North Mountain Arts is a cute little store in an old house with lots of unique goods. Kristen, the…read moreowner, sells jewelry, pottery, fair trade items, unique home decor accessories, local honey, hand cut soaps, and more. She's very nice and helpful! I actually have been taking pottery classes from her in her little studio in the back of the shop. She has two pottery wheels set up, as well as a slab roller. She offers lessons in both wheel and slab, studio rental time, as well as per item kiln firings. I highly recommend this little gem!

If every you wanted a treasure hunt, this is the place to go!! This store is crammed with all sorts…read moreof wonderful things, from fine yarns, locally made preserves, jewelry, fine woodcrafting, pottery, fiber arts, and *so* much more! All I would wish for is a bigger store to browse through and more money to spend there! I always find treasures!

I was invited by a friend to join her for this festival yesterday. I was initially apprehensive…read moreespecially after reading some less than glowing reviews on Facebook but heck, I'm new to the country so I'm going to give almost everything a try (as long as it's within reasonable limits). The drive from Loudon to the festival site was beautiful. I went with low expectations and wanted to check out the food vendors however, the craft exhibitors were pretty interesting too. There were about 18 food trucks and stalls offering a wide variety of festival food. There was BBQ meats, kettle corn, ice cream, Mexican food, Asian food, waffles, espresso-based drinks, pepperoni rolls, butterfly potato, hotdogs, burgers and even an Oktoberfest-themed vendor. I had the Purple Piggy Pulled Pork Sandwich with Purple Mango Slaw, Smoked Mac & Cheese, and Baked Beans (made from scratch and not from a can) from Rolling Smoke Bar-B-Que's food truck. Cooked with wood fire, the tender pulled pork had a lovely smoky flavour. Don't miss the sides at US$4 each for a small portion. Though I've never been a fan of baked beans (scarred for life by canned beans), these were excellently smoky, sweet with maple syrup and was in all, a game changer. There are tons of food samples from dips to chips to slushies to coffee and wine (bring your ID) so you can get an idea of what you're buying. I didn't think I'd wind up buying anything but soon found myself buying quite a few soup kits, herbs, Chai tea, 3 bottles of wine and a handcrafted hardwood coin bank with an antique post office box door. The fair's on this weekend from 10 am to 5 pm. PS: Most of the vendors accept credit cards but bring cash as some only accept cash.

The Mountain Heritage Festival is an outdoor fall craft festival that takes place during three days…read moreeach September near Harper's Ferry. Besides crafts, there are fine arts vendors, music, wine, and food. Craft festivals are NOT my thing but I was invited on an outing and decided to try something new and I was not disappointed. Overview and Vendor Examples: There were close to 200 vendors onsite situated under large tents. Vendors sold items such as art glass, baskets, candles, bath and body products, clothing and accessories, dolls, dried flowers, furniture, jewelry, kitchen accessories, leather, metal, musical instruments, knives, photography, pottery, toys, etc. Some of my favorite non-food vendors were Forest Flower Jewelry which sold beautiful hand pressed flower necklaces, bracelets, etc. I also liked smelling all of the candle scents from the Pennsylvania Soy Candle Company. They went all out and transported a store full of candles to the festival. They had a large variety of scents such as Maple Bacon, Reindeer Poo, Nutty Taffy Apple, etc. There were lots of homemade soaps and lotions to choose from at various vendors as well. I did not intend to purchase anything but I bought a small bud vase, a pearl necklace, and three wine frappes. Food and Drink Samples/Vendors: At the end of the row of tents (or at the beginning if you wanted to start in a different direction), there are some great food and drink samples. I will mention a few favorites. A coffee vendor called Snookie Snookerwitz had vats of coffee and hot chocolate samples with flavors such as cinnamon hot cocoa (delish!), mint cocoa, hazelnut mocha, snickerdoodle latte, etc. Their station was really clean and inviting and the cocoa was great, albeit sugar laden. Meadowcroft Farm displayed a large array of relishes, pickles, salsas, pepper jellies, and jams. Their onion relish was really great. They had interesting items such as cinnamon pickles and cherry pecan jalapeño pepper jelly. One of the most popular vendors was Nectar of the Vine which served samples of mango and pomegranate wine slushies, or frappes as they like to call 'em. The pomegranate slushy was fantastic! I purchased several bags of the mix in various flavors (watermelon, pomegranate, and sangria). The bags were flying off the tables! The other food vendors provided samples of roasted nuts, dips and spreads, jams, syrups and a variety of sauces. You can look up any of these vendors via their website. Good to Know: You can consume wine samples on the grounds, but actual consumption of alcohol is prohibited on the grounds. Parking is attendant-guided, grass parking. Admission cost is $6- $7. The festival is opened daily from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. I visited on a Friday and it was perfect. It was likely much more crowded on the weekend. I had plenty of space to move about and was not overwhelmed by the crowds except at one clothing station. The vendors were low pressure and did not push their items. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Many of the items are expensive. Plan a budget ahead of time. Even expensive items tend to look less expensive the longer you are browsing. Pack a lunch if you are trying to eat healthy. Food vendors are onsite but they serve items such as ice cream, fries, deep fried vegetables, and burgers. Bring a backpack. Do not try to carry a heavy purse all day. Wear comfortable shoes Bring sunscreen Restrooms are Porta-A-Potties only

People drive from all over to come to this store for a good reason! I'm lucky that it's not too far…read morefrom me! They have everything, and I mean everything. Hand tools, grinders, molds, and glass, glass, glass! My favorite thing to do is search through the discount bins they have in the front- you can find some real treasures in there! You can easily get lost in the back room looking at all the glass. They have hundreds of design and pattern books as well. The staff is well educated and can answer any question you have. I've asked before for glass in specific shades and they know exactly which brand has what I'm looking for. If you're considering driving out to come, you won't regret it! Just make sure you have a big enough car to hold everything you get!

