Shaker Broom
Shaker Broom:
The Shaker Broom, or flat broom, is a style developed in the 1850s by American Shakers. This is the design you are most familiar with. Fourth generation broom maker Jack Martin places the round broom into a Shaker broom press built in 1878. He then hand stitches the broom corn in place using huge thimbles after brushing it free of any broken broom corn.
Watch the video above to see Jack demonstrate his craft on antique equipment. This broom is roughly 58 inches long and is a real work of art. Check out my favorite, the Benjamin Franklin broom (round broom).
The styles will very depending on the wood. Some hand cut stain darker and others lighter. The twisted handles are as unique as the bend of any tree.
About the artist – Jack Martin
Jack Martin is a fourth generation broom maker in Selmer, TN. His great grandfather, Will Hockaday, started making brooms in 1916 on the same machine that Jack uses today to handmake each and every broom.
Jack organizes an annual Broom Corn Festival in September attended by thousands who come to watch demonstrating craftsman and artists from around the area.
I met Jack last Christmas Eve when I was searching for a last minute gift that would communicate something more than that. Jack stayed open, and I made a 7 hour round trip to pick up brooms. I was blown away by his shop, his story and his amazing brooms.
Jack will be planting and harvesting some broom corn soon. I’ll post more in my discovery journal.
- Read more about broom maker and folk artist Jack Martin.
- Browse more brooms or additional works by Jack Martin.
FREE SHIPPING:
We provide FREE SHIPPING on all items as a way of saying thank you to our customers in the 48 contiguous states. (A shipping fee of $10 will be added to shipments to Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, Armed Forces Americas, and Armed Forces Pacific. We do not ship internationally.) We will contact you upon placement of your order to give you a sense of when to expect your item; most items ship within a few days.All items are one-of-a-kind pieces and signed by the artist. Most pieces will be custom created for your order. The photographs shown are examples of the items; each item will differ slightly. Call Christian Grantham at 615-469-7778 for larger orders.
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