Sunhouse Craft’s New Storefront Aims to Celebrate a New Generation of Makers in Kentucky’s Folk Arts & Crafts Capital
Sunhouse Craft, a producer and seller of hand-crafted and sustainably sourced homewares, will be opening its brick-and-mortar store in downtown Berea, Kentucky on April 23rd, from 12:30 PM to 6:00 PM. Their new downtown flagship space aims to serve the local economy and showcase products from a wide range of artisans in a town nationally revered for its folk arts & crafts.
Its opening celebration will include a demonstration from local weaver Phil Willet, a vintage clothing pop-up from AVA, and a broom-themed photobooth with free photos for the community by local photographer Christina Stallard. Over the next month, the store’s nearby restaurant and bar, the newly opened NightJar, will be offering a special Sunhouse Craft-themed cocktail menu made with ingredients inspired by the raw materials broom-making and wood working.
Founded by artist and maker Cynthia Main, Sunhouse Craft is a community-oriented and value-driven business. The company has blended traditional Appalachian techniques with innovative design to hand-produce brooms, dustpans, cutting boards, utensils and many other household items. Using local materials like sorghum, hemp cord and wood from fallen trees, their production is centered around an ethical, sustainable supply chain, working directly with farmers, sawmills, and tanneries in the area to help contribute to a thriving local economy, and create highly durable products with timeless design.
Berea is a well-known hub for arts and crafts. As long-established shops began to close their doors, the city launched a grant program to attract a new generation of artisans, and Cynthia was one of its recipients. Her rise to success with Sunhouse Craft earned her accolades from Garden and Gun’s Made in the South Awards, allowing her thriving business to expand into purchasing an old five and dime building as a permanent storefront and studio space.
Doug Stubbs soon joined to make the solo business into a team; bringing a power tool component and expertise in fabricating homewares from sustainable lumber. Together, over a period of 2.5 years, while balancing the demands of a sold-out production line, they renovated the space with natural and salvaged materials to bring to life a beautiful space which now houses a retail area, broom shop and wood shop on the ground floor, along with a residential one-bedroom unit on the second floor. They are proud contributors to the city’s downtown Chestnut Street revival,and received a historic preservation tax credit from thestate of Kentucky for their rehabilitation work on the structure.
In recognition of the support that the business has received from the City of Berea as well as from the local community, Sunhouse Craft’s new store is a community asset and a celebration of a new, emerging generation of local artisans. It will be a place to see the broom manufacturing process in a working studio, meet the makers of Sunhouse Craft, and shop products from over 30+ local and regional makers. Future plans also include classes and community events.
