Eric McIntyre of Wiscasset’s Village Handcraft binds a wooden broom with nylon string. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record

As the holiday season approaches, Hilary Crowell of The Cultivated Thread and Eric McIntyre of Wiscasset’s Village Handcraft have created a serenade to household chores, an ode to everyday items.

If you’ve ever overlooked your kitchen broom or dish towel, these creatives argue that you’re missing out. The devil is in the details, and as Crowell says, “Joy is found in the mundane.”

The arts and skilled trades are closely related; distinguishing them can be challenging. Unlucky are those who believe making home goods is merely labor. 

“To make something useful and beautiful is magic,” McIntyre said.

A selection of wooden spoons available at Wiscasset’s Village Handcraft shop on Oct. 29. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record

Wood crafting with local saplings

The wooden broom Eric McIntyre was making on Oct. 29 before it was bound with string. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record

Chances are you don’t consider the aesthetic appeal or comfort of your broom handle, but McIntyre does. He has taken to harvesting saplings from nearby forests and fallen trees in backyards, repurposing them into premium goods.

Since no Mainers cultivate broom corn, a variety of sorghum, McIntyre orders it from other regions, along with cotton string to bind hand brooms and nylon string for larger brooms.

The wood, however, is locally sourced. After years of working with different varieties, McIntyre found that his knowledge of tree species has improved. Growth patterns, fiber structures and bark age significantly affect carving time.

“I don’t like carving oak saplings for handles because I find the texture unappealing,” McIntyre said. “I have also found that species carve differently depending on their environment. Physical stressors, such as climate change, impact wood formation.” 

In 2021, McIntyre opened Village Handcraft in Wiscasset, where he sells artisanal brooms and other wooden goods. He learned to carve as a child, but his passion for woodworking grew in 2018 during an internship at Bristol’s Maine Coast Craft School.

While teaching forest ecology at Chewonki’s outdoor education school, he crafted his first broom for his apartment. He was surprised to discover that brooms are practical and enjoyable.

“They have a lively springiness, making the act of cleaning feel calm and meditative,” he said.

After sharing this with his students, they wanted to give broom making a go, too. 

“I was a spoon carver for eight years before I began teaching,” McIntyre said. “Then I taught broom making after my second time making one myself. That still blows my mind.” 

Eric McIntyre chops a wood block to demonstrate how physically demanding broom-making is. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record

After leaving full-time academic work for handiwork, McIntyre sought a studio. When an empty storefront in Wiscasset became available, he gathered some savings to make an offer.

What eventually became Village Handcraft met all the necessary criteria. It was located downtown, making it easy to draw in passers-by who weren’t on the search for something this niche. It could serve as both a workshop and a storefront, and it was just a short distance from the Sheepscot River.

“Connecting to the local landscape is important,” McIntyre said. “I gather materials from the area, and every purchase is personal since I make it all by hand. Even the shelves. When customers enter, I feel like they’re in my living room.” 

Over the years, McIntyre has learned about bookkeeping and the physical demands of full-time production through trial and error. 

Still, the work has brought joy.

“Being present in the community has been the greatest perk,” said McIntyre, expressing gratitude for the shopkeepers, visitors and residents he has befriended. “It’s easy for people to forget their capacity to create, and I get to remind them of that and watch as their faces light up.” 

He has also met other creatives, like Crowell, who have “inspired greater depth” in his projects. The two hosted an event last July. Crowell set up her loom by the woodchip pile in the corner and made towels for shop visitors. 

“Sustaining a business that aligns with one’s values is hard,” McIntyre said. “That’s why it’s important to surround yourself with like-minded people.” 

Eric McIntyre of Wiscasset’s Village Handcraft proudly holds a wooden kitchen broom he created on Oct. 29. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record

Knowledge: the gift that keeps giving

Now, McIntrye hosts beginners’ classes in broom making and woodworking. Students make hand brooms — small brooms without wooden handles — or cobweb brooms with long broomcorn stalks to reach webs in pesky corners.

Village Handcraft sells both styles, as well as traditional kitchen brooms, hearth brooms, spoons, vases and more. While some items are occasionally listed online, McIntyre recommended that holiday shoppers visit the store during regular hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Eric McIntyre smooths out a wood sapling, crafting a wooden handle for one of his kitchen brooms. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record

Registration for winter and spring 2025 workshops open in late November. Since these classes tend to fill up quickly, those hoping to gift a class to a loved one are encouraged to join the email list and follow the store’s Instagram page to stay informed. 

