Starting today we are going to start featuring some new products on our website. Because we ourselves are a small business, we have a longing to support other small, home based businesses.

We are calling this part of our Online Catalog our Cottage Business Highlights Section.

We will be featuring a few items from each featured business. If you would like to see all that they offer you can follow the link at the end of each product description.

Introducing Our First Cottage Business 

Come to our Store and check out Wood Forge Armory’s fun Sword and Shield Sets

  

 

Wood Forge Armory’s Story:

The summer of 2008 found the Forbes’ family on a mission trip to Germany. While they were there they visited Marksburg Castle in Braubach. The castle was amazing as it was the only castle on the Rhine to never be destroyed. It had been continuously occupied for over 700 years and had many, many artifacts, including suits of armor, swords and shields.
After touring the castle they purchased a wooden sword and shield for their young son Graeme. The sword and shield provided much imaginative play for the young knight in training.

Several years later while playing with the sword the blade snapped off. Knowing how much Graeme had loved the sword, his father went to his scrap wood pile and made Graeme a crude replacement out of materials on hand. That fall when the kids were trying to brainstorm ideas of things that they could make to sell at the Christmas Craft Fair at their elementary school, dad suggested to Graeme that he could make swords and shields similar to what he owned as it had provided him with so much fun play.  With the help of mom and dad, Graeme made ten sword and shield sets using scrap lumber and figuring out design and construction as they went. Graeme sold all ten sets within thirty minutes of the opening of the craft fair. It was obvious that many other children, both boys and girls, had a passionate interest in imaginative play toys.

So the next fall he doubled his production and once again sold out almost all of his product within the Craft Fair and raised money to buy Christmas presents.

Graeme has been studying French at school and has the opportunity to do a French language immersion program in Lyon France. Graeme jumped on the opportunity and quickly tried to determine a way to earn enough money to cover the cost of the trip. He once again went into the garage and began making swords and shields. This time he wasn’t using scrap lumber to throw them together. Graeme began by purchasing high grade European 11 ply 1/2” maple plywood and cutting out his swords and shields from this hardwood plywood. He added beech wood handles to the shields and hardwood pommels to the swords. With the help of his friends and family he also added fun and creative designs to his painted shields. He hopes that other children will be able to enjoy imaginative play with his quality wooden toys.

MORE TO COME…

Thank you for being part of our dream and supporting small US based businesses. By supporting small businesses you are helping support a local economy and our national economy.

As we find new cottage businesses that would be a good fit they will be added to our catalog.  Sign up to receive our newsletter (at the left) to keep in touch.

Do you know of a great cottage business that would be a good fit? Contact us at ladyandthecarpenter (at) gmail (dot) com or fill out the contact form below.

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