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The Basket Shop
Centre Democrat April 29 1971, page 4
The Basket Shop Revisited
(Editor's Note: The following article was written Miss Jean Blanchard, Newburgh, N.Y., a niece of Miss Mary Blanchard who established the "Basket Shop." Miss Blanchard's aunt also wrote her own book on basketry, published in 1914 by Charles Scribner's Son.
By Jean Blanchard
The little house to the rear of the former Blanchard home on West Linn Street was remodeled from a stable to the Basket Shop by my Aunt Mary In the early 1900s. A front porch was built, facing the main house, and the building was shingled. Cone Thomas, born a slave, was gardener for many years. He kept the walk up to the shop and all between the main house and the little house awash with flowers. The blooms Aunt Mary loved best were the hollyhocks which grew across the back and front of the shop and also tumbled down the east side of the property. When they were in bloom site called it her "Hollyhock Alley."
The Basket Shop opened into one room which took the entire floor except for two alcoves along the east side. There was a pot-bellied stove in the middle and the weaving was done there by a Mr. Lane and Aunt Mary. The reed had to be soaked and kept wet as they worked so they wore big rubber aprons and rubber gloves. Mr. Lane used to soak big bundles of reel in the summer kitchen at the back of He also did the dying in big vats in the same summer kitchen. The baskets were sold in Philadelphia, Boston and New York, as well as locally.
The reed was imported and after World War I began, it was impossible to get. Aunt Mary then went into partnership with Miss Kate Hobeson of Philadelphia and began to make maids' uniforms for places where there were large stalls of servants. The shop was renovated again. All materials were kept downstairs in an alcove on the southeast corner. In the northeast alcove was the packing table. The stairs went up between these alcoves to one big sunny room where three women worked at electric machines.
Miss Annie McLaughlin, Catherine Fravel, the late (Mrs. Harry Whiteman), who later bought Miss Nan Hoey's house on Spring Street. The third was a Miss Mary - a sweet little lady whose last name escapes me - but was probably the late Miss Mary Wetzel. Three steps divided the east from the west side and down these steps was the big cutting table where Aunt Mary did the cutting. I can see her hands at work now and those long thin fingers flying.
She closed the shop in the l930s when government regulations got so complex she couldn't comply and stay in business."
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