The Shop: Beneath the Threads
Fred Chalmers
THE SHOP
Nestled deep in the heart of Chestertown's historic district lies a shop. A battered, aged exterior brick wall characterizes this particular shop at the surface level. Elegantly constructed trim work, consistent with late nineteenth-century architectural style, lines the shop's façade. Brilliantly colored flower arrangements stand at each side of the entrance like British guards in front of Buckingham Palace. Two large weather-stained windows, one on each side of the entrance, open the building's face, allowing light to creep into the shop's mellow interior. People stroll by, glancing at the array of colors and designs in the displays just beyond each window. Some smile, appreciating the great amount of time that went into making each element of the display visually stimulating, while some just blankly stare and continue on their way. Pigeons take shelter on second floor windowsills, while other birds make use of the roof for a short relaxation before returning to flight. Examining all of the exterior features, the historic building appears to be merely harboring a shop, but much more lies beyond the surface. This building does more than merely provide a space for this shop; rather, it represents a space rich in culture. Beyond the brick walls, behind the glass windows, and past the beautiful flower arrangements lives a distinct culture, characterized by rituals, traditions, values, and ideals. This culture is needlepoint, and the shop is Ehrman Tapestry.
BEGINNING THE FIELDWORK
Walking through the doors of Ehrman Tapestry more than one year ago, I was ready to begin a part-time job as a computer assistant for the owner of the shop, Alice West. Little did I know that nearly a year later I would be using my job site as a basis for my senior-year fieldwork in anthropology. Throughout my junior year I slaved away on a computer, entering data and taking a small share of the phone-in orders. At the beginning of my senior year, I was asked to choose a field site to study for a course in anthropological ethnography. A lot of ideas ran through my head-from studying my own dorm to studying the mechanics of the baseball team-but finally one day while I was at work, a light bulb went off in my head. It didn't just go off, it nearly exploded. I was sitting on an anthropological gold mine. With all of the subcultures of Chestertown, I had one right in my lap. Although it took me a class assignment to make me realize it, Ehrman Tapestry has its own set of ideals, values, and rituals that distinguish it from other retail shops. I had made up my mind: I would study needlepoint in Chestertown through the looking glass of Ehrman Tapestry.
Entering the site for my first day as a field worker, I felt comfortable around all of my future informants, having already developed special relationships with each of the workers in the shop. I considered each of them a friend whom I could interview without hesitation or nervousness. I felt fortunate to have developed these relationships because I ultimately avoided the difficult first step in fieldwork, establishing a feeling of comfort between the informants and the ethnographer.
When I asked Alice West, my main informant, whether she would mind if I conducted my fieldwork at her shop for the semester, she initially laughed. She never thought that her shop or the art of needlepoint would ever be a topic in an anthropology course. She was unclear as to how her shop could be called a subculture. After I explained exactly what I was going to do, she said that she would be willing to provide me with as much information as I would need throughout the semester. What I valued most about having Alice as an informant is that she seemed to gain interest in the topic as we progressed. As my fieldwork developed, she seemed to open up more and more with each session. I attribute this to an increasing level of comfort between us. The key to any good ethnography is a strong relationship between the informant and the fieldworker. As the bond strengthens, the significance and amount of information will generally improve. As we progressed, I knew that I could rely on her to provide me with any information that I needed to benefit the project. There were certain instances when she would actually provide me with too much information, which I found funny because I was initially worried about gathering enough information to turn in a significant product. Once we held our first few sessions talking about the subculture, I was confident that this would work out and I could thoroughly display the cultural scene of needlepoint in relation to Ehrman Tapestry.
WHAT I WAS ATTEMPTING TO REVEAL
In the realm of anthropology, many different factors make a place unique. Nearly every site displays a certain sense of cultural identity. In looking for cultural identity, ideals, values, traditions, and rituals are important. All of these are revealed in Ehrman Tapestry. I attempted to gain a sense of culture by examining the daily activities at the shop and the needlepoint culture as a whole: I looked at the daily routines of the workers; I examined the types of people who walked in the shop to share their interests in needlepoint. I soon realized that a small population of local people share needlepoint as a common interest, though I was surprised to find that over 40,000 United States citizens buy needlepoint kits from Ehrman Tapestry every year. Thus Ehrman Tapestry is a microcosm of a larger picture, representing a "Mecca" for tens of thousands of needlepointers in the United States. Inside the shop's walls daily rituals support a cultural identity. I attempted to understand Ehrman Tapestry as a shop rich in culture and worthy of anthropological study. Rather than look at just the operations of the shop, I would look at the shop in the context of the needlepointing world. By noting what the shop means to both locals and people thousands of miles away, I would conduct my research to reveal the shadowed but rich culture of needlepoint.
