Not sure what to buy for Christmas gifts this year? Check out three gift options made by Missouri artists.
Three Trees Workshop
After moving back to the United States in 2014 from participating in environmental and community work in Mombasa, Kenya, Nathan Epp and his wife, Cynthia, began their woodworking business. With their first child on the way, they decided to begin the creative pursuit that they had been dreaming of for years—Three Trees Workshop. Now, Nathan works full-time creating ornate handmade wooden game boards for games like chess, cribbage, mancala, and Chinese checkers. All finishes on their products are nontoxic, water based, and environmentally friendly. Additionally, Nathan and Cynthia have partnered with Trees For the Future, a United Nations World Restoration Flagship, to plant five trees in Africa for every product they sell.
To shop its online store, visit ThreeTreesWorkshop.com.
Arcadia Valley Soap
While Debra Hendron officially began her soapmaking business in 2012, her history with soap dates back much further. Debra’s grandmother was known as the “soap lady” in her hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida. Now, using her grandmother’s century-old recipe, Debra makes all of her products by hand at her store in Ironton. Christmastime at the Arcadia Valley Soap Company, as Debra describes it, is “crazy town” with its warm, seasonal scents stacked on every shelf. “There are over seven different Christmas soaps,” Debra says. There are also bath bombs, lotions, and wax melts offered in the same scents. To Debra, soapmaking is an art, and her business is a safe haven. “This business is a very peaceful, calm business,” Debra says. “I love creating, and people enjoy it. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Visit Arcadia Valley Soap Company from 10 AM to 8 PM, Thursdays through Saturdays, at 119 S Main Street, Ironton. Or visit its website: ArcadiaValleySoap.com.
Cooper Crafts
Cheryl Cooper, owner of Cooper Crafts in Perryville, loves to bring old things back to life through art. Much of her career has been focused on painting antiques and collectibles to give them a second chance at being loved and displayed. “To me, these paintings give new life to a recycled or treasured item,” Cheryl says. In addition, over the last few years, weaving has become Cheryl’s main focus as an artist. While taking walks along trails or creek beds in her free time, Cheryl collects driftwood to incorporate into her detailed tapestry weavings.
To shop the collection or find information on craft shows that will be featuring Cooper Crafts, visit CooperCrafts.Weebly.com.
Article originally published in the November/December 2024 issue of Missouri Life.