Have been shopping online with them for a while now and every order has been perfect! Packaged with…read morecare, great communication, and always able to get someone on the phone when I have questions. Heavily debating taking a road trip here as the pictures of inside look like stained glass heaven! Highly highly recommend!

Such an amazing place!!! Made a blanket for my mom's birthday! Turned out so beautiful. The lady…read moreteaching the class was absolutely lovely and made the learning process super fun and very easy to understand. Will definitely be back here!!

Love this location! The worker was very helpful and friendly! Plenty of selections to choose…read morefrom. I really wanted the one artwork that wasn't available so she printed it for me! It's sitting nicely in my living room. Great deal for the price and loved that we assemble from the scratch and she was super helpful considering it was our first time. We'll be returning!

Shop local! This shop is so cute! Multiple local artist items for sale and they rotate every few…read moremonths! Definitely check it out if you want to support your local artists.

I love hand made items and supporting local artists. Locally crafted has a variety of handcrafted…read morepieces for sale. They have everything from jewelry to scarves, kitchen accessories, and beautiful cutting boards. Service was stellar. I had a nice lady working today, who checked the price on a teacher sign, I fell in love with. There were cute dog potholders and some Maryland kitchen items with cute little crabs and the Maryland emblem. Prices were pretty reasonable considering these were specialty items that were handcrafted. I am still thinking about my teacher sign. But, I will definitely go back to select one of a kind gifts for those I love.

It's been about a year since I started taking pottery classes at Something Earthy and it literally…read morehas been a true joy. Though I still feel pretty insanely novice on the wheel, I've pumped out some pieces that I'm pretty proud of... and many pieces that... could use some work lol. Linda is the owner and head teacher at the studio and she is quite literally the best. She is SUPER friendly, always willing to help, and honestly has become someone who I consider a friend. Something Earthy is not just a studio that offers weekly classes though, there is a pottery shop that is filled with her work, students work, and other local artisan's crafts. As if that isn't a enough, Linda also makes homemade jams and jellys and freeze dried candy that she sells in the store portion. There are also small classes for younger children where they can choose a pre-molded ceramic and paint it. Linda even grows produce and sells it during the season. But yeah, it has become one of my favorite little retreats. This is the epitomy of a hidden gem and I could go on blushing about how amazing this place is for pages, but rather than TLDR-ing you, I'll just say that if you're in the area - or even if you're not - you should stop by shop and inquire about classes.

Unfortunately, my experience during the past two months was not a success. As a virtual beginner,…read moreI did not have six classes in the studio. I had six visits to the studio where I was mostly on my own. After some guidance during the first couple of classes, I was usually left to figure out what to do by myself. I didn't see the owner/instructor many times until an hour or hour and a half of my "class" began. Often when I did see you, it was just a casual hello sort of thing. Far from instruction. Overall, I was provided one or two demos of the various steps. I never mastered centering or trimming. I threw away about 1/4 of my clay because pieces flew off the wheel or the base collapsed. During my third or fourth time in the studio, I specifically remember the owner said to me, "You forgot what we talked about before..." It usually takes beginners three or four times to "get it" and incorporate learning into short term memory... The one time (first and only) the owner showed me glazing, she chided me for leaving the piece in too long. Strangely, that is one of the only pieces I actually have kept. Subsequent glazing was a disaster with tong marks and color unevenness. I threw away four finished pieces. I got some glazing assistance from an experienced "student" on my final two pieces. She was kind enough to help me use the bottles of glaze, find and use the brushes and try a different approach without dipping. Sadly, the base of the plate that I glazed by hand doesn't sit evenly on a surface, so I am not sure it will be the 10th anniversary gift that I intended. When I originally found Something Earthy's website, "class time" and "studio time" were advertised and new students were only taken on a particular schedule. I expected six classes of instruction. When I was a graduate school professor, I was in the classroom with my students for the full scheduled time of classes. I was their guide, their instructor and my assignment was to teach them and expand their knowledge of the subject matter. Advertising "class time" is misleading! I did not ask the owner for refund or concessions of any kind. I shared with her that I wanted to express my deep disappointment in what I experienced, as I was SO hopeful that pottery would become a life-long love for me as it was for her. I also encouraged the owner to either reconsider her approach with beginners or just advertise the studio to experienced artisans.

I went to this place for my birthday in April and we walked in without a reservation. They sat us…read moredown within minutes. We stayed for 2-3 hours decorating our dishes of choice. The customer service was spectacular by the owner and the people who worked there. They were all so kind and willing to help with every question we had. I made the cutest mug and it took about 2-3 weeks for pickup. I liked this place so much that I am coming back at the end of July with a few people from my book club. There was also so many items to pick from and you could also create your own pottery as well, they had classes for that. Definitely check them out via their social media or website and the prices weren't expensive. They also had classes for children and have a lot of options for groups.

Very cute spot for a date! My boyfriend and I went and got matching mugs to paint. It was a very…read morepeaceful place. Seating was rather limited, so I would go early or reserve a spot (which I believe you can do). There is a variety of colors to choose from and have samples to know how the paint will look when fired. Some people have already mentioned it, but I highly recommend doing multiple layers. Our mugs ended up streaky in some spots. The paint dries fairly quickly, so it wasn't too bad applying layers. There were a lot of pottery pieces to choose from. I wish there were more like basic pieces though to have a more blank canvas. The prices were reasonable for each piece! The prices were written on the bottom. The firing process took about a week. My boyfriend and I have been using our mugs almost every day and they have held up well! Paint on mine did chip on the side, but my boyfriend's mug has been completely fine.