Making the Fiber Arts World More Beautiful
Donation protected
The Spanish Peacock is a veteran owned small business based out of Jefferson, MD. We have been involved in the fiber arts world for over nineteen years as a creator and supplier of specialty tools used for diverse crafts such as fiber spinning, weaving, knitting and crochet. We believe that beautiful fiber arts start with beautiful tools. We’ve supported the community as vendors (both in person and online), conversation starters, mentors and teachers. While Mike King is the face of the Spanish Peacock, he is supported behind the scenes by his wife, TJ, provider of all things IT. In late 2018, TJ left her cushy consulting job to support the Spanish Peacock full time to further improve engagement with the community.
Over the years, the goal has always been to create a facility where people from the fiber arts community could gather to share their knowledge, skills and crafting expertise with each other: the Cedar Springs Fiber Arts Center and Retreat! Cedar Springs would include: 1) a larger woodshop for Mike, with space and tools for teaching basic wood turning and fiber arts tool creation; 2) a retail shop to provide quality tools and showcase up-and-coming artisans; 3) a “messy arts” covered pavilion for specialty crafts like skirting fleeces, natural dyeing, and wet felting; 4) an indoors learning space, with attached commercial kitchen; 5) a dyers’ garden; and 6) small scale fiber animals such as angora rabbits and humanely-bred pygora goats for fiber-to-fabric learning experiences. Down the road, plans include construction of six yurts to allow lodging for multi-day class participation. This Go Fund Me campaign is to raise money to help finance this dream.
Putting together a Go Fund Me campaign is entirely out of our comfort zone. So far out, in fact, it might as well be another planet. We have never asked for help or money and wouldn’t now except we want to be up and running sooner rather than later. COVID changed a lot of plans. We have had almost everything on hold for eighteen months...but so has everyone. Set backs occur, but we refuse to give up on a dream we have cherished for so many years. We have overcome a lot in the past year. TJ returned to a soul crushing day job to secure bank backing. We scrimped to save cash for a down payment on the ideal piece of property. We sacrificed weekends property hunting and finally, one and a half years after the bank’s refusal, we closed on 74 acres of wild and wonderful, in WV
Why should you contribute to this campaign? There are many reasons, but here are some of the top ones.
You can build a legacy with us! Many of you have been along with us on our journey so far, and we want to keep sharing the journey with you as we enter this new phase. The retail store will allow you try Spanish Peacock spindles in person without waiting for a fiber festival...then fighting the crush and crowds! You can even watch your custom spindle being turned and finished in the expanded woodshop. You can spend time hanging out with angora rabbits and Pygora goats, or learning about plants used in natural dyeing. For the aspiring woodworkers, in the future there will be woodturning workshops. Eventually we hope to host fiber arts classes and retreats, with yurts or cabins onsite for the convenience of students and teachers. Everyone who contributes to this campaign will have their name displayed on a plaque in the retail shop (if desired) to reflect our gratitude for their help. If you would prefer to stay anonymous – that’s OK too, just let us know!
How can you help? Every little bit helps us reach our goal – however big or small of a contribution. Whether or not you can help out yourself, please share this with your fiber friends and guilds to get the word out.
Over the years, the goal has always been to create a facility where people from the fiber arts community could gather to share their knowledge, skills and crafting expertise with each other: the Cedar Springs Fiber Arts Center and Retreat! Cedar Springs would include: 1) a larger woodshop for Mike, with space and tools for teaching basic wood turning and fiber arts tool creation; 2) a retail shop to provide quality tools and showcase up-and-coming artisans; 3) a “messy arts” covered pavilion for specialty crafts like skirting fleeces, natural dyeing, and wet felting; 4) an indoors learning space, with attached commercial kitchen; 5) a dyers’ garden; and 6) small scale fiber animals such as angora rabbits and humanely-bred pygora goats for fiber-to-fabric learning experiences. Down the road, plans include construction of six yurts to allow lodging for multi-day class participation. This Go Fund Me campaign is to raise money to help finance this dream.
Putting together a Go Fund Me campaign is entirely out of our comfort zone. So far out, in fact, it might as well be another planet. We have never asked for help or money and wouldn’t now except we want to be up and running sooner rather than later. COVID changed a lot of plans. We have had almost everything on hold for eighteen months...but so has everyone. Set backs occur, but we refuse to give up on a dream we have cherished for so many years. We have overcome a lot in the past year. TJ returned to a soul crushing day job to secure bank backing. We scrimped to save cash for a down payment on the ideal piece of property. We sacrificed weekends property hunting and finally, one and a half years after the bank’s refusal, we closed on 74 acres of wild and wonderful, in WV
Why should you contribute to this campaign? There are many reasons, but here are some of the top ones.
You can build a legacy with us! Many of you have been along with us on our journey so far, and we want to keep sharing the journey with you as we enter this new phase. The retail store will allow you try Spanish Peacock spindles in person without waiting for a fiber festival...then fighting the crush and crowds! You can even watch your custom spindle being turned and finished in the expanded woodshop. You can spend time hanging out with angora rabbits and Pygora goats, or learning about plants used in natural dyeing. For the aspiring woodworkers, in the future there will be woodturning workshops. Eventually we hope to host fiber arts classes and retreats, with yurts or cabins onsite for the convenience of students and teachers. Everyone who contributes to this campaign will have their name displayed on a plaque in the retail shop (if desired) to reflect our gratitude for their help. If you would prefer to stay anonymous – that’s OK too, just let us know!
How can you help? Every little bit helps us reach our goal – however big or small of a contribution. Whether or not you can help out yourself, please share this with your fiber friends and guilds to get the word out.
Organizer
Mike King
Organizer
Middletown, MD