Chair Caning, Community, and Keeping Craft Alive with Brandy Clements & David Klingler

Chair Caning, Community, and Keeping Craft Alive with Brandy Clements & David Klingler

In this episode, Jamie visits Silver River Center for Chair Caning in Weaverville to talk with Brandy Clements and David Klingler—co-owners, educators, and accidental museum founders—about what it takes to build a business around a craft most people have never thought twice about. Brandy and Dave share: * How Silver River started as a tiny shop in Asheville's River Arts District doing chairs, framing, and gallery work—and how the chairs slowly took over everything * Their shift from restoration to teaching, why overuse injuries forced the question, and what the learning curve of running a school looked like * What the business looks like now: roughly half education, a quarter materials, a quarter restoration—and the ongoing work of learning to say no and refer out without feeling like they're abandoning the craft * Why they won't build a hiring model on underpaying skilled workers, and what that means for a small shop with real limits * The friendships and working relationships that kept them going after Hurricane Helene—shared storage, referrals, and the kind of community you can't plan for * How a book project turned into two books because there was too much to say about chairs * Their museum, which now takes up half the Weaverville studio, started as a way to help clients identify their chairs, grew into a free, hands-on collection of Appalachian makers, Shaker pieces, Danish Modern, Hans Wegner, and more This is a real, unhurried conversation about keeping a traditional craft alive without burning yourself out or compromising what you believe in. If you've ever struggled with when to hire, how to price your time, or how to grow without losing the thing that made you start in the first place—this one's worth a listen. Learn more about Silver River Center for Chair Caning: https://silverriverchairs.com/ [https://silverriverchairs.com/] Connect with us: https://www.mountainbizworks.org/craft-your-commerce/ [https://www.mountainbizworks.org/craft-your-commerce/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftyourcommerce/ [https://www.instagram.com/craftyourcommerce/] This podcast is produced by Parkway Studios and recorded at the Center for Craft. Original Music is by Hannah Kaminer.

Printmaking, Rest, and Rebuilding with Anna Bryant

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Anna Bryant—printmaker, studio co-owner, and former dental hygienist turned full-time artist in Asheville—to talk about rebuilding a creative life from scratch, twice: first when COVID unexpectedly opened a door into art, and again after Hurricane Helene took her studio. Anna shares: * Her path from a homeschooled kid with a greeting card business ("Salutations by Anna") to a career in dental hygiene that left her craving creativity * How a few linocut tools in January 2020 quietly became a full-time practice when COVID shut down dental offices—and why she's careful not to make that transition sound easier in hindsight than it actually was * The role of mentorship and community in her growth: meeting printmaker Denise Markbreit at a market, joining Asheville Print Studio, learning on the presses, and eventually becoming Denise's business partner * The story behind Print House—a reimagined, post-flood studio built around green printmaking practices, education, and community * What it actually means to run a green print studio: water-soluble inks, no solvents, and deep care for what goes into the body and down the drain * Her experimental mono screen printing process—a hybrid of painting and printmaking using inks that never dry until they touch fiber—and how it shifted her imagery from figurative bodies toward architecture, rooms, and fragile built systems * How she structures her week to protect studio time: time-blocking, a dedicated admin day, and systems that corral bookkeeping, marketing, and logistics so they don't bleed into making * Living with imposter syndrome as a self-taught printmaker—from the meltdown over typing "artist" in her Instagram bio to learning to trust her future self to figure things out * Inspired by Tricia Hersey's Rest Is Resistance and The Nap Ministry, how reframing rest has reshaped her relationship to productivity and studio pace * Finding and growing her audience in a new body of work, including restructuring her shop for one-of-one prints, shipping framed work for the first time, partnering with aligned brands like East Fork, and thinking of marketing as planting seeds rather than performing on Instagram This conversation is full of grounded, practical insight for printmakers, craft artists, and second-career creatives navigating the realities of identity, sustainability, and starting over. If you've ever struggled to call yourself an artist, to balance spreadsheets with studio time, or to rebuild after a big life disruption, Anna's story offers both language and real-world examples for building a practice that's sustainable—for your body, your community, and the environment. Learn more about Anna and Print House: https://www.annabryantart.com/ [https://www.annabryantart.com/], https://www.printhouseavl.com/ [https://www.printhouseavl.com/] Connect with us: https://www.mountainbizworks.org/craft-your-commerce/ [https://www.mountainbizworks.org/craft-your-commerce/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftyourcommerce/ [https://www.instagram.com/craftyourcommerce/] This podcast is produced by Parkway Studios and recorded at the Center for Craft. Original Music is by Hannah Kaminer.

