The Discover Sandwich blog

Meet Our Members ~ Anne Perkins of Anne Made

10/3/2021

What is your name and the name of your business?
Anne Metcalf Perkins, Anne Made

Anne and John Perkins. Photo by Jude Davis

How did you get to Sandwich, NH?
I am one of the fortunate who was born in Sandwich. I have always known how special that is. My mother’s parents had a camp on Winnepesaukee and they decided to settle in Sandwich at the end of World War II. Lester Lear was from Gallipolis, Ohio. Isadora Schmidt Lear was born in Philadelphia.

My father’s family had a camp on Squam Lake. At the age of 20, my father, Lance Metcalf, decided to settle in Sandwich, after leaving the Marine Corps at the end of the war. My parents met in Sandwich, probably at a Town Hall square-dance. After my mother, Nancy Lear, attended UNH for a year, they were married at Saint Andrews in Tamworth.

Tell us about your work. What do you make, do, or offer as a service?
I am a textile craftsman and have made and sold everything from bed quilts and wallhangings to Christmas ornaments and dolls. Currently I’m working with cashmere and making fingerless gloves.

Portrait of Nigel, 1982

What got you started in this work?
My grandparents were both craftsmen. My grandmother, Isadora Lear, did crewel embroidery and was a weaver. My grandfather, Lester A. Lear, was a silversmith and did enameling on copper. My uncle, Peter C. Lear, was a silversmith. I was surrounded by talented textile people as a child, and l was encouraged from a very young age to work with textiles.

Grandad studied silversmithing in London, England with Robert Stone, a member of the London Silversmith’s Guild while helping to set up Stars and Stripes, the military news magazine. When he came to Sandwich he studied with Karl Drerup and learned enameling. He sold both his work in silver and enameling at the Sandwich Home Industries.

Colonel Lester A. Lear, silversmith

Isadora S. Lear, Embroidery, Rug Hooking, Weaving

Peter C. Lear, silversmith

Grammy's parents lived in Mt Vernon, NY when she was growing up. Her father, Louis Schmidt worked as a medical illustrator, and later as a photographer for illustrations for medical books at the Rockefeller Institute located in Rockefeller center. He also did illuminated manuscripts and produced skilled etchings.

Isadora Studied embroidery at the Royal School of needlework when they were living in London. She and Lester were both juried members of the NH League of Arts and crafts. When spending winters in Mexico both Isadora and Lester studied painting at the Art Institute of San Miguel d’Allende. Isadora taught herself how to do embroidery left handed so she could teach her left handed granddaughter the skills.

Neither of my parents were full-time craftsmen. My mother, Nancy Lear Metcalf, was a skilled tailor and an accomplished knitter. My father, Winslow Harris Metcalf ( known as Lance) was a skilled welder, blacksmith, carpenter and mechanic. He designed many labor saving devices for many different trades in 1950s Sandwich.

Growing up at 12 Main Street gave me endless opportunities to hang out and learn (pester, question) the League craftsmen. (Twelve Main Street was first my grandparent's home when they moved to Sandwich in 1945. They sold the house to my parents, Nancy and Lance, and I lived there until I went to boarding school.) I was within walking distance of the League shop and my grandparent's and my Uncle Peter’s homes during my entire childhood. I took many classes at the League as a child. Classes I took: pottery, silversmithing, drawing and watercolor and whatever was offered. I took classes every year.

Anne at the Nantucket School of Needlery, 1972.

When/how did you start your business?
When I was about 10 years old I was a locally-juried maker of potholders and Christmas ornaments sold at the Sandwich Home Industries. I’ve never stopped making things. I attended an arts-oriented boarding school, Wykeham Rise in Washington, Connecticut, and the Nantucket School of Needlery on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts.

I went to junior college for a year and I went to nursing school at Hartford Hospital and worked as a nurse for three years. Living away from Sandwich from 1964 until 1971 made me so homesick I got a pass to Old Sturbridge Village to remind of home within driving distance. I ran a bookstore in Conway and worked for Jan Burnell cooking and baking food which was delivered to Sandwich town folk by her husband. Many people remember Jan who worked as a chef for Jane and Don at the Corner House.

For many years starting in 1981 I sold my work at the Corner House Inn when it was owned by Jane and Don Brown. Representatives from Better Homes and Gardens saw my work at the Corner House and invited me to design and produce kits for a variety of needlework techniques. I worked as a Better Homes designer for four years while remaining in Sandwich.

Sunflower wallhanging, late 1980s.

What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work?
I love the creation of designs, the problem solving in pattern making and color choices. I am never bored. I found it challenging and rewarding to use a sewing machine. I pretty much invented what I was doing so nobody had seen it before.

Fingerless gloves, Anne’s latest project, available at Willow Pond Antiques & Goods.

