Buying Into Mountain Culture Focus of New Market

Aug. 30, 2011 - PRLog -- 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 atwww.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

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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.

Our mission is to provide the gifted, vibrant people of our region—many of whom have lost their jobs in the furniture and manufacturing industries to overseas factory relocations—a way to make a living doing what they love and what they know best. We want to be a place where you can come in the store, shop, smile and laugh and learn about our culture. Then we want guests to take a piece of “our way of life” home with you.