HandMade in America: Appalachian Women Entrepeneurs

[theHandpuppet]

Will cross-post to North Carolina group.

Appalachian women Entrepeneurs (AWE) is a very interesting and fairly new program that promises -- along with other community programs linked at the site -- to provide the citizens of western North Carolina with alternative and sustainable economies. There are a number of links at the site below to similar programs in NC.

Currently, there is an AWE exhibit at the I-26 West Welcome Center that will run through the end of December.

http://www.handmadeinamerica.org/awe.html
Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs Program

HandMade in America developed the Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) program to support rural Western North Carolina women interested in creating or growing their small business.

The AWE program connects these women with one another, with resources, and to new markets, in a place where quality jobs are few. The project stemmed from the understanding that the Appalachian counties of WNC are home to a higher percentage of small businesses and farms than any other area of the state. Many of these rural entrepreneurs are women who are creatively fashioning their livelihoods around sustainable, place-based enterprises.

To help entrepreneurs overcome obstacles often encountered in rural areas, the program has developed women’s business networks in several communities throughout the region. These networks connect women engaged in similar entrepreneurial efforts and provide access to business support services the women might not be able to find, afford, or access without such networks.

For more information, links and information about membership, refer to the link provided above.

[theHandpuppet]

1. Another article about AWE

An interview with AWE member Martha Hensley.

http://rutherfordwoman.com/newsite/appalachian-women-entrepreneurs/
Rutherford Woman
Appalachian Women Entrepreneurs
Posted by Chris Fuller
June 13, 2011

(excerpt)
Hensley credits AWE Project Manager Betty Hurst with providing a sense of enthusiasm “Betty was always at our meetings providing encouragement and pushing us to do new things. With her help and direction, we reset our shelving units and gondolas to give more of an old-time hardware look to our business. We don’t want to look like a strip mall anymore, we want to look like what we are, which is a 65 year old hardware store which stocks hardware, as well as lawn and garden supplies and gifts.”

As a live-in caregiver to her 96 year-old grandmother, operating a home-based business works well for Lori Byers. Her company, Monkeyshine Soap Crafts, began with Lori’s interest in lost southern traditions. Her great-grandmother and grandmother made lye soap in the back yard in a wooden bucket. Lori makes hers at home, using teas, oils, spices, and other unique ingredients, including many which are locally produced. “I try to make my soaps as not just something to bathe with, but as something artistic as well,” says Lori.

Working with AWE has helped Lori expand Monkeyshine’s marketing and gain information to help grow the business. “Some of the outlets where my soaps are sold have opened up as a result of Betty’s influence and the information exchanged in our group meetings,” Lori says. “I’m also investigating some grant opportunities that I learned about through AWE. It’s helped me to identify my market, as well as connecting and sharing ideas with other businesswomen.”

AWE is a project of Asheville-based HandMade in America, where Hurst serves as Director of Rural Entrepreneurship. AWE connects and supports rural western North Carolina women with creation and growth of their small businesses. “A few years ago, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation approached us and asked if we would be interested in developing a program aimed at creating pathways out of poverty,” said Hurst. HandMade determined that western North Carolina needed a way to support very small businesses in rural areas.... MORE at link provided above.