A WALK THROUGH THE SHOP
Located on Cross Street in Chestertown's historic district, Ehrman Tapestry sits among other similarly constructed shops. Stepping from the outside into the shop is like entering a jungle of brilliant colors. The shop is elegantly decorated with various finished products of pillow kits that the company sells to its customers. By examining the walls and displays, one can get a good sense of what the company has to offer. The front of the store is a display of many different needlepoint designs that the shop offers. In each corner of the room there are two couches that have pillows randomly spread about them in a colorful and attractive manner. Alice West designs each display to provide examples of what the finished kits look like to the local customers who browse the shop daily. "The displays also add such a beautiful dimension to what could be a dull shop," she says. The flooring consists of polished hardwood, which adds an inviting sense to the shop. Intimate track lighting lines the ceiling, enhancing the cozy feeling Alice tries to create. Toward the back of the room is the main counter where all of the purchasing and Internet sales are processed. Adjacent to the counter in the rear corner of the shop is the wall of yarns. This rainbow of colors provides examples of the wide spectrum of yarn colors offered by the shop. People searching for one piece of yarn can bring in their own yarn and match it to the corresponding color on the wall to finish their projects. This is a common occurrence in the shop.
Beyond the displays is the back room. One must walk through a narrow corridor to reach this room where the employees fill major orders and do minor computer work. This is where I spent most of my time while working. All the main files and past orders are also stored in this area. More importantly, it is the site of each day's ritualistic lunch periods. Beyond this room is "the hole." This tightly spaced, damp, and dark room is where all of the needlepoint kits are alphabetically stored for ease of filling orders. This is one of the only areas of the shop that Alice truly wishes she could make more hospitable, but since it is only used for storage, she decided that it would not be necessary to put a significant amount of money into a renovation project.
Although Ehrman Tapestry lacks spaciousness, each part of the shop makes efficient use of its space. Alice is proud of what she has done with the shop's interior. "It's everything I always wanted in a needlepoint shop...except for that darn 'hole,' but what are you gonna do?" she says. I asked her whether she would ever consider moving to a larger location, but she insists that she is absolutely "in love" with Chestertown. A visit with her husband to the historic city about ten years ago convinced her that she would operate her business and eventually retire here. I think the shop's lack of space actually adds to the atmosphere of the shop. Walking through the doors is like being transported to another world, a world filled with brilliant colors and comfortable silence. This is a perfect place for Ehrman Tapestry to operate on a small, friendly, and cozy scale. What is quite interesting is the enormous amount of customers who are served from such a quaint, small location deep in Chestertown. Ahhh, the beauty of Internet technology.
MEET THE INFORMANTS
The cooperation between the fieldworker and his or her informants is vital in the process of undertaking anthropological research. Having formed very close bonds with each of my co-workers at the shop, I decided that I would be able to gather enough information from each of them individually to produce a good ethnography. The owner of the shop, Alice West, was my main informant and provided me with the most interesting and revealing information.
Born in New York City, Alice has had an interesting career which resulted in her current status as head of the U.S. division of Ehrman Tapestry. Her ongoing desire to succeed coupled with her undying love for art and marketing were the catalysts in the rise to her current position in the needlepoint business. Alice and her husband of over thirty-five years currently reside in a recently renovated historic home in Chestertown.
Mary, the office manager and worker responsible for all of the orders sent out each day, was another of my informants. She is a pleasant woman with a seemingly eternal smile on her face. Her frequent jogging trips shows her concern for health and fitness.
The final member of my trio of informants was Regina, who was mainly responsible for taking a majority of the phone-in orders, as well as filling the Internet orders. Although she works in the back, she is a vital link in the smooth operation of the shop.
Regardless of their status in the shop, each of my informants was essential to my research. Although I initially did not feel that I needed to use three informants to do my work, I now realize that each person provided me with a slightly different perspective on the shop's operations, and with various views on certain topics of discussion including the current state of needlepoint.
