Working at MountainMade provides a constant source of challenges. On any given day, there are new details in running a retail business.

This winter presented additional problems brought by the record snowfall in Tucker County. However, taping the video pieces was a completely different challenge for one who prefers to take care of business without much attention.

First of all, I am not a MountainMade artisan. What I know about our artisans and their art I have learned from them. I hope and worry that the way I have related their craft, skills and history is correct.

Second, I have never been a thespian. At times, I can still be anxious before giving a talk or presentation. While filming these videos, I strove to clearly relate the details of the artisan’s skills and keep my knees from knocking.

And I worried about my appearance. How did my hair look? Did I slouch? In the midst of it all, I could hear my mother saying “stand up straight.” Of course, this had nothing to do with the quality of the video.

I hope the artisans are satisfied with my comments on their craft that I related in the video pieces. I am truly in awe everyday when I see what their talents can create.

If you’re in the area Friday, July 16, come by the Purple Fiddle in Thomas to hear some great old-time singing and playing by the Hillbilly Gypsies.

The “Gypsies” are one of our juried MountainMade artists and we carry both of their rousing CD’s, “Come On In” and “One Foot in the Gravy.” Show starts at 8:30 p.m. – a good time is guaranteed!

The Mountainmade Artisan Gallery is only a short drive from the Purple Fiddle and we’re ready for summer and overflowing with great gifts from hundreds of West Virginia artisans.

The Gallery is located on Douglas Road. After you pass the U.S. Post Office, take a right onto Douglas Road at the MountainMade sign. The Artisan Gallery is three-quarters of a mile farther along the road.

By mission MountainMade exists as a lighthouse to West Virginia artists and craftspeople. We value our relationships with these individuals and enjoy the privilege to be part of their success and development. We are saddened, but excited to learn that mixed media artist Annie Simcoe will soon be leaving the Mountain State.

Annie makes her own paper using natural fibers and with the use of thread connects a lasting impression. Many of you have seen her framed pieces, molded vessels and lamps here in the Gallery or on the MountainMade website.

Annie is embarking on a new adventure and we wish her every success and happiness. Unfortunately this means that we can no longer represent her work in the Gallery or on www.mountainmade.com. Annie will be coming to the MountainMade Gallery in Thomas next week to pick up her work. We encourage those of you who have enjoyed and collected her work to visit us one more time to enjoy her workmanship.

We would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You and Good Luck! And may life ever bring you back to West Virginia, Annie.

Let’s start with our yummy rubs. Our first rub is Copper Creek Classic Wet Rub. Copper Creek rubs are a combination of the finest herbs and spices from around the world. Your limit is your imagination. With this wet rub you mix the rub with Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce to create a mouth-watering paste to put on your meat of choice.

Our second and third spots also go to Copper Creek Specialty Food LCC.

The Copper Creek Ginger Rub is made with a combination of fine herbs, spices and a hint of brown sugar. This rub is great on chicken but can be used for pork, beef and venison too.

The Copper Creek Tuscan Rub is also made of fine herbs and spices with the wonderful taste of rosemary. This rub is wonderful on any meat but it also gives roasted red potatoes a great flavor.

Our fourth and fifth top selling rubs are made by Uncle Bunks, a family-owned company providing family recipes perfected over many generations. They use the highest quality fresh ingredients in there products. Their Janese’s Steak Rub was formulated from a 50-plus year old family recipe. Delicious on steaks, beef or pork roasts, or chicken, the rub also makes wonderful beef stew or stroganoff.

Their Janese’s Southwestern sizzle adds an exciting spark of southwestern flavor to dips, soups and meat dishes. Makes great fajitas and western omelettes too. Yummy!!!

Now it’s time for our top five barbecue sauces. Our first and second barbecue sauces are by Gourmet Central, in Romney, W.Va., home to many specialty foods. All products are open-kettle cooked in small batches to provide you with “just like Grandma made” taste. Their sweet and sassy barbecue sauce (available in the MountainMade Country Store) gets our Top Spot. This barbecue sauce is a treat on chicken, pork or any beef you like. My kids like to dip their homemade chicken nuggets in this sweet-with-just-a-kick sauce.

Our number two spot goes to Gourmet Central’s Garlic Wing Sauce. If you like garlic and hot wings this sauce is a dream come true to your taste buds.

Our number three spot goes to Uncle Bunk’s Rustic Pepper Sauce. Their Award-winning sauce can be used as a dip for chips, crackers and cheese; a marinade for any meat; a spread on sandwiches — on anything where you want more kick than ketchup can deliver.

Our fourth and fifth spots go to two sauces from ThistleDew Farm Inc., located in Proctor, W.Va. In 1974, Ellie and Steve Conlon left suburban Philadelphia with one son, two dogs, a cat and two beehives, ready to begin a new life in West Virginia. Guided by their deep-rooted faith, the Conlons launched several agricultural enterprises and served as foster parents. The Quaker principle “… that of God in everyone and everything …,” has guided them in their lives and their business.

From this beginning, the Conlon Family and ThistleDew Farm have grown to include four sons, three dogs, four cats, 700 beehives, beeswax candles, beeswax skin and lip cream, honey mustard, bee beards, pollination and a honey of a gift shop!

The number four spot goes to Secret Sauce. Secret Sauce makes a terrific steak sauce and is a great complement to beef, and for basting burgers, simmering with shredded beef, or bake chicken in it or just try it in one of your owe recipes.

Our number five spot goes to West Best Wild’n Wonderful Wings and Rib Sauce. This sauce is great for dipping, basting and baking. Make your wings and ribs something the whole neighborhood will envy.

