History

Bob’s family has owned land in East Tennessee for generations. Making crafts and other things with his hands has always been a big part of his life, and he would tell you with a smile that creating beautiful, useful objects has provided cheap therapy and helped him through difficult times.

He tells the story this way:

“Growing up in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, I had access to a great school system that gave students like me plenty of opportunities to create. In the late 60s, the teachers were an interesting mix of veteran teachers from the 1950s with a more traditional style and hippies straight out of college who wanted to do things differently. I remember doing a lot of crafts in school and the community had a lot of programs as well. It was a great childhood with many fond memories.

Fast-forward forty something years, and here I am opening a store in historic Pigeon Forge. Given the economy and the locale, opening this shop might seem like a strange decision. Honestly, I got tired of seeing so many cheap, Made-in-China souvenirs and cheap knicks-knacks and decided that Pigeon Forge needed a place where people could find beautiful crafts and art made locally and made by hand.

When I was six years old, I created a plaster cast of my hand at Elm Grove Elementary or a vacation bible school. That cast was the inspiration behind the Handmade Adventures logo. The heart and hands are what we’re all about.”