Tag: Handcrafted in United States

ASL Pewter Foundry – A Working Pewter Studio Where Tom and Pat Hooper Keep Colonial Metalworking Alive A working pewter foundry in Missouri’s oldest town sounds improbable until you remember that Sainte Geneviève has always been a place where history isn’t just preserved but practiced. At 183 South 3rd Street, Tom and Patricia Hooper have spent nearly 40 years creating museum-quality pewter pieces using techniques that colonial craftspeople would recognize—casting molten tin alloy into antique molds, spinning flat pewter discs on an 1873 water-powered lathe (now electrified), and welding handles onto tankards with micro-torch precision. This isn’t a demonstration for tourists watching behind ropes. This is an active studio where you can commission custom pieces, watch the Hoopers work, learn the chemistry and history of the tin-based alloy that graced America’s founding families’ tables, and leave with functional heirlooms made by hands that understand centuries-old craft traditions. The work has earned White House recognition (Pat and Tom visited during George W. Bush’s administration, meeting First Lady Laura Bush), appeared in HBO’s John Adams miniseries starring Paul Giamatti, and attracted collectors who recognize that genuinely handcrafted American pewter—100% lead-free, made using antique tools and traditional methods—has become exceptionally rare in an Read more…

173 North Main Street Ste. Geneviève, MO 63670 Call us at 573-535-9056 Hours Thursday thru Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Rust Artisans’ Shop is a gallery of unique hand-crafted items by several local artists. They also carry clothing from Thailand. Most importantly, luminaries and lights made of old corrugated tin utilize the surplus of corrugated tin in Missouri. Read more…

311 St. Mary’s Road Ste. Geneviève, MO 63670 Call us at 573-513-2491 Hours Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday – Open holidays only Sassafras Creek Originals showcases hand-crafted Colonial/Primitive Early American Folk Art, Will Moses puzzles, woven coverlets and table runners, tinware, colonial teas, women’s 18th-century outfits, handpainted gameboards, hand-sewn bandboxes, and hand-hooked wool. Each room is like a step back in time! Read more…