time for all the richness that life in Sandwich has to offer – and to add more travel back into the mix! What else can you tell us about yourself? I am an avid hiker and active with the Over the Hill Hikers. I am also an addicted fiber artist - my new home studio holds my nine spinning wheels and multiple looms! Since moving to Sandwich, I have also enjoyed getting more involved in a formal way with some volunteer work, including serving on the Broadband Advisory Committee. Griff & I just recently moved into our new, permanent retirement home, a project that has been in the works for a few years (and a challenge during COVID). We are now enjoying settling into our completely off-grid home on Elm Hill Road.
Cathy Crooker 503-577-5448 catherine@crookerconsulting.com What is your name and the name of your business? Drs Casey and Adrien Cloutier, Sandwich Animal Hospital. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? We moved here in 2017 from North Dakota, after purchasing Dr. Dolan's practice and former residence. We had been looking to move closer to family - Adrien is from Stark, NH and Casey is from southern CT - and we missed New England. When Adrien found Dr. Dolan's advertisement in the back of a veterinary journal, it felt like it could not have been a more perfect fit for us and our growing family, with its distance to our family and the ability to have a small farm on the property. What got you started in this profession? Both Adrien and I wanted to be veterinarians since we were children. We met while attending veterinary school at Tufts University. We both worked on the school's farm for several years and enjoyed working with both small and large animals. I worked solely as a cattle veterinarian, working in local sales barns and in the countryside of North Dakota, for nearly two years before switching to mixed practice. Adrien has worked in mixed practice since graduating veterinary school. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? We are a mixed animal veterinary clinic. We offer both in-clinic, farm and house call services, when possible, and see everything from guinea pigs to pigs on a farm! In addition to Adrien's surgical skills, we are able to have a board-certified surgeon in-house for some more complicated procedures and we recently have begun working with a mobile veterinarian who provides ultrasound services in-house, with advance appointment. How did your business get started? We were lucky enough to buy an existing practice from Dr. Dolan, who built the business over several decades of hard work and compassion. In addition to the excellent preventative and general practice care that Dr. Dolan provided, we have been slowly adding more services to the clinic - like basic large and small animal ultrasound capability and in-house labwork. We hope to continue to build our skillset and offer more to the community in the next few years, such as acupuncture and laser therapy. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job? Being able to care for the animals, the furry family members, of our community is the most satisfying - we love seeing happy, healthy, thriving patients around town. What is the hardest? Medicine and health care is not one-size-fits all, both from a lifestyle and a financial perspective. We work hard to make treatment plans that adhere as closely to the established standard of care while taking into consideration the family's budget and expectations, as well as the animal's quality of life. This is hardly ever easy but it is one of the most important parts of our profession. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? Like many businesses, we have been operating as a curbside service since March 2020. While our clientele all took this in stride, and adapted to curbside care as we did, we miss the quality time we spend with owners inside the exam room. We have always felt strongly about working as a team with owners to guide care and we enjoy getting to know owners as more than just a person attached to a pet - this has been much harder to do with social distancing and curbside care. We have also halted our house call services for the time being. We were proud to offer house call service for our elderly/home bound clientele, as well as for our elderly patients. It was a much appreciated service and we know it is missed. We are lucky to have remained open (and busy!) this past year but, as our children have remained home since March 2020, have been limited to one doctor in the clinic at a time. By the fall, we should be back to operating with two veterinarians in the clinic at least three days a week. What are your goals and hopes for the future? We hope to continue providing high quality personalized care for the animals in Sandwich and surrounding areas. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
People can't help but notice, whether they are driving by or visiting the clinic with a pet, that in addition to the clinic, we manage a small farm. We raise Angora goats and a handful of Shetland sheep, in addition to innumerable chickens, geese, pigs, Maremma sheepdogs, and the occasional bottle calf. Our kids love helping out with chores and are often running around the place, making mud pies or building fairy houses. We feel truly lucky to be able to both work and raise our family here in Sandwich and are grateful to this community for their support. Sandwich Animal Hospital 477 Whiteface Road North Sandwich, NH 03259 O: 603-284-6206 F: 603-284-6110 What is your name and the name of your business? My name is Kathryn Field and my business is Field Fine Art. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? Sandwich became my home full time in 1999 when my late husband Philip Simmons and I moved here from Chicago. His family had a home here since 1961 and I first visited Sandwich in 1984. We were both teaching at Lake Forest College in Illinois and Rich Benton, Phil’s childhood friend, built our home on land next door to Phil’s parent’s home on Taylor Road in 1992. We called ourselves contemporary nomads and moved back and forth from Chicago as our academic calendar allowed, until 1999 when we moved here permanently with our two children, Aaron and Amelia. I taught as an adjunct faculty member at Plymouth State University for a number of years and spent 11 years teaching art at Holderness School. Leo Dwyer, my creative partner, husband and best friend moved from Sunapee a few years after we started dating. We married after a long courtship and many of you know him as one of our selectmen for 5 years. We are both active members of our community and think living in Sandwich is the best place in the world to call home. What got you started in this profession? I have been immersed in artmaking since childhood and started teaching at the University level after graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I have always been interested in teaching all levels of art. In graduate school I got my start teaching children’s art classes. Throughout my career as a professor I continued to produce my own sculpture works and eventually moved into painting. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? I started my business Field Fine Art in 2015. It is a professional teaching studio and practicing art space. The business functions on three levels. First, as a teaching studio. I want to provide a space for people to explore their creativity and learn new skills. Second, as a showroom/gallery space where I meet with clients to show them the range of my sculpture or painting works—models of completed commissions and works in process. And third, it is where I do my work. When not teaching or meeting with clients, I am a full-time practicing artist, painting and creating sculpture. My work is represented by Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery in Sandwich. