Made in Missouri

Columbia, MO artist Kevin Begley makes the most incredible wooden Santas you have ever seen. Stop my Missouri Life Mercantile in Rocheport to see them in person. You will want to start a family tradition with these noteworthy beards.

Nationally known for their craftsmanship, Tom and Pat Hooper at Ste. Genevieve make both historically accurate and contemporary pewter kitchenware and more. Perhaps one of their beautiful and functional pieces will be your family’s next heirloom.

The Bonne Terre Space Museum and Grissom Center opened 20 years ago as a tiny museum with great potential. Two decades later, museum president Earl Mullins and a group of enthusiastic volunteers have worked hard to grow the museum’s collections and inspire the next generation.

Missouri Life’s inaugural year was 1973. We wrote an article on roadside stands back then and we revisited them again in the September 2023 issue. Roadside stands are seeing a comeback. Find out where these stands are and visit one near you.

Want to escape for a moment from the onslaught of phones, computers, television, and the noise? This artist and teacher reminds people to sit quietly and take a deep breath and relax, Her cyanotypes, batik, and mixed media, including rust-printing, help you do just that.

There’s a 65-acre resort where kids and adults can learn to ski on bunny hills or intermediate slopes. Find fifteen total runs, three black diamond runs, and parks for trick skiers and snowboarders.

This young man makes hand-crafted jams to raise money for Special Olympics as a thank you for how they affected his life. Taste something good—or give as a gift—while doing something good!

Once seated on my loaner Soul Seat, I knew I needed to make a couple of adjustments to the height of the lower platform, as well as the upper one, also called “the perch.” After these quick customizations, I was ready to roll. Or not. 

Fossil Forge is one of the premier neon sign makers in the nation. A signature of Fossil Forge’s work is the attention to detail.

As the owner of The Salty Hippo in Chillicothe, Amy Jackson combines state of-the-art screen-printing equipment, top-drawer graphic design talent, and inspiration from Mother Nature. The resulting fabric designs, coveted by quilters and other fabric artists, cannot be found anywhere else in the world.