A DAY AT THE SHOP
Ehrman Tapestry is a fairly new addition to the historic district. When Alice West moved her shop from Ellicott City, Maryland, to its current location a year ago, she was not expecting great financial results. Although the shop did well in Ellicott City its first six years, it lacked the space to offer customers a display of the different pillow designs the shop had to offer. In relocating to Chestertown, Alice felt that she would be able to both display her designs to customers who wanted to walk through and admire them, as well as have a shop in which she could run her escalating business. Ultimately, her move to Chestertown has proved to be very successful. Her rapidly growing business is expanding each day. She says, "I couldn't be happier with how we are doing...The art of needlepoint is being reborn." After a momentary lapse in sales in 1998, Ehrman Tapestry is flourishing.
A typical day at the shop begins around 7:30 in the morning. Alice is always the first to arrive, followed by Mary and Regina at 9 A.M. Attempting to maintain her physical health, Alice begins her day with a light run around the historic district before arriving at the shop. From the time of her arrival until the time when her other workers show up, Alice does minor office odds and ends, such as vacuuming the floors, taking out the trash, and sprucing up the shop's displays. Being a woman who adores change, she will often alter the window displays at the front of the store in the morning hours before the real business work begins at 9. "I like to give the people a variety of designs to look at each day...you would be surprised at the amount of people who pause to look at our displays. If they see something that they like, they will more than likely come in," Alice says. Ehrman Tapestry relies heavily upon its in-shop sales to boost its business. This is something that Alice could not rely upon in her former shop; it gives the Chestertown shop a financial advantage. So it is important for Alice to provide the people with a visually stimulating view from the streets. It simply attracts business.
It is not until all of the workers have arrived and the shop is open for business that the real work begins. From 9 A.M. until 5 P.M., when the shop officially closes its doors, the harsh ring of the telephone is constant. Order after order is called in from all corners of the United States. "It tends to get out of hand sometimes. People call non-stop demanding kits," says Regina. The business' success would struggle if it weren't for the constant phone-in orders. Although Internet orders are on the rise, telephone orders still account for a majority of business.
Another common occurrence in the shop is people requesting extra yarn for kits that they might have been working on. Nearly every hour a local will enter the shop and march directly to the rainbow of colors in the back of the shop to match their yarn color with the corresponding color on the wall. Suppliers of scrap yarn are a rarity in the area, so the shop attracts many people who need extra yarn. Ehrman basically has a monopoly on the supply of quality scrap yarn in the area. They offer Anchor brand, a popular and well-made yarn, to the delight of many of Chestertown's needlepoint enthusiasts.
Once all of the orders have been filled and bagged up, a final count is done to make sure each order is properly filled and addressed. At around 4:30 P.M. each day a UPS representative will gather up the packages. At 5:00 P.M., another day has concluded at the shop. Of course each worker takes a break at midday for lunch, but other than this brief break in the action, the workers are kept busy with the tedious job of filling orders for the tens of thousands of needlepointers throughout the country.
RITUAL BENEATH THE BUSINESS
Every culture is characterized by rituals or repetitive actions that evoke a special meaning or purpose shared by every member of that community. Ritualistic actions help to shape the community's ideals and values, as well as provide insight into the daily practices of a certain group of people. Since Ehrman Tapestry is a microcosm of the larger picture of needlepoint, each ritual action provides meaning for both the shop and the art as a whole. It is important not to confuse ritual with everyday routines. As opposed to a routine, ritual has a deeper value or meaning. Like Indian dances or tribal customs, there are other forms of ritual that can be observed in an office setting.
I observed a number of rituals while doing my fieldwork at Ehrman Tapestry. Each one helped me as an observer to gain a better sense of the world of needlepoint, both locally and abroad. I attempted to look beyond the business of the shop-and realized was that ritual can take on a variety of forms.
