Pennsylvania has a long, rich tradition of creativity and craftsmanship. From hand-turned wooden fountain pens to delicate stained glass, artisans, makers, and producers from across the state are tapping into the Keystone State’s heritage of hard work and industry. These 5 small businesses transform everyday items into works of art.
1. Laughing Owl Press, Kane
Andrea Lanich works on a letterpress project at her Laughing Owl Press in Kane, Pennsylvania. Photo by Tracy Smith; 60ft Films
Andrea Lanich had no idea that designing her wedding invitations would evolve into a business. But then she learned about letterpress, a centuries-old printing process in which inked surfaces are pressed into paper.
The artform was undergoing a revival and Lanich, who had grown disenchanted with her architecture career, was intrigued. What’s more, she discovered a museum of sorts devoted to printing presses just 20 minutes from where she lived at the time with her husband, Joe.
“It was really just a bunch of letterpresses in a former chicken coop,” Andrea recalled, “but once we got in there and Joe saw those big presses, there was kind of no turning back.” Joe, a former robotics engineer, agrees. “For Andrea, it was about creativity and design,” he says. “For me, it was about the machines.”
The owner, a longtime printer, taught the couple everything he knew. Inspired, the couple acquired 2 presses and a slew of other equipment from a Bucks County Craigslist seller, relocated to McKean County, and set up shop in their garage. Two years later, they moved their fledgling business to an old brick department store in downtown Kane.
Laughing Owl Press creates fancy printed items on a selection of 1950s-era presses. Photo by Alex Bond Photography
Today, Laughing Owl Press employs 3 other artists in addition to Andrea and Joe. “Joe and I came a long way on our own, but it wasn’t until we got some really awesome people in the boat with us that things really took off,” Andrea says. The Owls, as they call themselves, operate 7 vintage, 1950s-era presses.
Their custom-made creations include retail packaging, business cards, stationery, product tags and labels, and, of course, wedding invitations. “We like to say that we bridge modern design with traditional printing methods,” says Joe.
Visit: Stop into the Kane headquarters to watch the Owls work the presses and to browse a whimsical selection of their branded swag as well as tote bags, stationery, greeting cards, fun office supplies, and more. Closed Sundays.
2. Knotzland, Pittsburgh
Knotzland owner Nisha Blackwell displays one of her lavallières. Photo courtesy Thurner Photography
Pittsburgh native Nisha Blackwell knows about resourcefulness. “Growing up, we didn’t have a lot,” Blackwell says. “On the weekends I went to thrift stores with my mom and my grandma. They taught me how to make the most out of everything I owned.”
Blackwell tapped into that mindset when she launched Knotzland, her bespoke bow tie company, in 2015. “I was in nursing school and had just gotten laid off from my job at a coffee shop,” Blackwell recalls. “My friend’s daughter’s birthday was coming up, and I wanted to do something special for her.”
Using some thrifted clothing and her brand-new sewing machine, Blackwell spent the evening breaking each item down to fabric and learning to sew by watching YouTube videos. By the end of the night, she had a collection of unique, handmade hair bows. Her creations were a hit, and not only with the birthday girl—Blackwell left the party with a half-dozen customers.
Requests for boys’ items came next. The solution? Bow ties. Soon, Blackwell phased out her flagship hair bows and transitioned to bow ties, and, more recently, a line with longer tails she calls lavallières, which can be worn with or without a brooch.
Today, Knotzland teams up with upholstery and drapery companies, fashion designers, and even the Minnesota Opera’s costume department, sourcing repurposed and reclaimed fabrics that would have ended up as textile waste.
“I’m very proud of the work we do from a collaboration standpoint,” says Blackwell. “One of my favorites is the partnership we have with Central Catholic High School Mothers’ Guild, where we turn old athletic jerseys into bow ties. I love the way it brings the younger generation into the idea of sustainability.”
Visit: Blackwell invites customers to Knotzland’s showroom in Pittsburgh’s Wilkinsburg neighborhood. Wednesdays and Fridays, noon–5 p.m.; Saturdays by appointment. Her bow ties are also often available at Love Pittsburgh, a local shop with 3 locations around the city that sells items made by many Pittsburgh creatives.
You may also like: How to enjoy the arts in Pittsburgh
3. Pysanky by Basia, Yardley
Basia Andrusko holds one of her pysanky eggs, which she creates by using melted beeswax and dyes. Photo by Basia Andrusko
Growing up in a tight-knit Ukrainian community in Yonkers, New York, Bucks County artist Basia Andrusko spent a great deal of time—at school, as a dancer, and in youth organizations—immersed in her heritage. And every spring, she decorated pysanky eggs for Easter. “In high school, I really began to enjoy it,” Andrusko says. “I always made more than the one obligatory egg we were expected to make for our Easter baskets.”
Pysanky comes from the Ukrainian pysaty, which means “to write.” A pysanky artist uses a kistka (stylus) filled with melted beeswax to draw intricate designs on blown eggs before dying them, repeating the process for each color. At the end, the wax is melted off to reveal the different colors and patterns.
