Shop of The Week – Bolsters Mills 7

I was a young mother and music teacher in rural south western Maine.  One day I sent a hankie to a friend who had lost her father, and instead of just folding it and sticking it in a card, I fashioned an envelop on the outside of the card and put the hankie inside of that to feature it, more as a gift.  This friend then encouraged me to do more of them, and try selling them in a local shop, which I did with much success. From Valentines to Christmas cards, to tea and bridal favors, I was being kept busy matching hankies to gorgeous background papers that would show off the hankie in all of it’s splendor.  But as my collection grew, and I retired from teaching, I wanted to grow my business and branched out from local shops, and craft fairs, to having my own ETSY shop (which was at the suggestion from another good friend who has two of her own ETSY shops).  Over the past year and a half, I have never been happier pursuing my passion!  I have learned much about hankies and the roles they have played throughout the eras.  Up until the 1950’s and early 60’s, when hankies became passe for sanitary reasons, they began to become collectors items.  They are truly keepsakes, and today they can make a vintage wedding, tea or birthday party a special event, just by being used as they were intended or incorporating them into any number of craft projects, such as banners or garlands.