CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Efforts are being made to extend the brand of the Pennsylvania Wilds and the Artisan Trail running through Warren, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Forest, Elk, Cameron, Clinton, Lycoming, Clarion, Jefferson, and Clearfield Counties. Add in half of Centre County, and there is a trail of highly skilled artists and artisans juried on the trail.
(Photo: Tina Solak, executive director of the Cameron County Artisan Center, displays some of the artisan merchandise available on the PA Wilds Artisan Trail.
Even though this is not a trail similar to the many bike and walking trails surfacing in many rural Pennsylvania communities, it is a trail that is home for many artists, independent retailers, and other creative entrepreneurs along the way.
Artisans of every kind are welcome into the organization, and Clarion County already has members of the PA Wilds Artisan Trail Sites including Briar Hill Rustic Furniture, Cook Forest Sawmill Center for the Arts, Country Star Primitives, Deer Creek Winery, Emlenton Mill Emporium, Red Brick Gallery, The Gateway Lodge, and the Old Bank Deli and Coffee Shoppe.
Tina Solak, executive director of the Cameron County Artisan Center and Pennsylvania Wilds advisory committee member, recently met with the Clarion Area Chamber of Business and Industry about the program and asked the chamber to also become a member.
Tracy Becker, executive director of the Clarion Chamber, said it was under consideration, and she praised the work of the Artisan Trail.
The PA Wilds Artisan Trail, in concert with the Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau, is also hosting free “Make the Brand Work for You” workshops for small batch producers, independent retailers, artisans, and other creative entrepreneurs looking to learn more about joining the Artisan Trail and using the “Proudly Made in the Pennsylvania Wilds” brand and networks to grow their operations.
Since its inception in 2006, the Pennsylvania Wilds Artisan Trail has proven to raise the visibility and profitability of artisans and arts-related businesses in the PA Wilds by increasing sales of high-quality products made by local artisans and traffic to local galleries and retail shops.
The Artisan Trail recently went through several expansions allowing new types of businesses to join. One major new development is that the Trail is now inviting small batch, craft, ag and food producers to join the Trail and use the “Proudly Made in the Pennsylvania Wilds” brand.
“We’d love to see the ‘Proudly Made in the Pennsylvania Wilds’ stamp on our region’s syrups, jellies, leek dips, and other small batch products that reflect our rural traditions,” said Tataboline Enos, Executive Director of the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, the regional non-profit that operates the Artisan Trail program.
More than 150 artisans and retailers across the region participate in the PA Wilds Artisan Trail. Organizers hope to double that over the next few years. PA DCED, PA DCNR, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Stackpole-Hall Foundation have all made grant investments in the program.
“I’m really excited to be traveling across the region hosting these workshops on behalf of the Pennsylvania Wilds Artisan Trail,” said Solak. “Our center in Emporium has experienced great success in using the brand and participating in the PA Wilds Artisan Trail, so I’m looking forward to sharing our stories and answering questions about how other businesses can make the brand work for their purposes. It is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the exciting opportunities the Artisan Trail has to offer businesses and their communities.”
For more information about the program visit PAwildsArtisans.com.