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? Teaching people and guiding them to see the possibility of integrating creativity with their lives is the most thrilling and satisfying aspect of the job. Having students return year after year and sharing in their enjoyment of working in the studio space and sharing ideas with others is most gratifying. Students range in age from 4 to 93 and every age brings a new and different perspective to the art process. Working on commissions is equally fulfilling. Commissions are a collaboration of minds. A client brings a vision or idea of what they want. Seeing the joy they get when I can visually bring life to their concepts, feelings and thoughts making a tangible piece of art for them to enjoy. I work on sculpture commissions for both private homes and public spaces. I have over a dozen public sculptures located in the Midwest and East Coast at universities, churches, public buildings, and parks. This loon sculpture was designed for a private client for their summer home on Lake Winnipesaukee. The client wanted a sculpture of a loon. We talked for several hours in my studio where I showed him other sculptures of birds that I had created, we discussed material options, scale and cost estimates. During the meeting I drew some ideas out and discussed the idea of using the wind to make the sculpture turn. The next step was to make a life size scale model of the loon. I took the model to the client's lakeside property and made a video with my phone which I sent to the client who lives in Washington state. The final drawings were done with paper and pencil, then photographed and worked on in Adobe illustrator, turning the drawings into a vector format which then go to the fabricator. Once the pieces are laser cut I work in the shop with the fabricator on shaping and bending the pieces until it is finished. This part of the process is also a collaboration of several people, that's what makes it so gratifying. My paintings, and small bronze and stainless sculptures, are in over a hundred private collections in the USA, Australia, and China. My most recent commission will be installed in Betsy’s Park in Holderness, NH. Another bonus of working on commissions is that I get to collaborate and work with my husband Leo Dwyer who is a trained architect and is an invaluable part of my creative process. The three paintings below were created for an exhibition titled Sandwiched in Seasons, exhibited last summer at Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery in Sandwich. The inspiration for each of these paintings were from daily walks I take in our town and an exploration of the seasons. I always have my camera on my walks and there is an endless source of imagery in our own backyards.The scale of my paintings range from small intimate landscapes to large 3ft. x 6ft. canvases. I work in watercolors and primarily oils. I also paint with oils and gold leaf on my laser cut stainless steel works. I really enjoy combining materials and seeing how the different textures play off each other to evoke a unique surface. During the quiet of Covid I had time to experiment and began working on a series of large weathervanes combining landscapes and animal images. These new sculptural creations serve both form and function, a whole new twist for my business to explore. What is the hardest aspect of your work? As an artist the hardest aspect of running a small business is marketing and selling the work. That is a necessary and important aspect of the job but one I do not relish. Making art takes one set of skills and I am passionate about that aspect of the business, but marketing takes a skill that challenges me. That is why I am most grateful to the SBG and Janina Lamb for creating this opportunity for members like me to introduce ourselves to a larger community. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? All classes in the studio were cancelled during Covid. I did some online teaching using zoom but primarily taught private classes to one student at a time wearing masks in a large open classroom space. I had been teaching art to the inmates at the Belknap County Department of Corrections and that had to be put on hold during Covid. The sculpture production was impacted by the cost of materials increasing and not always being available. But happily, my group classes will resume this July in the studio and at the Sandwich Home Industries where I also teach. What are your goals and hopes for the future? Now that Covid is behind us, I look forward to holding classes in the studio year-round. I am offering three new classes this summer—Material Madness, Making Cards, and Open Studio Practice—in addition to the range of painting and drawing classes that I have offered in the past. My flower and vegetable gardens will be in full bloom providing great inspiration for painting and drawing outside. I welcome commissions large and small, for gardens, homes, and parks. I am really excited to see the newest sculpture commission placed in Betsy’s Park in Holderness. Betsy’s Park will be a great gathering place for people to enjoy the beauty of our area, throughout the seasons. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business/organization?
I enjoy working with others to enrich our community especially in the area of the visual arts and education. I serve on the board of the Yeomans’ Fund for the Arts and The Sandwich Home Industries. Both organizations strive to bring creative educational opportunities to our community. I am a hiker, avid gardener, and enjoy being outdoors as much as possible. Visit my professional website at www.kathrynfield.com and my teaching website at www.fieldfineart.weebly.com. Please enjoy the latest installment of Meet Our Members, featuring John Davidson, whose new business, Club Sandwich, is sure to bring great pleasure and benefit to the Sandwich community. His energy and enthusiasm, after a long and stellar career as a comedian, author, actor, musician, TV host, singer, and entertainer, is remarkable! What is your name and the name of your business? John Davidson's Club Sandwich. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? I grew up in West Bridgewater MA and have wanted to get back to New England for many years. I like the culture here. I like the trees. I like New Englanders. While I was touring in the Broadway musical Wicked, playing The Wizard, we came to Boston and went out to Lenox in the Berkshires to look at houses. We bought a home and lived there for 3 years, but the house was too small and too expensive. Our daughter and her family lived in Salem MA, so we began searching within a 2 hour radius of Salem for a larger home at a reasonable price. We found the house of our dreams in Sandwich over 4 years ago. What got you started in this profession? I became a theater Arts Major at Denison University because of the theater students, and theater is a great way to study human nature. I was a shy kid and theater taught me the freedom of role playing. After graduation I went to NYC and was able to get jobs in musical theater and soon television and film. I found acceptance in the theater. I really can't do anything else. Tell us about your work. What do you make, do, or offer? I sing, write songs, and play guitar. Singing feels good when I do it. And the coordination between my hands and voice is my favorite thing to do. I tell stories that touch people, and I enjoy using musical material to affect people. How did this business get started? I have enjoyed a 55 year career in theater, television and film. This means that I have been a gypsy for a long time. At this point in my life I am ready to not travel as much, so when I found this little performance venue at 12 Main St. in Center Sandwich I decided to try my hand at producing my own music venue for my performances. Plus I can provide an intimate stage setting for the many talented singer/songwriters in New England. I have created a multimedia show space with rear screen projections to better tell the story of each song. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? Performing. touching an audience enough to make them laugh, cry, discover something new about themselves, or inspire them to make the most of the brief time we have. What is the hardest? Satisfying my need to do the perfect show. Someday I will do that. I'm pretty hard on myself. I usually follow the bows with the feeling that I could have done better. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? I have not started Club Sandwich yet because of Covid. We open July 2, 2021 What are your goals and hopes for the future?