What is the hardest?
Working at home as a craftsman was a challenge at a time when it was not considered to be work by many. The local banks didn’t recognize craft work as employment so it was almost impossible to get a bank loan. There were a lot of interruptions because I lived in the village and people expected hospitality whether it was a convenient time or not. I was a parent and was trying to keep four employees busy. It is different now. I have more flexibility. My child is an adult. I have no employees. I have earned credibility.

How has this last Covid year affected your work?
Other than not attending markets or fairs, not at all. My work keeps well and I found retail outlets elsewhere.

What are your goals and hopes for the future?
To keep up my standards, abilities and eyesight as long as possible.

Cows, wallhanging, late 1980s.

What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich?
There were many craftsmen who settled here in the fifties, sixties and seventies, and I remember some wonderful collaborations.

Bob Wright and Lance Metcalf created metal sculptures from found objects. Peter Lear collaborated with a local potter to make lamps. The INN wallhanging was a collaboration between Elli Ford, artist, Don Brown, artist, Anne Perkins and Judi Dunlap quilters.

Many craftsmen collaborated on a friendship quilt for Daphne Alcock Frentress who lived in Australia for a number of years, including, Louisa Miner, Nancy Metcalf, Anne Perkins, Ellie Dow, Helen Bryant, Bunny Michael, Louise Page, Robing Dustin, Bunty Walsh, Shirley Burns, Dot Harding.

Corner House Inn wallhanging, 1988.

I want to thank Jane and Don Brown, Mark Duffield, Nick Floyd, Crosby and George Bonsall, Betsy Switzer, Denny Taylor, Ferne Tilton, Betsy Leiper, Bruce Montgomery, Catherine Hope, Nancy Papp at Mocha Rising and the League of Arts and Crafts for encouraging my craft business. I want to thank my employees, Judi Dunlap, Elli Ford, Betty Alcock, Priscilla Grant, and John Perkins. My Daughter Ellen Perkins collaborated on a lot of designs with me and was an employee for a long time.

My current work is available for purchase at Willow Pond Antiques & Goods, 22 Main Street, Center Sandwich.

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2021 Sandwich Fair ~ it's happening! Oct. 9-11

9/24/2021

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Vegetable display at the Sandwich Fair. Photo by Janina Lamb

3 Day Tickets for the Sandwich Fair are available in the Sandwich Fair Office (7 Wentworth Hill Road) until the end of September (Thursday, 9/30). Daily tickets to the Fair are $12 for ages 12 and over. Children under 12 are free. The three-day ticket is $24 which gives you three days of fair fun for the price of 2 days.

As the saying goes, "it takes a village." Can you donate 3 hours of your valuable time (or longer) as a building monitor or ticket taker? A 3-day fair pass is available in lieu of payment. Come be a part of our fair family during the 2021 Sandwich Fair, Oct. 9-11. Please call, email or stop into the office to learn more!

Also, if you have a drawer full of unwanted pens (that work)? The Fair can use them! Please feel free to drop off all you extras. Come on into the Fair Office Building and say hello, or leave them in the black mailbox out front. Thanks for helping us recycle/reuse!

Photo by Allan DiBiase

The newly renovated Sandwich Fair Association Office is now open and staffed Tues - Fri from approx. 8:30 am - 4:30 pm. Phone: 603 284 7062; email: info@thesandwichfair.com . The Fair will take place October 9, 10, and 11. Fair program books and flyers are available at the Sandwich Fair Office, the Library and many other locations around town. For more information: Kim Weeks, The Sandwich Fair Association, 7 Wentworth Hill Road / POB 161, Sandwich, NH 03227; Tel: 603 284-7062; Email: info@thesandwichfair.com

The Fair is making hand sanitizers and hand-washing stations accessible throughout the fairgrounds. The Fair is adhering to current local/state/federal guidelines in their effort to present a safe and successful Fair. Attendance at the Fair constitutes your understanding of the risks of contracting COVID-19. You voluntarily assume full-risk related to the possible exposure to the virus. You are responsible for practicing COVID- 19 best practices to protect yourself and your family--masking, hand-washing/sanitizing, social distancing, etc. The Sandwich Fair, its board of directors and employees cannot be held liable if you contract COVID-19.

Photo by Franz Nicolay

The membership of the Sandwich Fair Association, Inc. will have a Fair wrap-up meeting and election of offices on Tuesday, October 19, at 7:00 pm in the Benz Center. The Sandwich Fair is always looking for dedicated members, please contact the Fair Office for more information on becoming a member.

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Meet Our Members ~ Jon Greenawalt of Personal Mastery Programs

9/16/2021

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What is your name and the name of your business?
Jon L. Greenawalt, Sr., Personal Mastery Programs, Inc.

