A woman and her purse ? sometimes it?s a complicated relationship. It?s too much this, it?s not enough that, it?s too big and needs more pockets and it?s too small and if only it was the color of that other lady?s purse. If all else is right, it has all the personality of a paper bag.
Marian Smucker likes a beautiful purse as much as the next girl, but unlike most ladies, she can make her own purse, just the way she wants it. The good news is, Marian makes purses for other people too. As manager of her parents? business, Homespun at Heart, what she really enjoys is finding out what her customers are looking for, and coming up with a design to fit that need.
Homespun at Heart, newly relocated in downtown Berlin, specializes in handmade purses, handbags and totes of all kinds. But purses are only the beginning. The shop carries hickory furniture, handmade rugs, skin care products, and candles, all handmade, all locally made. But the purses and bags are the heart of the shop, and the realization of a dream.
When Marian?s parents, John and Mary Ann Smucker moved their young family to Holmes County 12 years ago, they had a vision of starting a family business, where each of their children could be involved. But it was necessity that really got them started. When Mary Ann couldn?t find the diaper bag she needed, the solution was simple, as she said, ?Why couldn?t I make something like that, because I enjoy sewing?? So she did, designing and making her own, to the delight of her friends, who wanted their own versions of the bag.
So the Smucker family did what they do best. They worked together to fulfill the needs of their customers, and the business has been growing ever since. It?s been three and a half years since Mary Ann made that first bag, and within a year or so her daughters were making purses to sell at craft shows. They found a growing demand, as customers were requesting different styles, and asking about a retail location. So the family took the opportunity and opened a store, which is now in a prime location on Main Street in Berlin.
Along the way, the family has kept their focus on working together, finding the best role for each of them. Marian is the oldest of the children and manages the store. She started sewing as a child, but she draws on unusual work experience to help design and make purses. While working at a local tarp shop, Marian learned how to create custom covers for irregularly shaped items. Now she uses industrial sewing machines to work with the duck canvas and heavier thread that makes a more durable bag.
With the sewing area set up right inside the front windows, it?s easy to watch the Smucker sisters hard at work creating the bags that will be on the shelf later that day. For anyone who comes to Amish Country looking for locally made products, there?s no doubt about the source of these purses.
The ladies at Homespun at Heart are always listening to their customers. It?s where Mary Ann and her daughter get many of their ideas. They had numerous requests for insulated lunch bags, which they now carry in two sizes. Their newest introduction is a duffle bag, made to airline carry-on specifications. With coordinating fabrics, a lady can have matching purse, clutch, carry on, or tote.
Marian and her mother work as a team to turn an idea into a practical design, one that can be produced efficiently. They carry book bags and backpacks, beach bags, and a sew-your-own tote kit. Their child?s tote can be matched with an art kit, and there?s a garden tote and kneeling pad combination. But the Smuckers have learned once a bag leaves the store, there?s no telling what use an enterprising person may find for it.
Customizing purses or other bags is a service the store?s customers love. A lady might choose one design, but want it in a different fabric, a smaller or larger size, with extra pockets, or a longer or shorter strap. Any bag can be embroidered with a name or favorite saying. One customer who requested a custom combination of style, size and color, commented, ?I wanted to watch my bag being made, I?ve never watched my bag being sewn.?
So while the mother-daughter team designs and creates, the younger siblings are all involved in the family business in one way or another. A few help with cutting fabric, sewing the bags, or stocking and organizing the store, while others maintain the home front. John Smucker takes a familiar dad role, working a separate business, while still helping the family business in marketing, maintenance and any building projects needed.
Just as John and Mary Ann Smucker envisioned, Homespun at Heart is a true family business. Despite complications, Marian said, ?We get to work together every day, we go through things together and make it work.? Just like a lady and her purse.
Find them across from Boyd & Wurthmann Restaurant, online at homespun-at-heart.com, or at 330-893-1600.
