• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2016-09-29_Vol84_No01_09

The Western Carolinian FEATURES September 29, 2016 B3 Business spotlight: Dogwood Crafters Jake Browning Staff Writer Dogwood Crafters is an arts and crafts store in Dillsboro, North Carolina. Recently celebrating its 40-year anniversary in the area, the shop is the prod- uct of a community-driven effort to find and present local art to the community at a reasonable price. According to their of- ficial website, Dogwood Crafters opened their doors in 1976, funded only by a thousand dollars of bicentennial grant money. At the time, the market for hand made goods was ata distinct low, but the origi- nal crafters were dedicated to its success. Part of what kept the shop alive in its early days was its status as a co-op all of the craft- ers work on a volunteer basis. Although profits are shared among volunteers based on the amount of contributions they make and the number of hours they work at the store, there is only one salaried employee who works as a bookkeeper. In addition to selling lo- cal art in both traditional and contemporary styles, Dogwood Crafters is ac- tive in community events. They raise money to support the shop through garage sales, quilt raffles and a variety of giveaways. They occasionally work in conjunction with the Community Table in Sylva by donating food and craft goods. They also partici- pate in a large number of arts and crafts festivals in town, including Colorfest in October, the Western North Carolina Pottery Festival in November and Dillsboro Luminaires in December, during which the shop showcases their handmade collection of holiday gifts and an array of recipes from their cus- tom cook books. Dogwood Crafters also firmly believes in educat- ing the community about crafting. Crafters teach several classes that are open to anyone on subjects like leather crafting, rug braiding, wood carving, card making, tatting and the Carolina snowflake, a method of weaving wooden strips into a floral or snow- flake pattern that makes a great winter decoration. Registration for classes is usually open until the week before the class, so there is always something to learn from the resident crafters. Linda Parrish is the current head of the board of directors for Dogwood Crafters and has been with the shop for 16 years. She says that in order to maintain support for regional artists, there is a meticulous but fair selec- tion process for approving new crafters. Submissions are checked by the board of directors to assure that they represent the commu- nity in a positive light, and no submissions are con- sidered from further than 175 miles away. However, the shop does not demand the mass productive traits of larger stores and values character and individual- ity. Tts really not that hard, said Parrish. The store is always stocked with high quality crafts at a great price. The layout of the shop is meant to encourage a greater sense of home than of commerce. The physi- cal building is actually composed of three differ- ent log cabins which were built in Historic Dillsboro as tourist lodgings in the 1930s. When the craft- ers bought the land and combined the cabins, they effectively created a cozy mountain lodge, complete with a childrens room, a country style sitting room and a kitchen and pantry Photo by Katie Greene/STAFF Dogwood Crafters is a unique craft store located in Dillsboro,NC for trying out submitted recipes. The holidays are a magical time at Dogwood Crafters when the Christmas room is as full of quirky hand- made gifts as it is with the aromas of chocolate chip cookies and apple cider. According to Parrish, the ultimate goal of Dogwood Crafters is to encour- age a love for culture in Dillsboro and beyond, not only for the sake of their own store but for the wide array of similar shops in the area. From other craft shops in town like Riverwood Pottery to diverse local attractions like the Blue Ridge Park- way and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Railroad, the crafters believe that Western North Carolina is just a great place to be. We. encourage everyone to just come down and see us, Parrish said. Come see everything that Dills- boro has to offer. Students who want to visit Dogwood Crafters can take Haywood Road to 90 Webster Street in Dills- boro, NC. Any local artists interested in becoming a crafter can pick up an application on site. More information on the shop is available on their website at http://www.dogwood- crafters.com/. Jordan Freeman : Junior Editor Western Carolina Univer- sity is a highly profitable institution. While tuition does contribute a great deal to these profits, it is not the schools sole source of income. Marketing provides another successful approach to generating money for the school. Western Carolina offers a large variety. of benches Oe gear, including t-shirts and coffee mugs proudly _ bearing the Catamount logo. These are marketed not just to students, but to their families and alumni as well. Souvenirs and trinkets are another way to express school pride while also generating extra money for the university. It is with this money that students are able to have extracurricular activities, such as clubs. Coincidentally, one such club that exists here at West- ern Carolina is the Market- ing Club, where marketing majors and minors alike can come together and learn from one another to one day be able to work somewhere where they themselves can help market a business, school, product, etc. Of course, just because there is a marketing club now does not mean that it has always been there. The Marketing Club had once been a very active club, until the late 1990s when it folded. This was in part due to lack of student interest. At the time, there were not a lot of students earning mar- keting degrees, be it a major or a minor. According to professor Steven Henson, there were less than 150 students in the - marketing program in the -mid-2000s. With a school that has close to 11,000 stu- dents on campus this year, that would translate to a little over one percent of the student population in the marketing