Depending on the project’s depth, classes typically last from half a day to two days and accommodate four to six participants. There are introductory carving classes and spoon carving classes available. As for broom making, attendees can choose from five different project types based on their interests and the time they wish to invest.

You may wonder how broom making compares to modern technology, like the vacuum. But McIntyre isn’t worried about that.

“Everyone makes a mess and needs to clean up at some point,” McIntyre said. “This is true across continents and cultures and always has been.” 

“I love to imagine how my brooms will be used,” he said. “Whether it’s cleaning up muddy prints from dog paws or confetti after a kid’s first birthday party. I think about this when teaching, too. Broom making is relatively simple and inexpensive. Once you have the skills, you too can share the knowledge with others.”

Hilary Crowell’s sustainable kitchen towels with fresh tomatoes and basil from her home garden. Melissa Keyser photo

Spotlight: sustainable small businesses

The Cultivated Thread opened in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hilary Crowell’s small-batch weaving home studio in Wiscasset on Oct. 29. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record

After 13 years of farming, Crowell decided to leverage the transferable skills she acquired in the agricultural sector to start a new venture in weaving.

Like any new business, there were no clear guidelines to follow. It wasn’t until she participated in webinars offered by the CEI Women’s Business Center that she was able to make the necessary adjustments to establish her business. 

“I used to make wearable items like scarves and shawls,” Crowell said. “But I found them too precious to just hang in a closet. I want to create things people use, so I focused on towels. To me, a stain is a compliment.” 

Hilary Crowell demonstrates standing loom weaving at her home studio in Wiscasset on May 23. Melissa Keyser photo

By narrowing her product offerings, Crowell could focus on what resonates with customers: sourcing local materials and refining the production process to ensure the business is economically viable.

Now, her online store at thecultivatedthread.com is stocked with eco-conscious goods. She launches two collections each spring/summer and fall/winter — the latest of which dropped last week. 

In addition to buying products online, Crowell also participates in local craft shows, which she prefers because it allows her to connect with customers and establish a two-way partnership.

The business is inherently sustainable due to its production scale and the materials used.

Although Crowell has yet to identify a supplier of U.S. cotton, she has recently transitioned from using thread on plastic spools to opting for cardboard tubes. Furthermore, customers now can have their orders shipped in repurposed materials (reused Amazon Prime packages), which 95% of them prefer. 

“Like a farmer’s market,” Crowell said, “connecting consumers to the producers of their goods fosters a movement toward sustainability for both the consumer, who knows where their money goes, and the laborer.”

‘Cultivating’ community

The name “Cultivated Thread” is purposeful. Crowell explained that in farming, “cultivating” refers to caring for a crop from seed to harvest and removing weeds from garden beds. A cultivating tractor gently tills the soil, transforming a vast green expanse of land into distinct rows of crops.

The same concept applies to weaving. Each thread has its place — aligned, neat and organized. More broadly, the fibers have been cultivated by taking them off the loom, processing them and turning them into a finished product.

Customers of The Cultivated Thread can pick up their orders at a drop box on Hilary Crowell’s property. Laura Sitterly / The Times Record

Crowell believes businesses should focus on “cultivating” community by connecting with people to share knowledge, products and joy. This is evident in her organization of events like the Hive Holiday Market.

After a decade of collaboration, Crowell and Beth Schiller of Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham joined forces to gather a group of artisans and farmers on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. They aimed to showcase community talents — primarily women-owned businesses — and create a family-friendly shopping experience to kick off the holiday season.

As it enters its second year, this year’s market will showcase local vendors offering a variety of goods, including holiday wreaths, nature-inspired fine art, jewelry and leather goods. There will also be live music, activities for children and a fire to gather around, weather permitting.

Long nights spent sewing can become tedious, so Crowell often keeps herself entertained with “Harry Potter” audiobooks and engaging collaborations. This could be with McIntyre or Emily Bell-Hoerth, an art and music teacher at Brightfield School who makes natural dye for cloth napkins using flower extracts.

“I find myself energized working with talented people,” Crowell said. “It creates a great synergy that influences my craft beautifully.” 

For those interested in purchasing holiday gifts from The Cultivated Thread or the Village Handcraft, visit thecultivatedthread.com/shop  or swing by the Wiscasset storefront at 52 Water St.