Stay healthy. Sing better. Play guitar better. Write more songs. Create the perfect musical performance. Welcome people back to my show again. What else can you tell us about yourself? I like people who are open, honest, and outspoken. That's New Hampshire at it's best. I also like people who choose happiness. Click to watch John give a tour of the new Club Sandwich. What is your name and the name of your business? My given name is Margaret Merritt, but usually go by Peggy. When I was a child in southwestern Ohio, my mother used my given name only when I was in trouble; i.e., “Margaret Merritt, you get in here right this minute!” I started “Basket Street Papers” around the time my husband Ron Lawler and I bought our house on Basket Street and I began making paper there. My focus has now turned from papermaking to printmaking. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? I first visited Sandwich in the early 1970s during an afternoon drive to explore the region around the Holderness School where I was attending a scientific conference. My real connection with New Hampshire began with a 1986 vacation, when Ron and I were living in Norfolk, Massachusetts. We rented a Lake Ossipee cottage from Betsy Rouner who soon became a close friend. She introduced us to a number of Sandwich folks, including her brother Lee and his wife Rita. We bought a camp on Mt. Israel Road, near Booty Farm, in 1989. Summer weekends and vacations in that camp led to our buying the Basket Street House in 1996 and becoming year-round Sandwich residents in 2002. How did you get started in your profession? I began taking evening classes at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art in Michigan when I was research chemist at The Upjohn Company and eventually found my art niche in printmaking. I left active printmaking when I began teaching at Wellesley College in 1982. In my last two years at Wellesley, I taught “Chemistry and Art,” a lab-studio course for non-science students and included a section on etching. Parts of that course were expanded and included in a lecture series on the “Chemistry of Library Materials” that I presented to staff of the Harvard University libraries in fall of 2003. The beautiful papers used in printmaking drew me into my first New England art-making experience in 1998 when I took a course in Japanese hand papermaking at the School of Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. That experience led to my making paper outside on Basket Street during the summer and in the bathtub in winter. While still at Wellesley, I was juried for papermaking in the Sandwich Home Industries and began to show and sell some of my paper art there and elsewhere. My work, under Basket Street Papers, included cards, pulp paintings, and dyed and painted papers and grew in scope after my retirement in 2002. One of the my most interesting papermaking projects was creating a piece containing recycled U.S. currency in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Crane Museum of Papermaking in 2005. The Crane family has made the paper for all United States currency since 1879. Composed of shredded discarded U.S. currency and Asian fibers, my contribution “Strong as the Dollar” highlights the inter-dependency of world currency and is now in the permanent collection of the Museum. I painted with wet colored pulp in addition to making paper in sheet and sculptural forms. Such pulp paintings served as the basis for a collaborative piece, with lithographer Anita Dillman, that now hangs in the cancer research center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Suzanne Lee of Lakes Gallery at Chi-Lin, then in Meredith, helped facilitate this commissioned piece. Even when making art papers, I longed for an etching press. Etching processes require a fairly expensive, heavy press in contrast to the simple equipment used in Asian-style papermaking. Shortly after refreshing my printmaking skills in a 2005 course at Plymouth State, I bought that much desired press. As with each sheet of handmade paper, most of my prints are now made—pulled—individually by hand, using my press. Although I continued both hand papermaking and printmaking work for over a decade, my principal focus gradually shifted to the latter. I recently gave away most of my papermaking equipment; some will be used to establish a papermaking studio at Smith College. The experimental and collaborative nature of modern printmaking resonates with the scientist in me. Printmakers constantly seek new ways to translate their imagined images into reality and willingly share their discoveries. One of my most rewarding printmaking adventures came from collaboration with two other New Hampshire artists, Anne Garland and Wendy Ketchum. Together we produced twenty unique prints containing a distinct layer from each of us, and led to an exhibition at the Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery in 2016. Tell us more about your work. The natural world provides the inspiration for most of my designs, ranging from realistic impressions to abstract interpretations. I make each of my hand-pulled prints individually by transferring inked images from one or more flat plates to paper. I often overlay different images by sequential printing of multiple plates with different inks to produce a single print. Most of my early Sandwich prints were made from traditional chemically etched copper plates to produce black and white etchings. I have embraced other techniques and color in more recent prints. “On the Edge,” was included in a 2017 exhibition focused on climate change at the Carrega Gallery. Using printing plates constructed from dried plant material, I made the 2019 “Running Pine” print. Scissors served as a model for the multi-colored 2020 “Rambling.” I mainly show and sell my hand-pulled prints through galleries, locally at the Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery in Sandwich, and Artworks in Chocorua. I also exhibit my work through the New Hampshire Art Association, the Monotype Guild of New England, and Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence, Massachusetts. My own processes use “environmentally green” processes, pioneered by Zea Mays. All my materials and resultant prints are of archival quality. How/why did your start your business? I use the name “Basket Street Papers” to describe all my work and provide a means for publicizing and sharing my artwork through organizations like the Sandwich Business Group. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? I love the technical details of printmaking as well as learning and experimenting with new techniques and materials. The rhythm and flow of printing by hand imparts a sense of timelessness and meditation to my daily work and, I hope, is reflected in my art. What is the hardest? Beginning a new project. I often start by exploring materials as well as constructing trial plates to get something that “feels” right enough to finish a print or a series of related ones. I make many false starts. How has this last Covid year affected your work? The Covid year has broadened the horizons of my art life with online workshops and weekly virtual lunches, through my membership in Zea Mays Printmaking. Although sorely missing the company of local folks, I have acquired new friends and artist colleagues from across the country, thanks to ZOOM and Zea Mays. I spent far more time in my studio than in a “normal” year and was able to experiment with many different techniques and subjects. My husband’s companionship transformed the Covid year on Basket Street into a productive retreat. “Hampshire Hog” serves as an example of a 2020 print made using a sandpaper-covered plate. “Bits and Pieces” is one of my first attempts at collaging and printing on pieces of old prints. I devoted a good deal of the spring of 2021 on a series of woodcuts, like the one shown here. What are your hopes and goals for the future?
