Three retail outlets in the small community of Blue Ridge, Georgia are proud to be in the spotlight
Blue Ridge, GA – A picturesque hamlet nestled in the mountains of North Georgia, Blue Ridge is the seat of Fannin County, which sports a population of around 25,000. Only 90 minutes outside of Atlanta, the village has been a well-kept secret for escaping the hustle and bustle of the big city, and has long played host to some of the South’s most talented creatives looking for a place to relax. But now a spotlight is shining on three of Blue Ridge’s favorite local artisans who are receiving attention in circles farther reaching than any of them ever thought possible.
Lynn Kemp’s Canoe: Blue Ridge’s retail gem
Lynn Kemp and her husband originally pictured a charming mountain home as so many do – a vacation getaway from the busy life in Atlanta, but the getaway quickly became a permanent residence as the Kemps fell prey to the allure of Blue Ridge. Only a handful of years later, Kemp’s hobby of jewelry design had gone from making spirit bracelets for her kids’ high school to creating the metallic icing on the models of “Sports Illustrated” Swimsuit Edition three years in a row. Today, more than ten years later, Kemp’s bracelets are still sought after and now find a new position next to her handmade luggage and bag collection — wearable art designed for both men and women under the brand Canoe.
“After moving here four years ago, I found a great space to rent in downtown Blue Ridge to move the making of my jewelry. I outgrew that space within a year and then moved to a 1,000-square-foot space for design and manufacturing,” says Kemp.
A year passed and Kemp again needed more space to manufacture and ship. So she kept her original space strictly for making and shipping the goods. The manufacturing space is located on the bottom floor of Oyster Fine Bamboo Fly Rods, where Bill and Shannen Oyster craft all of their rods by hand, making the whole building an ode to authentic made-in-Blue-Ridge goods and, perhaps more so, an ode to the mountain town’s growing reputation as a haunt for tremendous entrepreneurial success.
Kemp’s background in the fashion industry as a menswear buyers for Macy’s and later with Liz Claiborne Inc., gave her the know-how to go about developing a seasonal collection of jewelry instead of just bracelets. Factor in a few years of selling to friends, and Kemp was ready to make the jump to full-time jewelry designer, gaining instant recognition, including a licensing deal for jewelry under a different name that introduced her to the Gift Industry in Atlanta and New York and garnered Kemp invaluable contacts in sales, which have led to continuous growth.
Kemp’s passion for the business knows no limits, perhaps a key ingredient – in addition to her talent – to her recipe for success. “There are so many parts of the business I love! I love designing a new line twice per year; I love working with a showroom designer who gives the wholesale spaces at AmericasMart a new look each season; I love pushing myself to keep growing the business; I love keeping it all made in Blue Ridge!” she says. “I also love working with the women at Canoe as they are invaluable to the business, including my daughter Haley.”
Meet the Oysters – Blue Ridge reels in a big one with this fly-fishing couple
Graduates of the University of Georgia, Cast and Blast Inn owners Bill and Shannen Oyster
provide everything needed for the ultimate fly-fishing experience. Once featured in “Garden & Gun” magazine, Bill is the only full-time bamboo fly rod maker in the world that hand engraves his own hardware, a rare and guarded art. His masterpiece rods sell at Bill and Shannen’s downtown Blue Ridge shop, Oyster Fine Bamboo Fly Rods, starting at $2,300 and range to upwards of $17,000. At one time, the couple outsourced the engraving, but upon being commissioned to build a fly rod for former President Jimmy Carter, Bill learned to engrave and started engraving the rods himself, knowing how important this was to his pedigree as a bamboo fly rod builder. Each rod takes about 50 hours to build, and countless hours more to engrave.
Bamboo fly rod making is an American tradition, but not a very well-known one. When Bill decided to begin making fly rods, he had a very hard time finding a maker willing to share the knowledge of how to do it, and says one maker he approached even hung up on him. That’s when he decided that if he ever became apt at it, he was going to pass on the tradition of this uniquely American art.