Jon Greenawalt

How did you get to Sandwich, NH?
My mother bought my current home on Bearcamp Pond Rd. in May of 1945, just at the close of World War II in Europe (VE Day). As a family in those days, we lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan and were summer residents until I moved here permanently in 2017.

Our family’s interest in Sandwich began in 1911 as a result of my mother’s mother (my grandmother, Florence Spalding) contracting Tuberculosis. In those days, there were no antibiotics and the usual treatment was rest at cool, dry locations. For reasons unknown to me, her family chose to send Florence to a rehab facility in Wonalancet, NH called Ferncroft.

During her two-year recovery period, the rest of her family would visit for a few weeks in the summers. As a young girl, my mom fell in love with the area and the Sandwich residents who hosted them during their stay. One of those people was Elizabeth Wilde, who lived in the home next to what is now the Sandwich Children's Center. Fast forward to 1945, when my mother visited here and reconnected with Elizabeth who encouraged her to buy what is now my home.

Jon's homestead in Sandwich

How did you get started in this profession?
I had been an HR professional in two privately held corporations in Philadelphia, PA then Detroit, MI until 1976, when I left to join a local management consulting firm. After 11 years of experience and getting a sound footing there, I started my own firm, PMP Inc which is still active today. While a risky move and challenge, it has proved to be the most successful and gratifying career choice.

I was and continue to be inspired by my Personal Life Vision, which is “For all people to identify and have access to their unique genius and share if as a gift to the world.” Further, I am committed to having every interaction with others be a contribution to them.

Jon in 2011

Tell us about your business. What do you offer as a service?
PMP exists to “Ensure the survival and growth of organizations with empowering their people to achieve their own life purpose in support of the mission of the enterprise.”

Our programs are comprehensive in nature. We deliver value to each individual in client organizations by combining Team building, Strategic Planning, Personal Development, Leadership Development, and Management Training into systems that facilitate the development of a personal growth culture.

A frequently heard complaint about consulting/training is that people return from such programs with new concepts and, when faced with on-the-job pressure, revert to old, ineffective behaviors. PMP's comprehensive approach, backed by our promise for results, guarantees sustainable change and unprecedented results. If you would like to learn more about what we do, please visit www.pmpcoach.com

How did your business get started?
My last corporate role, which was in the early 1970’s, while successful, was missing the support and commitment of the owner to ensure the success of the company. Then, after being a successful part of another consulting firm for 11 years, that owner refused to sell me controlling shares of his firm. I knew it was time to leave and create my own future.

My own consulting began when I was asked by another Michigan business if I could help them bring the culture and leadership tools I had implemented at my current employer to them. After getting permission to do so from the owner, I met with the other company’s CEO, confirmed the challenges they were facing and put together a proposal which they accepted. Truthfully, I didn’t really have much of a plan and for the first year was consulting only on a part-time basis. I was really “winging it” while I was developing rudimentary programs and workshops for their leaders.

As a good listener, I was able to build trust, pinpoint key issues, and coach the company on how to approach them. By doing this, I began to build confidence in my ability to help other companies as well.

At that point, I resigned from my then current employer and started out by joining an existing consulting firm (previously mentioned) where I received training, technology and tools to build a practice and become successful. Then, after being rebuffed by that firm's owner from acquiring ownership control, I took what I had learned and created a new enterprise.

New Year's Eve, 2016

What is the most fun/satisfying aspect of your work?
Experiencing the frequent appreciation from people for my contribution to them, often positively impacting life-alerting situations for one or both their career and personal lives. Watching the sparkle appear in people’s eyes over the power of some new insight or opportunity they gained, along with their determination and commitment to pursue their dreams.

What is the hardest?
Seeing people give up on believing themselves capable of taking control of their lives, and reverting to a role of victim, blaming others or the circumstances for their distress, suffering or failures.

How has this last Covid year affected your work?
Fortunately, with minimal negative impact. I was able to learn how to be effective using remote technology (principally Zoom) to conduct coaching sessions, sufficiently effective for my clients. Most difficult was the challenging and ineffective requirement to conduct normally in-person training workshops for clients online?, which eliminates the critical dynamics and personal interchanges/dialogues that can only occur when people are in the same room.

Dick Seery and Jon Greenawalt at the SBG Annual Meeting in 2020

What are your goals and hopes for the future?
Continue to fulfill my life’s purpose; treat others with dignity and respect; live to be 100 years old, and when I arrive there, plan for the next 10 to 15 years.

What else can you tell us about yourself and your life in Sandwich?In addition to my business, I have been active since arriving in 2017 on various committees and board. I am a past Board of Trustees for the Barnstormers Theatre and a past Vice Chair of the Sandwich Business Group. I am a current member of the Sandwich Zoning Board of Adjustment and a member of the Bearcamp Pond Association.

It is a joy living here full-time, realizing a lifelong dream. It is a beautiful state and community, with honest, helpful people who are good neighbors and a credit to our town.

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