Appalachian Spring was originally a retail company founded in 1968 by David and Paula Brooks in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., United States. David and Paula Brooks began with the goal of bringing to the community a collection of American craft. To find the products they looked to the artists and craftspeople that lived and worked in the Appalachian states of the United States, the region in which they had grown up. While most of the work is made in the United States, Appalachian Spring has added the work of craftspeople from other parts of the world.
At their peak, Appalachian Spring had five retail stores in the Washington, DC and Richmond, Virginia areas, as well as a retail website.[1]
However, the founders retired after 50 years and as of November 2018, all but one store in Rockville, Maryland closed down.
David and Paula Brooks are founding members of the Craft Retailers Association for Tomorrow,[2] David is chairman and Paula is a member of the Business Practices Committee.[3]
Awards edit
Appalachian Spring was voted Top Retailer Of American Craft for two consecutive years, 1995[4] and 1996[5] by Niche Magazine[6] and craft exhibitors at the Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft[7] and the Baltimore American Craft Council[8] shows. After winning two years in a row a Hall of Fame was created and Appalachian Spring was inducted as the first Gallery of Honor members.[9]
References edit
- ^ Official website
- ^ Craft Retailers Association for Tomorrow
- ^ April 2005, The Crafts Report, People to Watch in American Craft by Stephen Davis, Bernadette Finnerty and Heather Skelly
- ^ Autumn 1996, Niche Magazine, The 1995 Niche Top 100, An Idea That Blossomed and Grew by Amy Feinstein
- ^ Winter 1997, Niche Magazine, The 1996 Niche Top 10
- ^ Niche Magazine
- ^ Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft Archived February 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Baltimore American Craft Council
- ^ Gallery of Honor Archived May 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine