If we’re counting my years as a student in school combined with my years teaching (did you know I’m a high school art teacher?), I just had my 35th first day of school. With that many years’ experience, you’d think I’d be more prepared for how life goes zero to sixty from the slow, lazy days of summer to the fast paced schedule a school year brings but it doesn’t. Each year, it feels like going from two months of laying around in a pool or sofa (this description hits too close to home) to running a 10k each day. Not only am I a teacher, but I also have two middle school daughters, and once in school, my time outside of teaching becomes chauffeuring them to practices and games and wherever else they command the car to go (today, it was Five Below to blow their allowance on an embarrassing amount of candy that will most likely lead to driving them to the dentist soon, so add that to our destination list).
It’s probably about now you’re thinking, “um, she hasn’t even mentioned the whole pottery business, aka, the reason we’re following along here” which brings me to my reason for sharing with you—not out of any self-seeking pity because I know there are many whose lives are full of busyness and stress, but to let you know there’s a lot more going on behind the occasional Instagram posts that make me look like I’ve got it all together (which I don’t). It’s this time of year that h.made slows down to a crawl due to my time and energy being divided up into too many other things. This always makes me feel like I’m letting you down a bit by not posting as much or staying as up to date on the website shop and inventory as I should. Although this Enneagram 2 with a reallll strong 3 wing tends to put it all on myself, now is actually the very best time to remind you that I partner with really amazing retail locations who help me get my work out there to you. So now we come to my reason for sharing this story with you: to let you know each retail store where you can shop h.made studio and to also give you a brief reason of “why them?”
First up, The Downtown Market in Royston, Georgia. If you’ve followed h.made for a while, you know this is my small hometown and the people here mean so much to me. So when I wanted to find a retail spot that I could create as close to a “brick and mortar” storefront as I could handle, my hometown had to be h.made’s home. Here’s where you’ll find the majority of my inventory that’s up to date with the website shop, as well. This space gives you a great opportunity to go in and take a look at the pieces that are listed online in person, as well as shop some of the loveliest antiques vendors and artisans around! I fell in love with working from this historical building and the people inside in college, and was so excited to bring h.made back home to Royston. Have lunch at one of my favorite stops while you’re there, The Old Corner Hardware Store, Centerfield Coffee Shop, or Beebops Bakery.
The Monroe Mercantile in Monroe, Georgia is another great stop to shop h.made. This is one of my favorite places to shop ever and it houses my favorite lunch spot, too, which makes shopping even better! Creaking old floors, the smell of amazing hotdogs from Cheely’s, and three stories of antiques and home decor make this a dream shopping situation for me. Before I’d walked out the door on my very first visit to Monroe and this shop, I’d talked with the owner and my spot was in the works! Wander up to the third floor, the Artisan Attic, and you’ll find h.made studio just as you come around the stair rail. Be sure to eat a hotdog or a Southern PB&J (pimento cheese, bacon, and pepper jelly) for me!
When you leave Monroe, head to the neighboring town of Statham, Georgia to Modern South Interiors and Antiques. This spot is one of the newest of h.made retailers, having become a vendor before I was a shopper, but once I visited, I couldn’t believe I’d never known such a treasure existed! If your style is classic southern design with antiques and vintage pieces mixed in (eh-hem, my style exactly), then this is the spot for you. It’s also the place to shop the classic white lace pieces of the Starr Collection—platters, vases, wall pockets, smaller accent pieces, and some of the few remaining Floral Collection wall tiles. It also tugs at my heart a little when I’m in Statham, because it makes me miss my small hometown, so it just felt right to be a part of this lovely store.
Last to our list, but definitely not the least, is Home Malone in New Orleans, Louisiana. Louisiana?! Yes, Louisiana, and how this came about is nothing short of divine intervention. Owner Kristin Malone has curated two locations in the city full of handmade gifts and decor from over 100 southern artists and craftsmen. Kristin has blown me away with her intentionality to promote hand crafted goods while her small business thrives, even in the midst of a pandemic. After coming across my website, Kristin reached out with an order which we decided to hand deliver because we’d never been to New Orleans, and the rest, they say, is history! This city stole our hearts and this store and our home away from home at La Belle Esplanade were two of the reasons on a very long list why. Home Malone specifically carries serving ware pieces from the h.made Floral Collection in the Magnolia, Camellia, and Lemon patterns. My guess is if you’re reading this, you’re probably more likely to shop in person at one of the stores above, so why am I raving about a store in NOLA? Well, it’s a really great store for eclectic southern-inspired gifts (my husband and I have ordered our last anniversary and Christmas gifts to each other from here), but also because they have the most consistent in-stock inventory of h.made Floral Collection pieces of anywhere, even my website shop! I directed a lot of you to their website this past Christmas and spring when you were seeking floral pieces as gifts because their shipping is incredibly packaged and affordable and a very quick turn around (when all delivery services are working as they should), so it’s really just as easy to order from their website as it is mine. And if you are planning to be in New Orleans soon (take me with you, please!), either of their two locations are a must-stop for your NOLA gifts to bring back home (do I often spend as much as my work pays when I’m here? Yes. Yes, I do).
There are two other retail spots in the works for h.made (one coming real soon!), but for now, I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the places and people involved in the stores above. It’s been a learning curve since I began this business when I thought that the more retail locations, the better, but now, the “who and why” is so much more important to me than the many. I wouldn’t sell my work somewhere I wouldn’t want to shop and support myself, and it’s such an honor for h.made studio to call these stores home. So while I may seem quiet in the online shop or on social media in the coming weeks, go and shop or click and browse and support these places that mean so much!