Jewelry, Mentorship, and Building a Creative Life with Laura Wood

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Laura Wood—contemporary jeweler, educator, and studio owner in Asheville's River Arts District—to talk about the winding, honest reality of building a creative life in craft. Laura shares: * Her journey from a dance-focused childhood and a reluctant start in college to discovering art through an eye-opening art appreciation class * How she fell in love with metalsmithing, studying with mentors like Rob Jackson, Mary Hallam Pearse, and Robert Ebendorf, and finding community at Penland School of Craft * Why she chose to start a jewelry business instead of pursuing academia after her MFA—and what that looked like financially and emotionally * The role of mentorship at every stage of her career, from being supported by established metalsmiths and gallerists to mentoring emerging jewelers in her own studio * How she and Kat Cole created Jewelry Edition to fill a gap for emerging contemporary jewelers, and what they learned from organizing traveling exhibitions and opportunities * The deeper ways her background in dance informs her jewelry: discipline, choreography, designing for the body, and creating sculptural work that collaborates with movement rather than just "referencing" it * Her three-year Penland residency—using it to step off the production hamster wheel, make "weird, ugly" experimental work, and rediscover how she starts new work from scratch * Returning to Asheville, rebuilding her business, and strategically leaning into e-commerce, email marketing, and gallery relationships while also starting a family * Opening a retail space in the River Arts District, navigating a hurricane that displaced many artists, and ultimately landing in a shared jewelry space that truly fits her practice * Her practical, energy-conscious framework for selling work in person: * How to talk about your work without feeling salesy or exposed * A tiered approach to greeting, educating, and engaging visitors * Setting boundaries so not everyone gets full access to your story and energy This conversation is full of grounded, generous insight for jewelers, craftspeople, and creative entrepreneurs who are navigating the realities of money, time, and identity in their work. If you've ever felt stuck between production and experimentation, or awkward about selling your own work, Laura's story offers both language and permission to build a practice that honors your complexity—as an artist and as a person. Learn more about Laura: https://laurawoodstudios.com/ [https://laurawoodstudios.com/] Connect with us: https://www.mountainbizworks.org/craft-your-commerce/ [https://www.mountainbizworks.org/craft-your-commerce/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftyourcommerce/ [https://www.instagram.com/craftyourcommerce/] This podcast is produced by Parkway Studios and recorded at the Center for Craft. Original Music is by Hannah Kaminer.

Craft, Bookkeeping, and Building a Sustainable Creative Business with Deanna Lynch

In this episode, Jamie sits down with Deanna Lynch, a hand weaver, bookkeeper, and educator who helps craft-based businesses and small organizations feel more at home with their finances. Deanna shares: * Her path from a sheltered upbringing and a derailed art school dream to studying weaving at Haywood Community College * How weaving became a meditative, grounding practice and why its rhythm mirrors the patterns of bookkeeping * The financial and personal challenges that pushed her to learn budgeting and accounting as a young mom * Why she prefers day-to-day bookkeeping and financial storytelling over tax prep * How numbers can be seen as a visual language and a way to reclaim the narrative of your business * Practical, approachable advice for: * Mapping where your financial information comes from and where it goes * Choosing systems (software, spreadsheets, or paper) that you'll actually stick with * Doing a year-end review that looks at income, expenses, sales, time, and personal goals * Her step-by-step method for setting a base rate and pricing your work in a needs-based, reality-grounded way * Navigating the emotions around raising prices, losing clients, and hearing "no" * Viewing production as part of craft and skill refinement, and small ways to bring joy and creativity back into repetitive work This conversation is full of compassionate, practical wisdom for artists, craftspeople, and creative entrepreneurs who want their businesses to sustain both their finances and their well-being. If money, pricing, or bookkeeping feels scary or shame-filled, Deanna's perspective will help you see your numbers as a story you can understand, and change. Learn more about Deanna: https://deannalynchtextiles.com/ [https://deannalynchtextiles.com/] Connect with us: https://www.mountainbizworks.org/craft-your-commerce/ [https://www.mountainbizworks.org/craft-your-commerce/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftyourcommerce/ [https://www.instagram.com/craftyourcommerce/] This podcast is produced by Parkway Studios and recorded at the Center for Craft. Original Music is by Hannah Kaminer.

Trailer: Welcome to the Craft Your Commerce Podcast

Craft Your Commerce is a podcast elevating the voices of creative entrepreneurs in Western North Carolina. Each episode features insights from artists, makers, and business mentors who are shaping a thriving craft landscape. Through real stories and practical guidance, we dig into what it takes to build a creative business, stay connected to community, and grow in a way that feels true to your work. This is a space for learning, inspiration, and celebrating the power of craft. This podcast is produced by Parkway Studios and recorded at the Center for Craft. Original Music is by Hannah Kaminer.