A look at Lyn Carey's Earth and Wears

by Rachel Pugh
Weekender General Manager
Times Leader Director of Community Relations

Earth and Wears is located at 68 Main Street, Dallas. Here’s a closer look at the business and what owner/designer Lyn Carey has in store for NEPA.

WEEKENDER: What made you want to open your own retail store?

LYN CAREY: Does that question really mean what kind of a crazy lady opens a retail location in these economic times? My daughter Nicole gave me the bug to open a shop. She has been designing clothing and accessories from vintage fabrics for several years. With great fascination and pride, I watched as she was able to get her wears into specialty stores all around the country, sometimes on consignment, sometimes wholesale. Nicole lived in Philly at the time, so when I would visit her I always wanted to see the shops that carried her line. I fell in love with these shops and in love with all things handmade.

Around this same time I happened to stop into Green Dog Pottery, a studio on Main Street in Dallas, to visit Skip Sensbach. I had taken some studio time with Skip and would stop in his shop from time to time to see what he was working on. This time when I walked in, there was a “For Sale By Owner” sign lying on the floor. Skip had decided to go back to school for his MFA and was really outgrowing this space. He hadn’t even had time to put up the sign, and I said I think I would like to buy this place. I’m not a spontaneous person, so this was really outside of the box for me. As you know, I’ve been a booking agent with Media Five Entertainment for nearly 13 years. The company is based in Bethlehem, but I have always worked out of my home office in Dallas. I easily put in 60+ hours a week booking bands which is done mostly via phone and Internet.

I had been so holed up working at home, I rarely saw the light of day and was in need of a new work environment. I figured this building could double as a boutique and office. A few months later I closed on the property, remodeled the former studio and opened Earth and Wears.

WEEKENDER: If someone has never been to your store, what can they expect upon entering?

CAREY: When someone enters Earth and Wears, they probably don’t know where to look first. The shop is tiny, only 225 square feet, but it is overflowing with handmade lovelies and features many local artisans.

Many of my customers have said the shop reminds them of the quaint artsy stores one would find in Cape Cod, Providence and New Hope. In addition to my pottery and jewelry and my daughter’s clothing and fabric jewelry, I carry pottery from several other potters including Wilkes University’s Jean Adams (my long time friend and pottery instructor) and Green Dog Pottery.

I have great handbags, eco-friendly jewelry made from recycled cans and plastics, prints, original art, handmade belts and hair accessories, yummy soaps, wine bottle stoppers, clay tile art, glass jewelry, handmade journals, necklaces made from vintage findings, coffee sleeves made from recycled burlap coffee bean bags and of course our infamous mustache rings.

WEEKENDER: What kind of merchandise do you sell the most of?

CAREY: Jewelry and pottery are the biggest sellers. WEEKENDER: How did you begin making jewelry?

CAREY: I started making jewelry by accident. I was making mugs and wanted to see how a few glazes would look. I made a few glaze test tiles and got the idea that I could turn these tiles into pendants. Necklaces were the first pieces of jewelry I made. Then earrings, rings and bracelets. I love hand-forming the stones and designing new pieces of jewelry.

WEEKENDER: How long have you been making jewelry?

CAREY: I have been making pottery for about nine years — I started to dabble in ceramic jewelry about four years ago.

WEEKENDER: Do you sell at artisan fairs/shows as well?

CAREY: Yes, I did my first craft show at Penn State’s Arts at Hayfield last August and have done a slew of fairs since. Most recently, I did a craft show with my daughter, who now lives in Burlington, Vt., on Mother’s day weekend there. Nicole and I also shared a booth at the juried Art Star Craft Bazaar on Penn’s Landing in Philly last month, and this past weekend I was a vendor at Split Rock’s Wine Festival. This Saturday I have a booth at Market on the Pond at The Meadows Nursing center in Dallas and on June 26 I will be a vendor at the Tunkhannock Founders Day Celebration.

WEEKENDER: How do you decide which designers/artists to carry?

CAREY: I look for items that are really unusual, eco friendly, handmade and affordable. I try to have as many local artisans as possible.

WEEKENDER: What type of jewelry do you enjoy making the most?

CAREY: I love all of it! Every time I create a new piece I enjoyed that one the most.

WEEKENDER: Where do you get your materials to produce the pieces of jewelry?

CAREY: The stones are hand formed from clay which comes from a supplier in Harrisburg.

WEEKENDER: Where do you see the business in the next five years?

CAREY: It’s tough to keep a small brick-and-mortar afloat, but hopefully the more craft shows I do, the more people will hear about the tiny lime-green shop filled with handmade lovelies on Main Street in Dallas. In the meantime, I hope to add more items to the online store.

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