Handmade Shaker Products

Shaker Style Furniture Chairs Baskets Hutches

NHLiving encourages you to buy local NH made products whenever possible. We were particularly impressed with the quality of these hand-made New Hampshire Shaker Products from All Things Shaker in Amherst, NH. Ask us about NH Shaker Products or share your reviews and NH Product comments. To feature Made in NH products in NHLiving, contact us.

American Shaker Products

Polly's Pancake Parlor, 672 Route 17, Sugar Hill, NH 03585 | 603-823-5575
Polly's Pancake Parlor has been serving yummy home cooked meals for over 75 years. Enjoy a stack of Oatmeal Buttermilk, Buckwheat or Whole Wheat pancakes. Sit back and savor a waffle of your choice smothered in real New Hampshire maple syrup or come for lunch and have a slice of quiche made with local Harman's cheese. Shop for gifts, pancake mixes and NH Maple Syrup. Reservations taken on weekends.
Visit Polly's Pancake Parlor - Sugar Hill

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Mystic Sugar Bakery, 2386 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, NH 03860 | 603-383-3067
Mystic Sugar Bakery specializes in hand-crafted treats made from high-quality, fresh, seasonal, and local products whenever possible. Mystic Sugar Bakery is the lifelong dream and creation of Proprietor Christy Skinner. Originally from Virginia Beach, Christy has spent her life traveling the United States exploring the sweet regional variations on culinary classics, only to add her own touch to these timeless treats. Inquire about Special Orders.
Visit Mystic Sugar Bakery - North Conway, NH

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Sandy Martin Gallery, 17 Bay Street, Wolfeboro, NH 03894 | 603-569-9890
The Sandy Martin Gallery offers original fine art oil and watercolor paintings, photography, bronze sculpture, and hand crafted jewelry. Browse this destination fine art gallery in the beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee town of Wolfeboro. Shop for original oil paintings, watercolors, photographs, custom prints, and bronze sculputure depicting the beauty of the New Hampshire Lakes Region by the artists who love it.
Visit Sandy Martin Art - Wolfeboro, NH

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At last, Keith Griffith finds his calling. It takes a certain degree of dedication to build Shaker boxes and Amherst, N.H., resident Keith Griffith is definitely a devotee of the centuries-old craft.

What’s amazing about his story is the lengthy and circular path he took to finally realize his calling.

For 25 years, Griffith had focused on a career in high-tech finance, earning a Master’s degree and steadily climbing up the corporate ladder. At one point, he directed the finances for a $13 billion computer business in Europe. “I was pretty big in the corporate world but was never really content with what I was doing,” says Griffith, who now operates All Things Shaker out of a Manchester, N.H., storefront at 250 North Commercial St.

The one-man operation, a full-time business since early 2012, recently launched a Web site – www.allthingsshaker.com – and is selling Shaker boxes, trays and carriers all over the country. “I’ve always had a passion for woodworking,” he says, “and I kept my hand in it over the years. I’d do small projects around the house. Plus, I have a particular fascination for the Shakers and their shaker boxes craftsmanship.

They had some ideas that were quite progressive for their time. Their sense of community, work ethic, and design have a unique charm.” The Shakers, a religious group in 18th-century England, were also very pragmatic and dedicated to quality. They built finely-crafted storage boxes that were the “Tupperware of the 1700s.” “I’m not a really religious person,” Griffith admits, “but I respect that kind of dedication. Although there’s nothing terribly creative about Shaker boxes, there is a certain of elegance to their simplicity.” So Griffith toils away in his Manchester shop for 40-50 hours a week, displays his goods at trade shows all over the Northeast, and markets his products any way he can.

He takes pride in his workmanship, selecting the finest wood and paying close attention to detail. “I spend extra time in the finishing process because that’s what makes the boxes look great and last longer,” explains Griffith. In high school, Griffith won awards for making classic furniture pieces and he had his heart set on becoming a woodworker. His parents, however, convinced him to attend college and pursue a “professional” career, which he did – until recently. That’s when his wife, Marcia, unintentionally steered his life in a new direction, presenting him with a unique Christmas gift: a father-son class in Shaker box-making at nearby Canterbury Shaker Village. Shaker Products, Shaker Gifts, Made In the USA, Made in NH It re-ignited Griffith’s long-lost passion for woodworking. Pretty soon, he was making Shaker boxes for friends and attending crafts fairs. “People liked these quaint little boxes and I loved to make them,” he says. “A friend of mine ordered 40 boxes as gifts for his executive team at a West Virginia hospital system. After that, I was hooked.” The rest is history.

Griffith formed his new company, All Things Shaker, and began making Shaker boxes every day. His passion is now a reality. “My wife can’t quite believe what I’m doing and neither can I,” he says. “But here I am. And I’m as happy as I’ve ever been.”

For more information about Made in New Hampshire Products, visit our NH Products section. Contact us to feature your NH Product in NH Living.com.

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