Now, Bill teaches more people to make bamboo fly rods than anyone else in the world.
The dynamic couple sets the scene for memory-making experiences with classes instructing guests on how to build a rod, and then excursions to test the waters. Workshop guests are housed on-site at the Cast and Blast Inn, right above the workshop, where they can mingle with other guests in the common area and enjoy evenings on the balcony overlooking Main Street. By teaching bamboo fly rod making, the Oysters are continuing the American tradition of high craftsmanship.
Says Shannen Oyster, “We teach more people in one year than the next guy teaches during his entire career. Students come from all over the world to learn from Bill himself. We have had students from every state (including Hawaii and Alaska) except North Dakota! We also have quite a few international clients each year. Bill actually got into bamboo fly rod building because he thought the only thing cooler than buying a bamboo fly rod would be building your own…this is how so many of our students feel.”
“People who come into our shop are fascinated with the family business aspect of it all. We stand in our shop and personally meet all of our clients, build our rods, teach our students and raise a family…right there. This is so unusual now, but a concept that most seem to relate to. Even if you don’t fish or want a bamboo fly rod, most (people) connect with the family aspect of it all,” adds Shannen. “Our original motivation for this business was to be together… So, regardless of our business related success, that is our true personal interpretation of accomplishment.”
The Sweet Shoppe: Two friends living the sweet life
Nikki Gribble and Susan Catron were both Blue Ridge locals with a love of making confections, but didn’t even know each other until a chance encounter at a shop owned by Nikki’s mother got them into a conversation about their mutual talents.
In Blue Ridge’s popular Main Street retail area, space is at a premium and moves very quickly. So when Nikki was downtown and saw a ‘For Rent’ sign go up, she called Susan right away and said, “…You want to make some cupcakes?” On a leap of faith, Nikki and Susan opened their cupcakery The Sweet Shoppe on May 11, 2011.
Only 90 days after the shop opened, its owners were invited to compete on The Food Network’s popular “Cupcake Wars” program.
“Baking 1000 cupcakes in two hours is the hardest thing we have ever done,” says Susan, “but it was also the most rewarding.” The girls won second place, and went back home to Blue Ridge feeling validated that their recipes were some of the nation’s best. They were then asked to Atlanta to be recognized for their accomplishments, and by the time they had returned home, they had already been asked by the producers of “Cupcake Wars” to come back and film a second episode. This time, when they came back to Blue Ridge, they came back with first prize and the title of Cupcake Wars Champions.
Susan says their most popular recipe varies, but most recently is has been French Toast and Bacon. “Yes, we put real bacon on a French toast cupcake, and people have gone crazy over it!” When asked about her favorite treat, she says she would pick their chocolate covered caramel pretzels, which was a finalist in the snack category at the 2011 Taste of Georgia contest.
Despite their meteoric rise into the public eye, the ladies of The Sweet Shoppe have no plans to slow down any time soon. They have recently opened a new location in The Island in Pigeon Forge. Also on their agenda is a combination biography and cookbook, to share with fans the inside story of their famous confections. Even more ambitious is the idea for a television show. Susan says sweetly, “We have dabbled in TV, and found that everyone finds us very entertaining.”
So why Blue Ridge? Why do all of these talented creators continue to make and sell their goods in such a small environment, when they could conceivably take their wares anywhere? Susan Catron may have the answer: community.
“Blue Ridge is home and always will be! God’s beauty is so abundant here, not only in the picturesque landscape, but in the heart of the people that live here. This little town has supported us since the day we opened the door…their patronage has been amazing!”
If you go
From lake-view with a mountain vista and room for 20 to cabins hidden away and built only for two (hot tub included!) find links to cabin rental companies at www.BlueRidgeMountains.com.
Fannin County Chamber of Commerce, www.BlueRidgeMountains.com, 1-800-899-MTNS.