Craftswoman Cynthia Main Conserves Old-World Broom Making Artistic Heritage in Rural Areas of Appalachia.
In the heart of Eastern Kentucky, Cynthia Main found a gap in the market for handmade brooms and shifted her focus towards their production. This decision led to the establishment of Sunhouse Craft, a business that embodies an Appalachian sense of place and sustainability.
Main's journey took a significant turn in 2023 when she was selected for Nest's Makers Future Fund, a coaching and capital access program designed for makers looking to grow their businesses. This programme offers assistance in three main pillars: financing, learning & mentorship, and market access.
The Appalachian Artisan Center, an organization based in Kentucky, played a crucial role in supporting Main's growth. With the stipend from the Makers Future Fund, Main was able to attend her first wholesale show, Shoppe Object, in New York City.
Main and her coach worked diligently to refine her business by tweaking pricing, product lines, and listing information. This strategic approach paid off, as Sunhouse Craft's revenue is on a trajectory to reach seven figures in the next several years. In fact, Main doubled her business revenue during her time in the Makers Future Fund and anticipates it will triple in the next year.
Interestingly, Main and Bryce Baumann of Lazy Eight Stock Farm are currently the largest-scale organic broomcorn growers in the United States. Main aims to use 100% local materials in her brooms, including organic broomcorn, a heritage crop.
Nest, an international nonprofit organization, has a program in Appalachia to help local artists with their business development. Through this programme, Main and other makers, such as the Gees Bend Quiltmakers in Boykin, Alabama, and a national Indigenous artisan program, are building out multi-tiered distribution strategies. These strategies include craft fairs, online sales, wholesaling, and teaching classes and workshops.
Main's livelihood has always been at the intersection of the land and handmade craft. She began as a woodworker, teaching the craft to formerly incarcerated people. Sunhouse Craft's initial growth was aided by an arts accelerator program in Berea, Kentucky.
Today, 70% of Sunhouse Craft's revenues come from wholesale business, and 30% come from direct online sales. Main's commitment to keeping the work manual and not licensing or mechanizing it ensures that every broom is crafted by hand using antique equipment.
A 2024 research report from Nest revealed that access to markets is a significant issue in rural Appalachia. However, with the help of organisations like Nest and the Appalachian Artisan Center, artisans like Cynthia Main are overcoming these challenges and thriving in their craft.
