Published Sunday, March 9, 2003
Slovakian
craftsmen
Herald Staff Writer
To get genuine folk crafts from Slovakia you could travel all the way to the central European country, but it would probably be easier just to drive to Springfield Township.
In December 2000, Doug and Anne Dayton of Liberty Township opened Slovak Folk Crafts on state Route 208, just east of Prime Outlets at Grove City. The spacious store features authentic, handmade crafts from Slovakia, including crystal, ceramics, jewelry, clothing, toys and wood carvings.
Although the Daytons have no Slovak ancestors, they lived in the country for four months in 2000. Mrs. Dayton, who has been to Slovakia at least once a year since 1992, was on sabbatical from her job as an English professor at Slippery Rock University and had the opportunity to teach English at the University of Presov.
"She said she wouldn't go for that long unless I went too," Dayton said. So he sold his computer business, Dayton Computer Services, and accompanied his wife.
While living in Slovakia, the Daytons noticed two things: the beautiful handmade crafts and the high unemployment. They came up with a plan.
"We said, 'Why not start a business where we could bring these things in and sell them in the United States?' " Dayton said. "We decided all the profits would go back to Slovakia in the form of charitable gifts."
Slovak Folk Crafts has three goals: to create jobs for Slovaks, to invest all profits in Slovakia and to educate Americans about Slovakia.
"We believe the Lord really had a hand in this," Dayton said.
The location of their store is more than appropriate. The largest percentage of Slovak-Americans live in Pennsylvania. Ohio has the second-largest Slovak-American population.
Dayton said Slovaks came to this area in the early 1900s to work in the coal mines. He said they expected to work for a few years, save money and go back to Slovakia, but many of them stayed.
The Daytons travel to Slovakia once or twice a year and will return this summer as part of a work camp to build a church. When they travel with a group, after the rest of the group goes home, they stay to look for new producers for their business.
"It ends up being a big treasure hunt," Dayton said. "We keep finding new and different things. But we insist on quality ... only things that are well-made."
They also explore the country. Slovakia is less than half the size of Pennsylvania, but there are still many areas they haven't seen.
Currently, the Daytons buy merchandise from 200 producers.
"We buy directly from them," Dayton said.
The store merchandise ranges from fine lead crystal to wooden toys and key chains, bumper stickers and postcards from Slovakia.
Dayton said crystal is the store's most popular product. The second is ceramics.
A store display demonstrates the steps to making objects from lead crystal. Surrounding the display are many glasses, bowls, vases and other crystal items. Some of the items are clear crystal; others are red, blue or green.
The ceramic dishes come in several varieties. Some are green, blue or a combination of the colors on a white background, and some have what Dayton calls a "traditional" dark brown background.
Decorative eggs are another popular item. While in this country painted eggs are mostly associated with Easter, these brightly colored eggs are available all year long.
Many of the wood carvings available in the store have a religious theme, such as a carved Last Supper and a Nativity scene. Dayton said 65 percent of the people in Slovakia are Roman Catholic, while a small percentage are Protestant. Even during the Communist reign, religion remained a very integral part of the Slovakians' lives, he said.
Another big part of Slovak life is music. Many of the carvings, pictures and pottery in the store feature musicians or musical instruments.
"They are a very musical people," Mrs. Dayton said. "It's unusual to go into someone's home where someone doesn't play the flute, violin or piano."
The toy department includes wooden trains, dominoes with pictures on them, six-sided puzzle pieces, noisemakers, stuffed animals and dolls in native dress. Because each village has its own unique design, Slovak-Americans often buy dolls from their ancestral region.
Other items at the store include hand-embroidered table linens, beeswax candles, hand-made Christmas tree ornaments, back-painted glass pictures, bobbin lace and wood carvings that are also puzzles. Everything is authentic, and most items are one-of-a-kind.
"It's very time consuming," Dayton said of the variety of crafts. "It's part of what people appreciate. It's not mass-produced. It's all handmade."
Through their business, the Daytons said they have met a lot of "wonderful people." They frequently see a lot of interstate travelers who have picked up the Slovak Folk Crafts brochure at a motel or rest area.
"We've really been supported by a number of people who have altered their travel plans to come to us," Dayton said.
Although Slovak-Americans are not the only people who come into the store, they make up the largest percentage of customers. Some of them find items with sentimental value.
"They'll remember seeing a plate their grandmother had, and say, 'My grandmother had one just like it,' '' Dayton said.