My first recognition of ritual in action did not occur until weeks into my fieldwork. I had been visiting the site for some time, gathering ideas, notes, and interviews, without realizing what was happening around me. It was Friday and I was talking to Alice about some of the shop's operations when a group of older locals entered the shop. Each one had a piece of yarn or other needlepoint artifact in their possession. Each said "hello" to Alice and then sat around the table near the back of the shop. I must admit that I was a bit confused, for these women seemed to enter fairly routinely. I disregarded the occurence and went about my business of observing. The same time next week, I returned to the shop to do more fieldwork when the same thing happened: the same group of women entered the shop around 2 P.M. on Friday afternoon, each with a certain piece of needlepoint in their possession. I thought to myself for a second and then grinned, for I was witnessing something vital to my fieldwork. This was ritual. Each week this small group of local needlepoint enthusiasts congregates at the shop to chat about local events, needlepoint, and world news. These women seem to honor the shop as their own meeting ground. Ehrman Tapestry, believe it or not, is the site of a ritual. After I realized that I was observing ritual, I made it a point to be at the shop every Friday to witness this ritual and gather other information for my fieldwork. The range of topics upon which these women conversed was immense, but they always reverted back to needlepoint. Each Friday they spoke of new techniques, new designs, and the status of some famous needle pointers among other the topics. I had the opportunity to speak to one of the women about the group ritual. In response to my question why the shop was a good place for these women to meet, she said, "It is just so relaxing in here. I love needlepoint, and being in here is like being a kid in a candy store." The shop represents a place of solace for these women who seek companionship in a changing world. Needlepoint is a common activity for elderly women, and these women meet to express their love for this art, as well as to share friendships with others who share the same interests. This is the true meaning behind the ritual.
Another ritual I observed, but in a much more direct manner, was the act of eating lunch. At Ehrman Tapestry, the workers of the shop abruptly stop what they are doing at noon each day to eat lunch. The ritual begins by pulling out the lunch table from up against the wall. Each worker has a distinct role in the process. Alice usually pulls the table out while one person grabs everyone's lunch from the refrigerator. After things are in place, Alice sits in her normal place at the head of the table, while Mary and Regina sit at either side. Whether it was planned, there is a definite hierarchical seating arrangement for lunch. Once they are all seated, conversation will normally follow. Much like the group of women who meet on Friday, Alice and her co-workers will discuss current events, but they try to stay away from needlepoint issues. They have to deal with needlepoint all day. This is a designated time for relaxation. I especially appreciated the lunch break because it is not a common occurrence in today's occupational world. Most people eat and run; they try to squeeze in five minutes in their hectic day to grab a bite to eat, only to hastily return to the workplace. At Ehrman Tapestry, special attention is given to lunchtime. This is a rare time when the phone is left unanswered and everyone relaxes. One day I asked Alice why they have such a formal lunch break. She chuckled and replied, "Lunch has always been my favorite part of the day. I think everyone needs a break in their day, so this is what we do to relax...It doesn't hurt to take a half hour out of the day to sit and talk." When she said "sit and talk," I realized that the workers of Ehrman Tapestry have something that not every workplace has. They retain a strong sense of companionship and unity. I watch the way they interact and I realize that close bonds have developed between them. To have successful, fluid operation, the people in the workplace must be able to co-exist in harmony; the workers of Ehrman Tapestry do. It is reflected in their lunch breaks. This is the meaning that ultimately feeds the ritual.
TRYING IT OUT
Since I was doing fieldwork on needlepoint, I figured it would only be sensible to try it out for myself. I entered Ehrman Tapestry one warm Thursday afternoon to defy the sociological norms of gender. I, Fred Chalmers, was going to do needlepoint. I sat at the table, and scissors, yarn, a canvas, a magnifying glass and a few assorted needles lay before me. I had no idea what I was doing. Needless to say I felt out of place. Alice took me on a step-by-step journey through the world of needlepoint. I began with a common continental stitch using tapestry yarn. Following Alice's instruction, I completed four lines of canvas. I sat there and thought to myself, "This really isn't that difficult." After I had completed my four lines, I realized why people enjoyed this; it's both easy and beautiful. Examining each line of fabric, I saw the brilliance in each color. It only took me, a beginner, less than five minutes to do the four lines, and I could already note the beauty of the art. Before doing it, I had not a clue as to why people would spend their time and money on this art. I now knew what the fuss was all about.
ARTIFACTS IN THE FIELD
Every anthropologist's fieldsite has a number of artifacts that solidify the culture being studied. In this case, Ehrman Tapestry was full of wonderful artifacts that would tell a story about needlepoint. Because I cannot speak about every artifact in the shop, I chose those I thought to be the most essential. In saying that an artifact is essential, I am saying that it embodies the shop as a whole. Without the essential artifacts, there would be something missing that would ultimately destroy the cultural identity of the site.
