AppalachianGypsy Company

As a child, my summers were spent down in the holler at my Great-Grandmother’s home in Strange Creek, West Virginia.

I was born and raised in Ohio, but only through chance. My grandfather left the coal mines and the company store just a few years after he and my grandmother were married and moved North looking for a “better life.”

My grandparents were hard-working, industrious, ingenious and creative…they made a whole lot of something out of a whole lot of nothing. Dare I say this is the the spirit of the Appalachian American.

As a jewelry artist and former graphic designer, I left the corporate world behind me and have spent the last few years designing and creating pieces to inspire and empower women. Along my journeys, I have been blessed to meet the most amazing makers and artisans who are creating goods that have whispered to my soul…

As I get older, I feel the pull of the mountains…calling me back to that place of peace, wonder and simplicity. A place I took for granted as a child, but a place I might actually give my left arm for these days. If I close my eyes I can still see, hear and smell the memories of my childhood…the chirping of frogs in a rain barrel, the earthy smell of a root cellar, watching someone witch a well, the scent of bacon and coffee in the morning and the comfort that comes from listening to rain fall on a tin roof as you fall asleep at night.

And so my dream of The Appalachian Gypsy Co. was born. An online venue to showcase the talents and wares of these incredibly talented people in one location and offer them to the like-minded “Backwoodsy Bohemians” of the world.

My grandparents left their home in search of a “better life,” and I understand that meant financially. I’ve also come to understand that whether you were born in the mountains or just spent any amount of time in them, that they never really leave you…and that the meaning of a “better life” means a lot of different things to a lot of different folks.

Let’s build a community and a better life…together.

Peace, love and blessings…

April