A 



colorful quilt provides a backdrop 

 for what could be a corner of Santa's 

 workshop. Rag dolls sit in painted 

 wagons waiting for just the right child to 

 come along and take them on a merry 

 ride. Stuffed monkeys climb the 

 shelves. And, an old-fashioned bed doll 

 with a very haughty look seems 

 impatient for the holiday party to begin. 



The quilt, it turns out, is much 

 more than a decorative prop. It's a 

 history — each square is a chapter 

 representing the contribution individual 

 artisans have made to the Watermark 

 Association of Artisans since its 1 978 

 founding. 



And the collection of dolls, 

 children's furniture and wooden toys 

 are part of an adventure that could begin 

 another successful chapter in the story 

 of the 500-member craft cooperative. 

 Hundreds of Watermark folk crafts are 

 being featured for the holiday season in 

 a shop at the trendy Georgetown Park 

 Mall in Washington, D.C. 



But we're getting ahead of 

 ourselves. 



ABOVE: Hammered metal art comes to life at the hands of a skillful Watermark artisan. LEFT: The rich coastal 

 culture is reflected in many craft forms, such as these colorful painted fish ornaments. 



Watermark, located on U.S. 158 East in 

 Camden, began with about 25 charter 

 members. It quickly gained national attention 

 for its high-quality Carolina crafts — and its 

 mission to provide meaningful income for 

 artisans in the sparsely populated, rural 

 northeastern region of the state. 



Early on, forward-thinking Watermark 

 members began to cultivate national 

 wholesale markets that could provide volume 

 sales for its shareholder members. Soon, the 

 QVC shoppers' channel offered Watermark 

 merchandise, and Ralph Lauren contracted 

 for special products. Watermark hand-painted 

 buttons — each unique — were featured on 

 Esprit clothing. 



Today, about 5,000 lucky little girls are 

 clutching Watermark's Sara doll, which was 

 produced exclusively for Smithsonian 

 Institution shops. 



But, wait a minute. How can home- 

 made, hand-crafted items be both one-of-a- 

 kind and produced in volume? 



It's easy to explain when you know the 



history. Watermark artisans could provide all 

 the human capital and creative energy needed 

 to produce unique merchandise. But the 

 members realized the need for hard cash. So, 

 the Northeast Education Economic Develop- 

 ment Foundation (NEED) was established to 

 bring in grant dollars that could be used to 

 train the members in a range of craft skills to 

 ensure product quality. 



Say a QVC contract called for Water- 

 mark hand-painted stools. NEED grants 

 would underwrite the cost of the necessary 

 raw materials as well as training workshops 

 for a cadre of Watermark artisans needed to 

 produce the quantity and quality. 



From the start, NEED training looked to 

 help the women develop craft skills, business 

 skills and personal skills — ingredients for 

 self-sufficiency. A child-care facility also was 

 established to provide a safe environment 

 during the training sessions. 



NEED has since evolved to become the 

 Northeastern Community Development 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 7 