I discovered the first significant artifact early in my fieldwork. Each week during the congregation of locals in the shop, I noticed something significant: a lot of time was spent near the needlepoint table in the rear of the shop. Honored as a common gathering place for the small group of needlepoint enthusiasts, this worktable was the first significant artifact I observed at Ehrman Tapestry. Known as the "mable" by the shop workers, the table provides a large surface for needlepointing and a high-powered magnifying glass attached by an adjustable arm. By combining the terms magnifying glass and table, the workers came up with "mable"...ingenious. Each Friday, the women gathered to take advantage of the mable's features to perform difficult needlepoint tasks that they could not do on their own surfaces at home. More than providing a place to work on their designs, the mable functioned as a focal point around which women could display new techniques that they had picked up while experimenting. The mable proved to be a vital piece of the cultural activity of the shop.
Every retail shop must provide its customers with a proper listing of what it offers for sale. Ehrman Tapestry relies heavily on the catalogue to show customers what kits and materials are available. Released once a year, the Ehrman Tapestry catalogue has become an extremely valuable item to customers and to the thousands of needlepoint enthusiasts throughout the United States. The catalogue is an excellent representation of cultural stability. This year's catalogue provides fifty-six full-color pages of Ehrman kits and supplies. Small biographies of the kit designers are also included in the middle section. Kaffe Fassett, Raymond Honeyman, Margaret Murton, Candace Bahouth, and Elian McCready are among the famous artists who provide splendid designs for the company. Many customers are also collecting the catalogues. "It's amazing how many people request these catalogues even though people can easily order though our website," says Alice. Even with full color pictures of the designs on the Internet, people still request the catalogue for personal collection or hands-on information. I think this is partly because a majority of the customers are older and have not adjusted to the technological role of the Internet in today's world.
"The old-fashioned customers just won't accept the fact that our catalog is online...I guess they just want to stick with tradition," says Alice. Regardless, the catalogue remains one of the most important elements in the success of the business. The easily navigated website and the visually pleasing catalog both offer good options for people attempting to explore the world of Ehrman needlepoint.
A GRAND GATHERING
There are moments in fieldwork when an anthropologist has a significant realization. This happened for me on the evening of Wednesday, October 24, when I had the opportunity to attend a presentation by the legendary Kaffe Fassett. When I say legendary, I mean in the needlepoint world. He is widely regarded as one of the world's leading textile artists and he is undoubtedly one of the world's most original colorists. Sponsored by Ehrman Tapestry, the presentation was given in Bob Ortiz's studio, a few streets down from the Ehrman shop. This was a wonderful opportunity for me to listen to a highly renowned designer, as well as to examine pieces that he has designed himself. As I sat there and listened attentively to Kaffe's words on needlepoint, I became aware that I was sitting in a room of over 120 people representing different regions of the entire East Coast. Some of these people traveled hundreds of miles to see this man and listen to his ideas as well as see his work. I asked myself questions like, "Is needlepoint this important?" and "Why would these people come all this way for a designer?" I found it remarkable that the small town of Chestertown would attract so many people merely by holding a presentation of Kaffe Fassett's work. This is what it took to make me realize that needlepoint is bigger than I ever imagined. Alice had told me that many people enjoyed it, and it was growing; but it took a concrete experience such as this to wake me up. People stared in delight at each slide that Kaffe displayed on the screen. These people really loved needlepoint. Among the crowd, I recognized some of the members of the Friday shop congregations. I recognized people that I had no idea were even interested in needlepoint. I finally got the picture. Ehrman Tapestry had brought together a vast group of people, all of whom shared the same common interest: needlepoint. I had finally experienced a great revelation in my fieldwork, and it felt good.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Beyond the brick walls, behind the historic façade, is a cultural world characterized by a plethora of rituals, ideals, values, and meanings. Ehrman Tapestry is not just a shop. Although I commonly refer to it as a shop, it is a place where the culture of needlepoint is exposed. The shop provides a place of solace for people who share common interests, goals, and skills. It provides a place where the tens of thousands of needlepoint enthusiasts in the United States can order one of hundreds of needlepoint kits. More than any of this, Ehrman Tapestry is a symbol of a culture. This needlepoint culture reaches from the walls of the shop to the outskirts of Chestertown and beyond, to the edges of the country. This shop is a "Mecca" for the huge number of needlepointers encompassing this great country. It's amazing how one little shop can be filled with so much cultural identity. Ehrman Tapestry is a foundation for needlepoint as a whole. It allows people from all areas of the country to participate in the vast world of needlepoint, whether on the Internet, through the mail, or on the phone. As long as current trends continue, Ehrman Tapestry will sell products, preserve the art of needlepoint, and most importantly, bring together a rich culture; it remains a cornerstone of the needlepoint community.