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Bringing the business home

Danforth PewterEvery holiday season, Danforth Pewter introduces its annual Christmas tree ornament. In 1992, it was a Vermont sleigh and in 2001, a wreath. Mistletoe and holly bloomed in 2010. For 2014, the ornament is a charming red barn, a replica of Fred and Judi Danforth’s first workshop, which was located on Route 106 in Woodstock.

After three years, the business outgrew the barn, and the Danforths headed north toward Middlebury where their company is now based. But this past April, nearly 40 years after its establishment in that barn, Danforth Pewter returned to Woodstock. The ornament is a fitting tribute to the town that gave the company its start and a nod to both the past and future. »

By Lauren SeidmanPhotos by Lynn BohannonLeft: Judi and Fred Danforth in

their Central Street store.

Right: The Danforths’ 2014 annual holiday ornament.

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Top: A display of Danforth tableware.

Above: Wreath and pinecone ornament.

Right: A young fan inspects a keyring.

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Danforth Pewter has deep roots that stretch well beyond a barn in Wood-stock in 1975. Early in their relation-ship, Judi had asked her future hus-band, “Did you know that there were Danforths who were colonial pew-terers?” and Fred had answered, “Yes, they’re my ancestors!”

From the 1700s through the late 1800s, generations of Danforths made pewter plates and cups. At the time of her question, Judi was a silver-smith and Fred a woodworker, but “it planted a seed,” Fred says, and together they learned the craft that had shaped the Danforth family tree.

BACK WHERE THEY STARTEDAt 21 years old, the Danforths chose to open their first workshop in Woodstock because of Judi’s connection to the region. She had grown up in Claremont, New

Hampshire, and often visited Wood-stock with her mother to shop and dine. “I’ve always had an affection for this area and felt it would be a great place to start a business.”

The community embraced the Dan-forths. From Harold Stillwell, who rent-

ed them the red barn, to Joey MacDonald, who shuttled tourists from the Woodstock

Inn to the workshop—“mysterious benefactors” as Fred describes them—seemed to “show up and take care of us. People understood we were trying to do something neat and helped us out.”

Though the growth of their business took the Dan-forths out of Woodstock, they never forgot the happy memories of their early days here. “It felt like an in-credible opportunity when this location came up—at the 40-year mark to come back,” Judi says of their new Central Street store. »

Above: Fred Danforth with one-of-a-kind oil lamps.

Left: Each year the Jericho Historical Society commissions the Danforths to design one snowflake ornament based on Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley's 19th century photographs.

Below inset: The Danforth touch mark (a pewterer’s trademark) and Fred Danforth’s signature on an oil lamp.

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“It’s so much fun to be able to say ‘this is where we started.’” Fred agrees. “These are the sidewalks we used to walk on when we started our business. It just feels right.”

There are now five Danforth Pew-ter retail stores in Vermont and one in Williamsburg, Virginia. Each shop features a history wall, family tree, and some eighteenth century Danforth-made pewter. In Woodstock, a picto-rial timeline spans the space below the high ceiling, and maps and sketches of the original red barn workshop appear beside a showcase featuring pewtering techniques and tools of the trade.

A TRADITIONAL PROCESS AND UPDATED PRODUCTSThe process is still “pretty close to what my ancestors were doing,” Fred says, though he and Judi keep things up to date wherever they can. Fred makes his own tools, just as the earlier Danforths did, but the ability to add color to their work is a modern advan-

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tage. Judi designs, carves, and casts the smaller pieces, while Fred and Judi collaborate on the hollowware. Pewter, Judi explains, is “a very versatile metal. You can do a lot with it, which is what’s held our interest all these years.”

“We never get tired of the work be-cause there’s always something new to explore,” Fred adds. “Customers can’t count on knowing what they’ll see when they come in the store because we’re always making new stuff.”

This holiday season, shoppers will see everything from jewelry, picture frames, and key rings to goblets, vases, and Danforth’s signature oil lamps, plus festive Christmas decora-tions like nativity scenes, a Santa’s workshop, and ornaments. Special gifts available this year include the “3 Wishes” series—a whimsical box, bottle, or oil candle that can be filled with original wishes or ready-made sentiments such as “Love,” “Happi-ness,” and “Health”—and a limited-edition pewter candleholder depict-ing a tranquil Vermont landscape. On Saturday, December 13, during Wassail Weekend, customers in the

Above: Danforth Pewter creates more than 100 button styles for garments, knits, and crafts.

Opposite page: Store manager and Woodstock native Carla Wright and associate Jeanne LaFountaine open a shipment from the Middlebury workshop.

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Woodstock store can even have Judi personalize their gifts with free in-scriptions.

PART OF SOMETHING LARGERWhile the spirit of Vermont infuses items like the limited-edition candle-holder, red barn ornament, and so many others, it is also at the heart of the crèche, Santa’s workshop, and a pewter-footed cheeseboard, all made with Vermont wood.

“Our environment definitely influ-ences our design,” says Judi. “We love being able to offer an American made—Vermont locally made—product line. We put our hearts and souls into it, and our team does too.” Of Danforth Pewter’s 50 employees, Fred says, “We have a great team. It’s not just the Fred and Judi show!”

In Woodstock, the Danforths also appreciate being part of something larger than themselves. When they started out, they developed an infor-mal group with a glass artist, jeweler, and potter. Now, they recognize how lucky they are to be back in this com-munity with so many other wonderful artisans and merchants.

“We’re beginning to see again the type of energy we remember from the ’70s,” Fred says. “Woodstock is a wonderful destination town, and we love that it’s a vital commerce center for tourists and locals.” They’ve come a long way since starting out in that barn, but the Danforths couldn’t be happier about bringing their business home.

Danforth Pewter52 Seymour StreetMiddlebury, VT(800) 222-3142www.danforthpewter.com

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