program. While the past may have looked bleak for the Mar- keting Club, the future seems very encouraging. According to Henson, fac- ulty attribute this to a more streamlined and modern- ized curriculum, thanks to a shift towards Global Tech- nology and Digital Market- ing, as well as increased interest in job placement. Currently, the market- ing program has close to 400 students hoping for a major or a minor in the field. One such student is senior Dhruvi Desai. Desai discussed the great interest the club seems to be getting. At their first meeting of the year, which occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 18, they had a turnout of 40 students, well above what they were expecting. She also discussed what the first meeting addressed, includ- ing the upcoming selection of club officers. The club offers various positions with | ~differentlevels. ~ - Desai stated, Thad. thought about wanting to | run for a position, but since Iam a senior, I want some- one else to have a chance to Tun The club also divided itself up into five smaller groups that will focus ona specific part to help the club grow and maintain. The five groups are advertising/ social media, fundraising, recruiting, administrative and research. Members who wished to join in one of these groups simply had to write in which group they chose while the meeting was taking place. The club also discussed what their focus will be dur- ing the school year. One of the main ideas for the club is Photo by Katie Greene/STAFF Marketing Club admin Dr. Steve Henson and students discuss starting up the first Marketing Club at Western Carolina University in foui een years. to help build the members rsums. They plan to do that by doing what anybody interested in marketing would do best: market some- thing. First, the club plans to contact other clubs on campus and help them get the word out about not only their clubs, but also the Marketing Club. The main idea they have been discuss- ing is t-shirts, not only for their club but other clubs as well. Currently, there are close to 400 clubs on campus. The Marketing Club wants to design a shirt with all of the clubs listed in order to spread the word about their presence. That way, members can make others aware of the clubs available on campus and show what Western Carolina has to of- fer. By helping other clubs, it helps them. The Marketing Club also wants to branch out and help businesses around the area. Hands on experience will help the members learn how to hone their skills and meet new people while fill- ing up their rsum. If you are interested in joining the Marketing Club, meetings are held in For- syth, room 214, on Mondays and Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. You can also check them out on Facebook at Marketing Club of WCU. Jordan Freeman, Junior Editor of The Western Carolinian Photo by Katie Greene/STAFF Freeman, junior editor Alicja Lipsky Staff Writer A familiar face around The Western Carolinian office is that of Jordan Free- man, Junior Editor for the publication. Previously a student at Forsyth Techni- cal Community College in Winston-Salem, Freeman wanted to find a top-notch university at which to complete a four-year Eng- lish degree. After careful research and a fateful visit with a friend (now peer), he chose to settle in the moun- tains. He now majors in professional writing here at Western Carolina University while working on his first full-length novel. The written word is Free- mans long-time passion. It all began with a creative writing assignment in ee school. With en- the piece p ve a fine arts Meninetttod: This positive response inspired Freeman to continue writ- ing and sharing his work with others. Between his familys moves around Win- ston-Salem, Eden and Elon, . North Carolina, Freeman continued to develop his | craft with creative writing and involvement in school journalism. Upon joining his class at Western Carolina, Freeman became involved with The Western Carolinian through the mentorship of Dr. Mary Adams. He was intrigued by the opportunity to build up journalism experience. De- veloping editing skills was also an important motive. When hiring for the paper opened, Freeman applied for every position available. After being considered for editorial and staff writing positions, he was offered (and accepted) the position of junior editor. This posi- tion allows him the freedom of writing and engaging with the community in addition to the responsibilities of co- editing the publication. The unique opportunity has led to a successful tenure with this student-run newspaper. As of now, the future re- mains unclear for Freeman. However, after completing his degree at Western Caro- lina, he hopes to publish his novel, a project already several years in the making. Newspaper journalism has become much more than a part time job for Freeman, and it is likely he will pur- sue a career writing for this medium. Flexibility is a de- fining trait for a professional writer, so Freeman contin- ues to maintain several open options. During his experience as a student as Western Caro- lina, Freeman has developed a great appreciation for the community of students and staff. Anyone that goes here made the right decision, he stated. Citing the enormous amount of support he has re- ceived from his own profes- sors and stories from peers, Freeman greatly praises the culture of growth cultivated - by the university. He fondly stated, All the professors are 100 percent into you succeeding, and not just the English faculty. Along with Western Caro- linas faculty, The Western Carolinian staff wish him well as he continues his edu- cational and occupational journey. bine cal

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
  • Text
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 2016-09-29
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.5" x 11.25"
  • Pages: 12
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
  • Western Carolina University -- Periodicals
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2016-09-29_Vol84_No01
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library