From the great folks at The Mitchell County Development Foundation……
This month downtown Spruce Pine will witness an extensive makeover. With a grand opening scheduled for September 3rd from 10 to 2 pm, the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree Store will transform into The Market On Oak. At the grand opening, guests can shop a bountiful farmer’s market, buy specialty food items, meet local authors, pause for a poetry reading, enjoy live music and shop for mountain crafts. They can also check out the appealing remodel and expansion of the store.
The mission is still the same for the energetic little-shop-that-could. Since 2005, The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree, a non-profit organization, has supported more than 120 crafts people and small businesses with a multimillion dollar impact on the local economy. As The Market On Oak, its mission still remains: Offer and expand opportunities for individuals to make and sell the best of mountain culture while drawing visitors to the area.
- The new store will include the addition of a farmers market, local specialty foods, music and books by regional authors.
- Farmers market trial runs have proved very successful. The farmers market will be open on special days throughout the mountain growing season.
- Farmers market goods will feature seasonal fresh produce and singular meat offerings such as fresh rabbit and honey from Harty Farms. The line of specialty food items will expand. Unique offerings from regional farms include Fox Farm’s Flower Essence Jellies, Mountain Farms’ line of lavender-spiked vinegars, salts and goat milk soaps, organic berry jellies and dried herbs from Lilith Nielander.
- Local artisan handiwork is still a key part of the mix with quilts, pottery, baskets, hand-blown glass and lots, lots more.
- Expect live music, regional author book signings, and seasonal events throughout the year.
- The shop will offer a mail-order store online at www.themarketonoak.com. (Site launches next week.)
Why the change?
- Studies from the last three years showed visitors thought the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree store only sold holiday items. The rebranding and renovation invites traffic across the whole year.
- The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree will continue to be a part of the project until December 2012 when the license agreement with “The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree” book author Gloria Houston expires. A new holiday section will feature Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree licensed products.
- The project began as a way to create income streams for individuals hard hit by manufacturing and furniture lay-offs. It still serves that purpose while also providing annual scholarships for local high school students.
“We are inviting visitors to come here and sample the work of our hands and hearts, and then we want them to take a piece of it home with them and make it part of their way of life,” says Patti Jensen Jensen of the Mitchell County Development Foundation. “The scope of the project has gotten bigger and better—and it’s even more fun.”
Contact Patti Jensen at 828-765-9033
pjensen@mitchell-county.com
FACT SHEET: Market on Oak
(Formerly Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree)
August, 2011
Address and Phone:
262 Oak Avenue, Spruce Pine, NC 28777
1-866-485-8733 toll free or (828) 765-0571
We’re located in a storefront in historic downtown Spruce Pine, halfway between Boone and Asheville, NC; we’re 15 minutes away from the Penland School of Crafts.
What is Market on Oak?
Market on Oak is a non-profit lifestyle destination where artisan crafts people, farmers, musicians and authors from Western North Carolina sell and share their work. The shop speaks to the unique cultural values and way of life in the western North Carolina mountains.
Market on Oak offers:
- artisan crafts, pottery, quilts, furniture
- books from local authors (as well as signings and lecture opportunities)
- recordings and CDs including live music from local artists
- specialty food products
- a farmers market on special days throughout the growing season
Market on Oak Store Hours:
Monday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm
Check our website, www.themarketonoak.com for the latest events and to shop our mail-order website.
Who started the Market on Oak?
The Mitchell County Development Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating jobs and strengthening the educational system and promoting tourism in Mitchell County. We began the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree in 2003 when author Gloria Houston gave the rights to her book “The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree” to the town of Spruce Pine. Local handmade products were developed, some derived directly from the images of the book, with royalties being paid to Mrs. Houston. “The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree” shop and mail-order website were soon born and became non-profit sales outlets serving more than 120 craftspeople and artists. Many of the items were licensed from the book, and all items were made by hand in the region. From the beginning of the project, scholarships have been awarded each year to local high school students.
The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree ornaments were featured on the White House Christmas Tree in 2006. The store received coverage in Family Circle, USA TODAY and Southern Living. The products were featured in A Southern Season and Mast General Store retail stores.
Can I still get the items that were specific to the “Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree” book?
You can purchase these items until December, 2012. At that time, our licensing agreement will end, and these items will no longer be available. Many of the artisans who worked on these items will be offering new products. Holiday items will still be a part of our merchandise mix.
Where does funding for this project come from?
Funding for rebranding the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree as The Market On Oak came from a grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Long-term support has come from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, The Appalachian Regional Commission and the N.C. Department of Commerce, The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, GoldenLEAF, and Handmade in America.