An ostrich egg pysanka with an “oceans and wine” motif. Photo by Basia Andrusko
“Pysanky has been around for thousands of years,” says Andrusko, explaining that in pagan times eggs were adorned with symbols meant to ensure a good harvest or celebrate the return of the sun. Later, those motifs were adapted for Christianity.
“Symbols can have multiple meanings,” she says. “I like to use a large variety of symbols and patterns in my pysanka writing, drawing upon traditional as well as original design elements. One of my favorites is the berehynia motif—a symbol for the protectress of the home.”
In addition to traditional pysanky eggs, Andrusko makes pendants, earrings, and wine charms using pieces of decorated pysanky that she cuts with a Dremel tool and shapes by hand sanding. “For me, pysanky is about more than artistic expression,” she says. “It’s part of my Ukrainian culture and heritage. And, unfortunately, that is at risk of being destroyed.”
In that vein, Andrusko donates most of her profits to organizations like Razom and the Philadelphia-based United Ukrainian American Relief Committee, which provide humanitarian aid and refugee support.
Visit: Although Andrusko doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar shop, her pysanky and jewelry are on display at Red Tulip Gallery, an artists’ co-op in New Hope. The gallery also features work by other talented local artists including jewelry, fused and blown glass, fine wood pieces, fiber arts, and ceramics.
4. Wheel of Light Studio, Halifax
Yondering Utah pots from Wheel of Light Studio in Halifax, Pennsylvania. Photo by Robin E Wheeler
While working toward her associate degree in small business management at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) in 2012, Robin Wheeler took a ceramics class. “It was my very last class and I wanted to have some fun,” she recalls. “I’d always been interested in pottery but had never tried it. This was my chance.”
Wheeler’s post-degree plan had been to open a business selling photography by her husband, James. When she fell in love with pottery, the couple began brainstorming ways to combine interests. Wheeler returned to HACC, this time to study ceramics and craft marketing, and Wheel of Light opened in October 2021.
Once a 3-bedroom raised ranch, Wheel of Light’s building now houses a large clay studio where Wheeler works on her own creations and teaches pottery classes. Budding potters also have the space to hone their skills with studio memberships, which provide access to wheels, kilns, and other equipment. “Pottery is a great stress reliever,” Wheeler says. “You have to be very mindful and very present. The whole world just disappears while you work with the clay. It’s a very therapeutic experience.”
Solidarity Cups from Wheel of Light Studio, which also offers classes and workshops. Photo by Robin E Wheeler
Wheel of Light also partners with other artists, offering workshops in everything from woodburning and jewelry making to macrame, painting, and multimedia crafting. “James got some pinhole cameras and he’d like to do a class with those,” says Wheeler. “We’re a little art center up here in Dauphin County.”
Visit: Wheel of Light’s gallery space showcases Wheeler’s functional pottery pieces—mugs, bowls, vases, and flowerpots—alongside her husband’s landscape photographs and the work of close to 30 other local artists and craftspeople. Additionally, her Friday evening Give It a Spin classes offer a great opportunity to try your hand at the potter’s wheel, even if you’re just passing through. Closed Sundays and Mondays.
5. Relish Studio & Gallery, Erie
Jennifer Reed works on sea glass at her Relish Studio & Gallery in Erie, Pennsylvania. Photo courtesy Jennifer Reed
Erie jeweler and Relish Studio and Gallery owner Jennifer Reed says sea glass forms when nature works its magic on submerged glass. The alkalinity of oceans and lakes leaches lime and soda from the surface, smoothing the glass and giving it a frosted appearance. “It takes years for that to happen,” Reed says. “It’s very frowned upon to make your own.”
Reed knew in high school that she wanted to make jewelry and eventually earned a bachelor of fine arts from Edinboro University, majoring in metalsmithing and minoring in drawing. But she didn’t discover her niche until her son asked her to make a ring from a piece of Lake Erie beach glass he had found.
“There was just this marriage between the sterling silver and the cobalt piece of glass,” says Reed, describing the ring. “I thought, ‘Wow. This is so beautiful.’ ” That was almost 30 years ago.
A cocktail ring made with sea glass. Photo courtesy Jennifer Reed
Although Reed now also sources authentic sea glass from around the world, most comes from local collectors who scour Lake Erie’s shores for the colorful fragments. “But I’m very picky because I don’t alter the glass in any way,” says Reed. Instead, she incorporates each piece into her earrings, necklaces, and bracelets exactly as it was found, without any cutting or shaping.
“We like to talk about the history and mystery of beach glass,” Reed says. “What was it? Where was it? How did it end up in the lake? Every piece has a unique story.”
Visit: Browse Reed’s sea glass creations and a carefully curated selection of artisan-made decorative items and homewares at her gallery near Erie’s airport. Closed Sundays January through May. For a memorable experience, spend a morning at Presque Isle State Park’s Beach 1 searching for your own beach glass that Reed can transform into a truly one-of-a-kind piece.
New York–based journalist Gina DeCaprio Vercesi writes about food, drink, and travel with an emphasis on history and conservation.
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