I hope that the experimentation that carried me through the Covid-year will continue to enliven my art life. And I look forward to spending more time with the wonderful people of Sandwich. What else can you tell us about yourself and your work as an artist? The Sandwich community, including Sandwich Home Industries folks, helped my transition from chemist to artist. I first exhibited my paper art at an Old Home Week Art Show, reborn now as Artisans on the Green. Of the many people who have supported my efforts to “make art,” I would like to acknowledge a few of them: my husband Ron Lawler for his unflagging encouragement of my work; my late neighbor Bob Wright for his pithy advice; and Will Lehmann for his generosity in helping me frame my own art work. I especially thank Patricia Carega for her thoughtful critiques of my art, exhibiting it, and making her gallery a Lakes Region destination for all lovers and patrons of fine art. Contact: peggymerritt@gmail.com https://mvmerritt.com/home.html What is your name and the name of your business? My name is Molly Simmons and I own and teach yoga at 2 Basket Street Yoga in Sandwich. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? My husband Paul’s family has been here since 1961. Sandwich was one of the first places Paul brought me after we met. That was Fair Weekend of 2010. I remember riding along the Holderness Road heading to Paul’s mom house and marveling at all the beautiful fall leaves. I had never been to Sandwich, NH and didn’t know what to expect. It was lovely. I also met many of Paul’s oldest friends when we went to watch the parade in town. We watched from one of Paul’s friends house. Many of the people I met that day are now dear friends of mine and also a big part of the community at 2 Basket Street Yoga. What got you started in this work? I started practicing yoga 20 years ago at a studio in Cambridge, Mass. I fell in love with the practice of yoga. Not only did it make my body feel stronger, but it also brought so much peace and healing to my mind. As fate would have it I started to work at the studio where I took my first class. I continued on to teach at many different yoga studios in Boston and surrounding suburbs. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? The studio is in our barn and offers beautiful views of Mt. Israel and the Sandwich range. This magical healing space was once used as an artist’s studio by the former steward of the property. It seemed fitting to give the studio a renewed look and create 2 Basket Street Yoga. My style of teaching is a Vinyasa Flow, which means you will move from pose to pose. I also offer modifications if something is too challenging or you’re nursing an injury. You can rest also when you need. These are all-level classes; novices and experts alike are encouraged to come. How did your business get started? When my husband and I bought the property at 2 Basket Street here in Sandwich we were so lucky because the beautiful barn had a studio and I knew that I wanted to create a healing space. The setting is so lovely with the views of Mt. Israel and the Sandwich Range. With fine work of Chris Read, a local contractor and friend, we tailored the studio to fit its current need. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? I love teaching yoga! It is one of my favorite things to do and it doesn’t feel like work. I tell my students all the time that being able to teach yoga and bring yoga into the lives of others is such a gift. I love the community aspect of creating a yoga studio and bringing people together from the community to learn the practice of yoga and all of yoga’s amazing benefits. It is not about being able to touch your toes, it is about being present in the moment, taking care of you physical body and mind though the practice of yoga. The benefits of a yoga practice happen on and off the mat. What is the hardest? Marketing my business is sometimes challenging because of the time it takes and also needing to be creative to spread the word, that is why I am grateful to SBG offering this platform to share. What happened to your business in this last Covid year? Luckily, I was able to keep my things going by offering my yoga classes on Zoom, which was fantastic. I also held some classes outside late summer/fall last year. I am really excited to be offering in-person classes again here at the studio. For now, I am asking all students who attend in person to be vaccinated. I am also still offering classes on Zoom. What are your goals and hopes for the future? My goals and hopes for 2 Basket Street Yoga are to add more classes to the schedule, to continue to create a space for people in the community to come together and practice yoga, feel the healing benefits, and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
I am also a Reiki partitioner and own powersofhealing.com which I founded in 2007. I provide Reiki healing to clients in my Cambridge office. I also offer Reiki healing sessions here at 2 Basket Street Yoga. I am a twin. I love hiking, biking, skiing and running the trails & the roads with my sweet husband Paul and our dog Penny! Molly Simmons info@2basketstreetyoga.com 617-461-9512 2basketstreetyoga.com Please enjoy this edition of Meet Our Members in which we learn about Derek and Linda Marshall, wonderful artists and craftspeople, who have lived and worked in Sandwich for decades. We are extremely fortunate to have so many fascinating and talented people in our midst. What is your name and the name of your business? Derek Marshall. Currently we operate as Derek Marshall Lighting, but before that, we operated as "The Sandwich Kiln " starting in 1971. Basically, it is the same business except we work more with glass than clay...but all comes under the rubric of ceramics. What got you started in this profession? After graduating from college in 1965 Linda and I were married. We were then whisked off to Japan where I was to join my ship, the Destroyer Henry W. Tucker, DD875 to serve as her first lieutenant. This was the real start of the American involvement in Vietnam and the Tucker was utilized almost continually for shore bombardment with our 5" guns. Tucker also worked in carrier operations, running interference against possible enemy submarines and also as a decoy in the Gulf of Tonkin to lure the North Vietnamese to attack us to justify President Johnson’s Tonkin Resolution, the sole justification for our increasing presence in this war. That attack never happened. Linda, free to pursue more interesting things in Japan while I waged war, became fluent in Japanese. We both developed an intense interest in Japanese art, particularly the ceramic traditions of Japan, a world apart from the overbearing war. We found, after some searching, a Japanese potter of national repute who said he would take us on in exchange for English lessons. It was a wonderful opportunity with a great artist. We were able to carry on this relationship for several years, between deployments to Vietnam. We lived in a small Japanese house in the fishing village of Hayama, across the peninsula from the Yokosuka Naval base on Tokyo Bay. There the mountains ran into the sea and red Camellias bloomed in the hills in the winter. Life was good. I learned traditional Japanese ceramics, fired in a wood burning kiln about 40 feet long along with the incomparable Japanese aesthetics. Eventually we were shipped back to the states to finish off my four-year commitment to the armed forces for paying my ROTC scholarship to Columbia University. In Norfolk, Virginia, we found a great teacher of ceramic art at the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Science where by good chance we were able to continue our studies of Japanese ceramics by a wonderfully knowledgeable teacher. After discharge from the Navy in 1969 and a summer sojourn touring around Europe, we returned to Japan to continue our study of Japanese art. I attended the Kyoto City University of Fine Arts (Kyoto Geijitsu Daigaku) for a year of graduate study in Japanese ceramics. Linda took up brush painting in the style of black ink on handmade paper (sumi-e) and studied under the internationally renowned artist Tomikichiro Tokuriki. After a year of total immersions in the life and arts of Japan, the three of us, (Amy was born during the rainy season in Japan in 1970) returned to America looking to start our professional careers in the creative arts. Two years later, our son Crofton entered the world and now lives next door to us with his two sons, Alex, 16 and Gus, 13. Crofton is a builder and his wife, Andrea, is a registered nurse. Daughter Amy lives in New York City with her husband, Chad. They are both dancers (Amy Marshall Dance Company) and have three children, Pasha, 13, Devlin 13 and Gillian, 10. Amy & Chad are both trainers as well, catering to a private clientele. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? As it often happens, winding up in Sandwich was a random process. While we were in Japan, Linda's parents had left Connecticut for NH to open a gift shop,The Towle Hill House, in Meredith. When we returned from Japan in late winter of 1971, it was our intention to find a likely spot for setting up a pottery studio in Maine. A friend suggested that we look at Sandwich. A little investigation revealed that Sandwich was a delightful rural community with a long tradition of crafts and in fact was the birthplace of The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. The Sandwich Home Industries was one of several League shops selling New Hampshire art and crafts in the state. As it turned out, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen is a unique organization, the envy of other crafts people around the country. For several years I served as VP of the organization, headquartered in Concord. How did your business get started? We started out as potters which meant building a studio, a couple of kilns and all the associated gear necessary to what amounted to a small factory. We made tableware, bowls of all sizes, plates, cups, and such like. It was a lot of work, going through about 8 tons of clay a year which I mixed in a repurposed mortar mixer. One day we were approached by Norman Perry, a premier maker of table lamps for the architectural and interior design trade. He asked if we would be interested in making some ceramic bases for his company to turn into table lamps. This we did for several years and became his bestselling line. We won the Roscoe award from the New York City Resources Council for one of our lamp’s designs. In 2019 we won Best of New Hampshire lighting from New Hampshire Magazine. From this we found a lighting market which not only included table lamps, but also wall sconces. Eventually we incorporated elements of art glass into the sconces and then it was but a short jump to making wall sconces out of glass alone. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? We always enjoy selling our art to interesting people and places. We have sold our lighting in many places, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, China, etc. In 1976 we were commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts to design and produce a dinner service for a special luncheon for the senate wives hosted by the President’s wife. A single serving of this is now in Sandwich Historical Society. We do not necessarily know about the interesting people as so much of that kind of thing is handled by third party professional designers...but we have made and sold various of our lights to Richard Branson for his private islands in the Caribbean. I am also delighted when I see our lights in movies and television shows, most of which I have forgotten, but include Friends, Seinfeld, Fraser. In 1978 we returned to Japan for three shows of our ceramic art with our two children in Kyoto, Kurashiki and Takamatsu. What is the hardest? Minor problems occur dealing with customers who have a hard time making decisions. Our job is to help them see clearly what they want.A challenging part of our work is conceiving a new design, reducing it to a two-dimensional draft, then taking that to a three-dimensional pattern from which a series of negative and positive molds must be produced to finish the design. Usually there is a period of trial and error where all the previous steps may need to be tweaked, or worst case, abandoned to start all over again. Going from an idea to a finished product can take up to a year or longer. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? Cautious people are slower to spend money and the people who produce the glass we love sometimes run out of product. These are typical problems that were exacerbated by the pandemic. What are your goals and hopes for the future? We are always coming up with new designs, finding interesting new glass and other related parts for our designs, usually metal, metal castings and even nuts and bolts with appealing finish and texture made from brass, bronze or stainless steel. Reaching our market is always a challenge when you live on a dirt road in the middle of New Hampshire. We advertise in design journals such as New Hampshire Home and Interior Design and send out press releases to inform the world that we exist for their pleasure. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
We stock about 4-5 dozen styles, textures and colors of the best art glass made in the world. The glasses have all the intrinsic charm of gem stones all being made from the same elements. We have access to thousands of different colors, mixes and textures and can fulfill customers’ requirements for custom work. All this information and more is on our website. Please come and browse: derekmarshall.com What is your name and the name of your business? Patricia Carega (Patsy), Patricia Ladd Carega Gallery How did you get to Sandwich? Sandwich found me. My brother lived in Moultonborough in a wonderful house with a view of the Sandwich Range and the best cold-water pond ever. I fell in love with the White Mountains. I was at a juncture in my life and in search of a new adventure for the next phase. My four children were in college or beyond, and I wanted to get back into the gallery business that I had left behind in a move from Washington, DC to Miami. A barn in New Hampshire would allow me a life in the mountains and the challenge of selling contemporary art in New England. I left Miami and moved north to Center Sandwich. I have never been disappointed that the barn on Maple Street screamed, “Buy me” during the summer of 1999. What got you started in the business? A long relationship with art, and art history followed me from childhood throughout my life. I spent a year in Florence studying art history at the University while also trying my hand (not very successfully) at sculpture. After my marriage to Paolo Carega , Roman, we moved from New York to Rome. Paris followed. My interest in art increased with long walks around these cities, their amazing museums and the exhibitions of contemporary artists against a background of living art history. The gallery bug really bit hard when we left Paris. I missed the art scene I had known abroad and decided to create my own. I began a gallery career in 1983 in Washington DC. Ten incredible years there taught me a lot about the business. The economy shut us down in 1993. I joined my husband in Miami with the idea of opening a gallery there. No gallery, many soccer games and fundraisers later, I packed up and moved to Center Sandwich. Tell us about your business. I sell contemporary art, figurative or abstract in all media. Facing four college educations I couldn’t afford to buy the work that I would have liked to own. Therefore the direction of my gallery has always been to show the best work I could find for the best prices I could offer. I look for excellence and innovation in ideas and technique. But I also search for something deeper that I cannot quite explain. This could be an underlying peace, a strong social comment or simply a whimsy that delights the soul. Art should never grow old. A piece of art should be even better ten years after the day you bought it. I show a very eclectic collection of work, as there is no one style or technique that governs my choices. The other fascinating part of the art business is education. Artist’s talks, workshops and demonstrations have always been a part of the schedule. Over the years topics have included the Book as Art, Inspirational Kites, sketchbook journaling, and heart maps as well as many conversations with painters, sculptors and photographers. I should also mention the year I was quite taken with creative shoe decoration. This workshop yielded some unique creations. I am happy to say that over thirty some years in business, I have been able to give a start or a boost to artists beginning their careers. The art business is not an easy one and it is a real thrill to know when one of my artists has made it to a museum collection, an international exhibit, or a corporate venue. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job? Studio visits, finding new work, and best is giving a client the happiness of taking a great piece home. I love meeting people who come to the gallery and the conversations that ensue. People and art are an exhilarating combination. I love installing exhibits and I love creating new shows in the barn’s vast space. What is the hardest? The economy and political scene can be difficult. People’s thoughts and emotions are elsewhere. Days when no one comes into the gallery are the hardest. The periods of no sales when you begin to think its time to close the door are the very worst. What has happened to your business during this last Covid Year? The pandemic was a challenge. Instead of opening in May as usual we waited until July 1st and then the question was how to show art safely and more than that how to make people want to come to the gallery. Creative barnstorming resulted in Drive Buy shows. Pam Urda made a wonderful Drive Buy car sign for the driveway and we strung a clothesline between the trees in front of the house where we hung her floor mats. The trees were covered by mostly chickens in all forms of their silly adventures. It was a rewarding experience to have people come by the gallery and thank us for being open and more than that thank us for making them smile. What are your goals and hopes for the future? I am looking forward to bringing a wonderful summer of creativity to Sandwich. I hope we can put Covid behind us and move forward with a renewed energy directed towards an interest in the arts in Center Sandwich. As always we will bring a collection of amazing talent with a smidge of whimsy to the gallery this summer. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