Now that your mouth is watering and you can taste the barbecue, remember MountainMade has the best rubs and barbecues in West Virginia, so start grilling!

The Historic Buxton and Landstreet Building house MountainMade's Fine Art Gallery and Studio Art Classes

The MountainMade Fine Art Gallery and Studio Art Classes are housed by the historic Buxton and Landstreet Building of Thomas, WV. Placing our MountainMade’s Artisan Gallery in this building brings the Buxton & Landstreet Building back to its mercantile roots and provides an ideal display setting for fine art.

Constructed in 1901, Buxton & Landstreet Building served as company store for the Davis Coal and Coke Company. Company employees were paid in script, which they spent in the company store.* Today, the MountainMade Gallery prefers you pay for fine art in legitimate US currency, but we may be willing to bargain.In its day, the building was considered the finest building in the county. Its size is approximately 27,000 square feet and features glazed bricks, ornamental tin ceilings, hardwood floors, graceful support columns and electric lights.

The Buxton and Landstreet Building's high ceilings and tall windows allow the art displayed in our fine art gallery to be flooded with natural lighting. It's an ideal setting to view the variety of art, furniture, pottery, glass, and all that MountainMade carries.

Besides a beautiful building, the Buxton and Landstreet Building also holds some mystery. The building is located across the street from the Davis Coal and Coke Administration Building. A local story has a tunnel running between the two buildings, and as legend has it, that’s how the mine workers’ script was returned to the Administrative Building. Although I’m not totally sold on the currency transportation uses for a tunnel and have never gotten to explore this said tunnel, based on the winters here in Thomas, I believe there is a high likelihood that this legend is true.

While its life as a store ended in 1953, thee B&L continued being used as a woodworking shop, a warehouse for a beer distributor, and a mini-mall, then sat empty for approximately ten years. From 1985-1997 the B&L was used as offices for Power Construction and Maintenance. The Vandalia Heritage Foundation purchased it in 2000 and restored the building to its current codition. The hardwood floors and tin ceilings are original, and the large windows bring in natural light which enhances the artisan products showcased. Also located in the B&L Building are MountainMade’s studios where classes are taught and artisans can work.

We are lucky to have access to such an ideal building in our Thomas, WV location.

By its location in this restored and renovated building, MountainMade is helping to protect our environment. Instead of building a new building for our artisan displays, we are utilizing the embodied energy of this historic building. Please stop in and let us know what you think about the MountainMade Fine Art Gallery housed in Thomas’s Historic Buxton and Landstreet Building.

*If you want to learn more about Appalachian Coal Towns, you should check out this wonderful documentary: The Appalachians. It’s a three hour DVD that explores Appalachian coal culture, cultural roots, and music. Also, it includes an exclusive extended interview with the late Johnny Cash.

Shown here: Gourmet Central’s Fiery Horseradish Mustard, Thistle Dew Farm Inc.'s Hot Pepper Butter, Miss Molly's Appalachian Salsa, and Gourmet Central’s Ramp Mustard all make wonderful additions to your kitchen.

At our MountainMade Country Store, we have many West Virginia made food products. MountainMade customers are dedicated, and once they get hooked on a food product, you can bet they will come back for more. For our mail order customers that might not have the opportunity to stop in and sample food products, I thought you’d like to know our top sellers.

So, here are the five most popular food items from MountainMade.com:Regular Pasta Chips and Sweet Pasta Chips by the Biselli Pasta Company is based in Elkins WV. They produce a full line of gourmet pasta products with several varieties of fettuccine, linguine and spaghetti. Their specialty pasta chips are delicious. Pasta Chips ingredients include: flour, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, eggs, cheese, garlic, sea salt, and peanut oil. They hope to introduce in the near future gourmet pasta sauce. (Yum. I cannot wait to try that.)

Appalachian Salsa by Ms. Molly located in Morgantown, WV. Ms. Molly, the daughter of a West Virginia coal miner and youngest of six children, cherishes the precious memories of her mother’s kitchen. Family and friends would gather around the table enjoying the traditional food masterpieces, warm hospitality, and fellowship her parents had to offer. Today, Ms. Molly carries on the tradition with the same passion and enthusiasm. Her kitchen remains the hub of her home where samples of her culinary works of art for her extended family and friends are forever in abundance. The hallmark of Ms. Molly’s products has been the creation of foods that combine traditional Appalachian ingredients with gourmet flavor.

Gourmet Central’s Fiery Horseradish Mustard and Ramp Mustard are two wonderful food products made in Romney, WV. Gourmet Central makes their specialty foods in small batches to provide you with that “just like grandma made” taste. Gourmet Central works diligently to promote local farmers and sustainable agriculture. They work with regional farms to create value added specialty food products and make their products with locally grown produce. Thanks to Gourmet Centrals efforts, local farms have the opportunity to sell products year round and bring a larger monetary return to their farms. This ultimately promotes sustainable agriculture in a way that is a tremendous help to our state and our entire region.

Hot Pepper Butter made by Thistle Dew Farm Inc. Thistle Dew Farm’s West’s Best Gourmet Line was started in 1989 by Sherry and Doug West of Parkersburg, WV. Beginning with the family recipe for Hot Pepper Butter, they soon developed an enthusiastic following throughout the country. The distinctive flavors of locally grown peppers and Thistle Dew Farm’s honey combined, make this a truly “down-home treat.”

The Country Store doesn't just have delicious food for your kitchen, we also have beautiful kitchen accents like handmade knives and cuttingboards.

What are your favorite MountainMade food and kitchen products? You can see a large selection of our food products on the MountainMade.com website.