Craft Shop



The Craft Shop at John C. Campbell Folk School carries over 150 artist’s work. Our selection of juried handcrafted items represents the variety of programs, workshops, and traditional crafts John C. Campbell Folk School has helped to keep alive and steward into the next generation of crafters and makers. As a member of Southern Highland Craft Guild we are committed to carrying high quality craft and we do have an assortment of other guild members' work.

We continue to support artists by providing a space and knowledgeable staff to sell their work and carry traditional craft into contemporary settings. Over the years we’ve developed a reputation for being a craft destination and many visitors choose to do their holiday shopping with us as a way to provide one-of-a-kind handcrafted gifts for their loved ones. The items you purchase in the shop allow you to support local and regional artists as well as Folk School programs, so find something that speaks to you.  

The Craft Shop also features a prominent collection of craft themed reference books, including a selection of authors who have taught at the Folk School! We stock books to support and encourage beginners and help bring inspiration to established craftspeople. Subjects include: basketry, blacksmithing, beekeeping, book arts, felting, gardening, hiking, jewelry, natural dyeing, nature studies, pottery, spinning, weaving, woodcarving, woodturning, woodworking and writing.


A History of Selling Craft

Folk School co-founder, Olive Dame Campbell helped establish the Brasstown Carvers shortly after the founding of the school and a retail element was needed for their work. In the early years of the Folk School there was a subscription mail service where buyers could pick carvings out of a catalog and receive them by mail. The Brasstown Carver’s work became renowned in the Arts and Crafts movement and continues to be collected today. Eleanor Roosevelt even purchased a carving (made by Avery Beaver) that was gifted to Queen Elizabeth. We’re proud to continue to offer a selection of Brasstown Carver’s work and Crèche pieces at the Craft Shop today!

Over time the Craft Shop moved from a subscription catalog to a physical space on campus, gradually shuffling through different buildings to its current home in the lower level of the Olive Dame Campbell Dining Hall. We have continued to develop our inventory of traditional craft to include pottery in different styles, woven garments and other wearables, paintings, woodenware, wood-turned bowls, jewelry made with various materials and techniques, natural goods including fiber products like brooms and shuckery, along with hand-forged ironwork. We offer some of what we carry in the shop online and hope to expand those offerings in future. Please contact us if you’re interested in our larger selection of items in store.

To learn more about the beginnings of John C. Campbell School, read A Unique History on our website.