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A Roundup of Favorite Finds
Welcome to the Connect to Tennessee Products page, where we showcase products from the Volunteer State including food, wine, clothing, jewelry, soaps, lotions, toys and more. It all ties into the buy-local philosophy that ultimately translates into energy savings. If you’ve come across a Tennessee-made product that you love – or if you have one you’d like us to consider highlighting – please send the name of the item, a brief description and contact information to tnceditor@jnlcom.com – or send a sample to Tennessee Connections editor, 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067.
Click here to submit the information for your product.
Jewelry With Charm
Fascinated with jewelry since she was a child, Suzanne Myers has been creating her own jewelry designs since high school. Now the Nashville native and former teacher has found a niche with her hand-created, personalized “name charm” necklaces – casually elegant designs of hammered silver that can be personalized with children’s names. Featured in Child magazine in 2007,
these pieces – suspended from an oxidized sterling chain along with two small semi-precious stones - have become especially popular with fashionable moms across the country who appreciate something a little different. Myers creates many other jewelry styles, all with an organic, modern and sleek look, in her Nashville studio. Popular among entertainment industry stylists, her clients have included Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Sharon Stone and Faith Hill. Prices for the name charm necklace run from $120 to $140.
Visit her Web site, www.suzannemyers.com, for more information.
Sweep, Sweeping Away
These brooms are made for sweeping, but most folks
can’t bear to spring clean with a carefully crafted work
of art. David Ogle has been making brooms by hand full-time at Ogle’s Broom Shop in Gatlinburg since he was
13 years old – and that’s 41 years
of hands-on experience, so you can bet they’re made just right. David and his wife, Tammie, grow most of their own broom corn, and they hand-pick wood from the forest and dry it for a year before creating the handles. David carves old men’s faces, bears, eagles and other decorations into the handles, and Tammie takes care of all the stitching and finishing.
“We make 22 different kinds of brooms,” says Ogle, a third-generation broom maker. “We hand-stitch all of ours and put them on the handle by hand - no machine work. That’s why we can guarantee them never to shed.”
David’s grandfather, Lee, started selling handmade brooms in the 1920s, and his father, Wayne, continued the tradition and taught young David the craft. Now folks come from all over to buy brooms at the Ogles’ shop on Glades Road in Gatlinburg, and most end up on display.
“They’re made to be used, but some people don’t want to use them because they’re so fancy,” Ogle says. The brooms range in price from $14.95 to $250. The Ogles also sell handmade children’s rockers, toys, doll furniture and walking sticks.
For more information, call (865) 430-4402 or visit http://oglebrooms.tripod.com.
A Fine Catch
Tucked away in the West Tennessee town of Savannah, Kelley’s Katch Caviar is making quite a name for itself –
and the Tennessee River.
Co-owned by Mike and Vickie Kelley, Kelley’s Katch was one of the first small caviar producers in the nation to begin labeling its own product. And it’s been a big hit. In fact, the Wall Street Journal has raved about Tennessee’s paddlefish product, naming the salty gray eggs the “best value” in American caviar.
For more than 20 years, it’s been snapped up by fish-egg connoisseurs looking for a more moderately priced alternative to the belugas and sevrugas. All of the caviar either comes from the Kelleys’ own fishing boats or is bought from local commercial fishermen, giving proof to its marketing slogan: “The Freshest in the Nation.”
For more information and recipe ideas, visit www.kelleyskatch.com, or call (731) 925-7360.