Like other businesses in Sandwich, we work internationally. I find it thrilling that a small business in a small town can have far flung clients across this country and abroad. The far reach of the Sandwich tentacles will forever amaze me. One never has to pass through Sandwich to get to another town, yet we are an invigorating island of creativity and nature. What is your name and the name of your organization? Jim Mykland of the Sandwich Historical Society. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? I first washed up on the ledges at the Pothole in July or August of 1956 when I was six months old. My parents were friends in New York with the Pohls and the Lungams who had bought houses in the Maple Ridge/Mount Israel Road area and we came up to visit them that summer. We came back summers after that, staying in the cabin that the Pohls had on Maple Ridge Road. In the mid 1960’s my father retired and, the North Shore of Long Island having grown up from the farms and pine barrens of the immediate post war years when they moved there, my parents decided to move to Sandwich full time in 1966. We moved here the October I was in fifth grade, just after the Fair. I went from a baby boom Town with three elementary schools (and building a fourth) of three or four classes of each grade to Sandwich Central School with a combined fifth and sixth grade class of about 16 students. What got you started working with SHS? I have always loved our little Town between the lakes and the mountains. All the old houses and fascinating people I remember growing up. I first visited the Museum probably the summer after we moved here. The thing that grabbed my attention at 11 years old, naturally, was the dugout canoe. And the model of Center Sandwich made by the Quimby School boys in the 1930’s. I came back often over the years to wander around the house. I was fascinated by Sandwich history. In the late 1980’s, in what I can only assume was an act of desperation, I was asked to serve as a Trustee of the Society. I’ve been here pretty much ever since serving as a Trustee and officer including four years as President. I came back in the 2010s as a Trustee and later Vice President. In December 2020 I was asked by the Trustees to serve as Interim Executive Director. Tell us about your organization. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? The Sandwich Historical Society has, in its hundred plus years, made a concerted effort to collect and preserve historic artifacts and ephemera that directly relate to Sandwich. It became evident that a building would be needed to house this collection and in the 1920’s the Society bought the Elisha Marston house at 4 Maple Street in The Center. Over the succeeding years, the Society has added other buildings to our holdings as the need became evident. We currently own the former Quimby School barn, which was moved across Maple Street and now houses the Transportation Museum of Sandwich-related vehicles, both great and small, including the magnificent Sandwich Coach that used to transport mail and people from Center Harbor to Sandwich and West Ossipee. We also own the former Mount Israel Grange Hall on Maple Street, the former Heard family barn off Skinner Street in The Center, and the former Lower Corner Schoolhouse on Schoolhouse Road. Throughout the year the Society sponsors programs, talks and walks that highlight features and people of our little hill town. One of the more popular programs is ‘Pictures from the Vault’, an hour or so sample of some of the thousands of images in our collections. Another day might find a walk in The Center or Lower Corner or The Notch highlighting architecture and people who have lived in the area in the past. Perhaps of more lasting impact than artifacts and buildings, the Society, following its founding principle of collecting and sharing the history of Sandwich, has a unique canon of over a hundred years of written history of the Town in our annual Excursion Booklets. These Excursion Booklets cover the entire history of the Town from the very beginning until today. In the early years these were truly excursions to various neighborhoods in Town sharing the history of each area and collecting the precious memories of older residents before they slipped away. These booklets form an invaluable history of our small town between the lakes and the foothills of the White Mountains. In 1995 the Society published ‘Sandwich, New Hampshire 1763-1990’ a one volume history of the Town compiled by a number of talented writers who were also members of the Society. How did SHS get started? The Sandwich Historical Society was founded in 1917 by a group of full-time and seasonal residents who had grown concerned with the steady loss of artifacts leaving Town as old homesteads were sold and auctioned off as well as the loss of the unwritten Town history as older residents passed away and their stories and memories vanished with them. For a more detailed history of SHS, please visit: http://www.sandwichhistorical.org/society-history.html What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? Working with our great knowledgeable staff Jennifer Wright and Lauren Hansen and our Trustees and Officers. The Society is truly a group effort and being able to interact with these smart, hard working staff and volunteers is exciting and intellectually challenging and very educational to me. What has happened to your organization in this last Covid year? The Society offers an annual exhibit at the Elisha Marston House Museum. Last year due to Covid our buildings were closed and the volunteers and staff created a virtual exhibit, both remote and online, with banners and QR codes around Town highlighting historic women of Sandwich and their stories. There was also a virtual Excursion during Old Home Week that provided a driving tour to all their houses. This year we are planning to be back in the Elisha Marston House Museum with the exhibit featuring portraits by Susan Lirakis of Sandwich mothers and their daughters taken over the last forty years. There will also be an online exhibit again this year. What are your goals and hopes for the future? In the most immediate sense my goal is to get the Society back to its normal functioning level as quickly and as safely as possible. Our goal for this year is to have a summer exhibit and our annual excursion this August. What else can you tell us about yourself and your organization?
The Society is still governed by a volunteer board of trustees with the assistance of a few paid staff members. It exists through the generosity of our members and donations from the public and the thoughtfulness of benefactors over the years. We are here to try and answer your questions about Sandwich and what went on here and what is happening here today. We offer our superb research library to writers and those doing genealogical research. For more information on when our buildings are open and to check a listing of upcoming programs and events visit our website at www.sandwichhistorical.org. Or you can contact us at sandwichhistory@gmail.com. What is your name and the name of your business? Gunnar Berg of Hill People Winery (Hill People LLC). Started in 2013 with Catherine Graham and 100 vines. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? In 1950 by train when I was 10 months old, then by automobile after that. I learned to walk and talk in Sandwich. I was born and grew up in Black River Falls, WI. My father’s side of the family was of Norwegian descent, and my mother’s Scotch/Irish. Her maiden name was Jane McCrillis. Her parents were Neil McCrillis and Marion Bullard McCrillis. The McCrillis family built on the Whiteface Intervale in 1789, so there is a very long history in Sandwich, which I discovered in 1972 when I moved here full-time because everyone seemed to know my business before I knew it myself. I was a student at the University of Wisconsin, Wausau and Madison, when the Vietnam war caused mass protest and disruption. I was an apolitical engineering major and switched to psychology for my last two years. After getting clubbed and teargassed for no reason I could see, I headed for the hills. Peace and quiet, clear water, clean air. I could not resist. What have you done since you came to Sandwich? I think my very first job was picking rocks from what was to become a clay tennis court. Come to think of it, that is an apt description of my 49 years in Sandwich- picking rocks. It is said—and I can verify this—that you can dig a big hole, separate the rocks from the soil, put the rocks back in the hole, and when it’s full you will have all the soil and a pile of rocks left over. After rock picking, I got a job at the original Sandwich Cabinet Shop. When the owner abruptly vacated to Colorado, I was left holding the bag with many unfilled orders. With a pathetically small SBA loan, I bought the equipment and set up shop. Over the next 35 years I specialized in custom woodworking from guitars to kitchens to resurrecting Tappan Chairs. Microwaves and the lure of high speed internet intruded on my woodworking and I built a solar powered wireless internet network in 2003 to try and bring Sandwich up to speed so to speak. The next 16 years I devoted to keeping people online through everything the Northeast could throw at me. That was exhausting and I tried to think of yet another career that I knew nothing about that would allow me more time, in what should be my laid back retirement, to spend on the Hill, which was why I moved here in the first place. Tell us about Hill People. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? Hill People LLC is a mom and pop vineyard and winery located on a high southern slope of Flat Mountain in the Sandwich Range. We specialize in wines from northern cold-hardy grapes developed at the University of Minnesota by Elmer Swenson of Osceola WI. We also produce wines from local fruits and berries. The winery—and our home—is off-grid and solar powered, probably the only winery in the state that is. Sitting at 1300', it is also the only vineyard at that elevation. We sell through Farmer's Markets and directly from the winery. Our tasting room will be open by appointment once the novel corona virus becomes a minimal threat to public health. How did this business get started? In 2012, at the Vermont Pub and Brewery in Burlington, Cathy and I started talking about possibly starting a micro-brewery. Since it seemed that’s what too many people were doing, we nixed that and I floated the idea of hard cider and planting an apple orchard. Cathy simply said, “You do know how old you are- right?” And so the search for Northern cold-hardy grapes- which you could harvest at 50% in year 3- was on. In 2013 we planted 100 Marquette, Prairie Star and LaCrescent grapes- in 2014 another 100, and in 2015 another hundred. Growing grapes this far north is a real challenge, to say nothing of Japanese beetles, bears, turkeys and cedar waxwings competing with you. Given the limited amount of juice available from 300 vines, which is about the maximum that Cathy and I can manage, we branched out into other fermentable fruits and berries that were available locally. Our first departure from wine made from grapes was dandelion wine, which I made from my grandmother’s recipe. That was followed by blueberry, apple, honeyberry, pear, peach, tomato, and aronia berry. These non-grape varieties are now our staples. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your project? The most satisfying part is after the very lengthy process of growing or gathering the fruit, crushing, fermenting, racking, and bottling, ending up with a product you like and are happy to share. What is the hardest? The hardest parts are all the random variables that get flung at you out of the blue. Could be bears, could be black rot fungus. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? Business was down 60% in 2020. What are your goals and hopes for the future? We would like to be known for very local and very homemade unusual wines that can be best in class. We need to spend more time marketing and getting our wines on many more palates. It wouldn’t hurt if we could turn a profit. Contact hillpeople@cyberpine.net, through our Facebook page at https://facebook.com/hillpeoplevineyard
or by calling 603-986-9769 (Gunnar) or 603-491-2004 (Cathy). What is your name and the name of your organization? Jessie Chapman (Executive Director), Advice To The Players How did you get to Sandwich, NH? ATTP's founder, Caroline Nesbitt, was a guest Director at Plymouth State University while I was a student there. Caroline invited me to perform in As You Like It in the summer of 2007 and I fell in love with the town and the company. I returned many times as a teaching artist, stage manager, and performer and finally moved to Sandwich in the fall of 2019. What got you started in this job? I earned my degree in Performing Arts Management from Brooklyn College in hopes that I would be able to return to Sandwich someday and help the company that had meant so much to me thrive. I have always loved teaching, and working with ATTP has allowed me to share my love of teaching and theatre with this truly unique community. Tell us about your organization. Advice To The Players creates live theatre productions, Shakespeare based educational programs, and a myriad of other literary and performing arts opportunities for local teens, amateurs, and professional artists. We produce Shakespeare outdoors in the summer, working with area schools, performance venues and retirement communities—and even host an annual holiday production of Twelfth Night. We offer camps, workshops, and personalized mentorship opportunities for teens and early career theatre artists. How did your organization get started? Caroline Nesbitt founded Advice To The Players in 1999 after training with Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, MA. ATTP originally produced performances with Community School students and professional actors at The Barnstormers Theater in Tamworth. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job? The best part of my job is seeing teens and young adults who have worked with ATTP grow up and discover how they'd like to engage with the world. There are many adults who now perform with the company or work as Teaching Artists who were students of mine in ATTP's camps or at Plymouth—and there are many others who do not continue in theatre but are making remarkable contributions to our world. What is the hardest? The most difficult aspect of my job is the hard decisions I need to make when income for a program falls short, or unexpected expenses arise. There is a level of personal sacrifice involved with running a small nonprofit that can be challenging—thankfully the boundless joy involved outweighs this almost every time. What has happened to your organization in this last Covid year? We saw tremendous support from the community, which allowed us to survive, despite losing over 80% or our anticipated earned revenue. We created theatre in new and innovative ways and were able to safely provide a full season. While we were able to provide lots of opportunities to local artists, many of the professional artists and emerging artists we hire rely on lodging in the community in order to come here, which was not possible last year because of Covid, so there were many artists who could not work with us due to these circumstances. How do you see the future of this organization? I see a future for ATTP where we have a much stronger and more involved connection to the area schools along with further developing many of our budding partnerships with other local institutions. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business? Since we could not safely have an audience for our March production this year or tour in person to area schools--we created a unique filmed performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in the beautiful Partridge Hill Farm Barn in Sandwich (a thousand thanks to the Hird family for generously offering their beautiful venue). This production will be available to all virtually from April 23-May 2 only. We hope you will enjoy this one of a kind offering featuring local talent and quite a bit of magic. Email contact@advicetotheplayers.org for the link! Please enjoy the second installment of SBG's Meet Our Members! What is your name and the name of your business? My name is Katie O’Connell, and I am the owner of Dragonfly Yoga Barn Studio & Retreat. How did you get to Sandwich, NH? My family moved to Center Sandwich when I was eleven and in the 6th grade. They had visited locally for years and loved the area, so we moved to Center Sandwich while our home on Wing Rd. was being built. Tell us about your business. What do you make, do, or offer as a service? Dragonfly Yoga Barn is a yoga studio and intimate retreat center offering daily classes, as well as yoga and meditation retreats, yoga teacher training, workshops and series classes, seasonal concerts, and an occasional wedding. How did your business get started? Well, that’s an interesting story. I started practicing yoga 23 years ago, right after my daughter, Bridie, was born. It was love from my very first downward dog. I practiced regularly for about three years before one of my teachers suggested I get certified so I could come and teach yoga at her gym. During that time, my husband, Declan, and I had already disassembled and moved our first of three old barns (which some will remember as Edwin Elliott’s old barn across from the spring in North Sandwich). We put it back up as a barn on Bennett Street, about a mile from its original footings, and then started to look for another barn to move as our house. While the search was on for the second barn, I completed my first yoga training and began teaching weekly yoga classes at the Benz Center, at a local gym, and at Inter-Lakes High School where I was an English teacher—getting my yogi feet wet, so to speak. It was back in 2003 that I named our business “Dragonfly Yoga.” I’d always loved dragonflies and knew the animal spirit of Dragonfly as the energy of transformation, and since I believe yoga has the power to transform us in all capacities: body, mind, and spirit, it became our namesake. The second barn went up as a house in 2003, we moved in during the fall of 2004, and in the summer of 2005, a friend of Declan’s was at a baseball game in Moultonborough and heard a man asking if anyone needed an old barn! Funny thing was, about a week before this, I had told Declan I would love to have a small yoga studio up here near our new “old” home on the edge of the forest… and literally the barn just appeared! We took the third barn down and stored it for almost two years while we started to make plans for building the studio. I completed another yoga training in 2006, completed a final year of teaching English before I gave my notice, and in 2008 jumped into yoga full time! My Benz Center yogis actually came up to practice in the yoga studio when it was just a post and beam frame--they wanted to be a part of it from the very beginning. It was a magical time! We ran our first yoga retreats in 2009, and the rest is, well… a new piece of Sandwich history--all under the eaves of three old barns. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work? I love sharing yoga with my daily yogis, my retreat yogis, and my trainees. It’s hard to pinpoint what the most satisfying thing is, but I would say it’s when a student has that “a-ha” moment and something shifts in their body or mind as a result of the practice. The recognition that yoga can support us where we are in our lives at that moment--as well as in our evolution as beings--is very inspiring to me. What is the hardest? Owning a business on the farthest outskirts of a small town can be pretty challenging. We’ve spent over a decade wondering how many students would make the trek to the Whiteface section of Sandwich for a daily yoga class. I have such an amazing and dedicated crew that have been rolling out the mat together for years--and they love the community we’ve created, but sometimes it’s not easy to complete with frost heaves in the winter and living in a place with so many amazing things to do outside in the summer. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? Our last retreat at Dragonfly was 14 months ago. Thinking about how many events have been cancelled in the past year is a little overwhelming at times. But Declan has been my greatest help and biggest cheerleader. To give it some perspective, I left for India in early February 2020 to lead an Ayurveda and Yoga retreat--there were 16 of us in the group--and I fully expected to reopen my studio upon arrival home, but when I barely made it back to the States on March 16th after a series of cancelled flights and hold-ups in Mumbai, it hit me that life was changing for all of us. I came home to lockdown and had to pivot to online teaching. As much as it was nerve wracking to be in front of a live camera every day, putting my classes online has been something I’ve wanted to do for years. It has been so successful, I now think I’ll keep the online options even after we reopen to the public. What are your goals for the future? I can’t wait to lead international retreats once again... so stay tuned for adventures in Hawaii, Ireland, Greece, Central America, India, to name a few. It might take time to get back to some of my favorite spots and destinations, but I have faith we will have those wanderlust adventures again soon. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business? I love to garden, cook, spend time with my kids and husband, and perform with my band The Starlight Honeys. I love to paddleboard, snowshoe, walk in the forest, and I could spend days beachcombing for stones and shells. Sunrise and sunset are perhaps the most precious moments of the day for me. I’m definitely a Nature girl. All of these things are woven into who I am as a yoga teacher and what I share with my students every single day here at Dragonfly Yoga Barn. It is a wonderful way of life, this Yoga pathway, and I’m so grateful to be here in beautiful Sandwich. Katie O’Connell, E-RYT, AHP, HBM
Dragonfly Yoga Barn 280 Bennett Street, North Sandwich, NH 03259 (603) 707-7529, dragonflyoga@gmail.com https://dragonflyyogabarn.com In this year of Covid, SBG is not undertaking many of our previous initiatives, such as a marketing brochure. Instead, we want to promote our members and the Sandwich business community in new ways. Meet Our Members will be a recurring feature in which we learn more about the Sandwich folk engaged in local businesses and nonprofit organizations. These will be stories about our friends and neighbors, as well as their businesses. What is your name and the name of your business/organization? Martha Nichols, Gallery Manager of The Sandwich Home Industries; aka League of NH Craftsmen Center Sandwich Gallery How did you get to Sandwich, NH? I have lived in Sandwich for 37 years! Before moving here in the early 1980s, I came to Sandwich as a child because my grandparents loved visiting the lakes and mountains of NH when they were young adults. They brought their family and rented a cottage on the lake and my parents continued that tradition every summer of my childhood. When my aunt and uncle bought an old farm in Sandwich in the 50s, I became a regular visitor to Sandwich. What got you started in this job? The manager job sort of fell into my lap when a friend told me about it. I had taken early retirement from teaching high school and was looking for a new adventure. Tell us about the Sandwich Home Industries. The Sandwich Home Industries is a non-profit organization supporting local artists and the local economy by providing a welcoming gallery and educational programs for area residents and visitors to Center Sandwich. The gallery sells a wide selection of fine hand-crafted items, and offers classes in arts and crafts. Our gallery stocks traditional and contemporary fine crafts made by juried members of the League of NH Craftsmen. Our Education Program is the cornerstone of our mission – we create a varied curriculum for both adults and children. How did the Sandwich Home Industries get started? The Sandwich Home Industries (SHI) has a rich history of supporting the craft economy of Sandwich. The Industries began in 1926 when Mrs. J. Randolph Coolidge and a committee of local Sandwich women organized an exhibition of locally made rugs and brought an expert from Boston to give a talk on the practical aspects of making and marketing rugs. From this experience the committee decided to form a cooperative venture. The Sandwich Home Industries opened in the summer of 1926 selling locally made handicrafts to support the local economy. It was such a success that, a few years later, Mrs. Coolidge went to the Governor of NH to request a state-wide arts and crafts organization. In 1931, NH Governor John Winant supported their idea, establishing and funding the NH Commission of Arts and Crafts. As a result, the League of NH Craftsmen was formed in 1932 with Mary Coolidge as their President. The League of NH Craftsmen has become one of the oldest and most recognized craft organizations in the country with seven galleries located throughout the state. For over 88 years, the nonprofit League has promoted fine craft, supported craftspeople, and educated and enriched New Hampshire’s communities. What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your job? The manager job allows me to use skills I acquired in my career as a teacher. I find it most satisfying to collaborate with creative people, so setting up the gallery each season is quite fun. I am interested in Feng Shui and enjoy arranging the gallery so that it not only looks beautiful, but has the positive feel and flow of energy throughout. It is most satisfying to observe customers’ reactions when they visit the gallery. I also enjoy learning more about the many aspects of marketing and social media, which has been new to me! What is the hardest? The hardest part is schlepping inventory from League Headquarters! Many artists deliver their work to us (we take most work on consignment), but we will also pick up merchandise in Concord. What has happened to your business in this last Covid year? The beginning of the pandemic was nervewracking. We (the Board of Directors and myself) had no idea if it would be safe to open or if people would want to come out to shop. Ordinarily, we open mid-May, but we were in lockdown, so we waited to see what the State would decide. When we were able, we decided to open on a limited basis last year, which meant 3 days/week. We laid off staff and reduced my hours. We applied for the government grants and were able to stay afloat, thankfully. I was surprised at the number of people who came by to shop last summer. They were happy and thankful that we were open. Of course, we practiced safety measures recommended by the State, and the season progressed smoothly. This season, we are planning on opening mid-May with our usual 7-day schedule. We are also planning our 2021 education program. How do you see the future for this business? The brick and mortar retail business is challenging these days since one can buy almost anything on the internet. SHI has even started selling some inventory through the League Galleries Webstore. However, I believe that seeing fine craft in person at our historic gallery and being able to touch it and pick it up as well as imagine it in your own space is critical. Our town, in the summer particularly, is a tourist destination. People enjoy stopping by and finding that special NH-made gift or item for their home. It is best to experience art with the senses and one can’t get that while online shopping. What else can you tell us about yourself and your business?
We have amazing talent and dedication on our Board of SHI Directors and are working on strategic planning for the future. We maintain the historic character of the building while making necessary repairs and updating displays. Collaboration with local businesses is also important to us. Last summer we held an Artists on the Porch series where we invited local crafters to sell their work. We are always looking for new ways to engage our community and would love to hear more ideas from Sandwich folks. I am looking forward to Spring and starting our annual opening process. This year marks our 95th season and we are working to keep SHI going strong through its 100th Anniversary and beyond. Martha Nichols, Gallery Manager League of NH Craftsmen Center Sandwich Fine Craft Gallery PO Box 164, 32 Main Street Center Sandwich, NH 03227 603-284-6831 Open mid-May to mid-October Shop our gallery online!! |
News & Views
News of what's happening in Sandwich and other items of interest. Meet Our Members
Please enjoy the Sandwich Business Group's 2021 project called Meet Our Members. Read interviews with fascinating people who live here and run businesses, organizations, and engage in other creative pursuits.
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