About Us
Hello and thanks for taking a little time to learn more about us. Our names are Tom
and Allie Shadowens. In 1994, we were operating a private insurance agency in the
Louisville, KY area specializing in Medicare and Nursing Home Insurance. Because
of the type of insurance we sold, most of our clients were older people who were
retired. We met many nice people during that time. It seemed that a lot of these
people had an RV or Motorhome in their backyard and would travel, since they had
the free time. Well, we thought it would be great if we could find a way to do that
before we retired, so we set out to find a way to make that happen. We were
introduced by a family member to a crafter who made brooms and hiking sticks in
Northern California. He needed someone to manage a booth for him at a
Renaissance Festival in Minnesota. For any of you that are unfamiliar with them,
renaissance festivals are events held in what is built to look like a 15th century
European village. The people working there, as well as many of the patrons that
come out to enjoy the day, dress in costumes that are authentic to that era . Within the
village you will find many handmade arts and crafts as well as entertainment, games
and food. We knew this was just the type of thing we were looking for so we closed
the insurance agency, sold our house and were on our way. We had such a good
time at the seven weekend show in Minnesota we decided this was just the business
we were looking for, so we went to California, parked in that crafter's driveway, and
apprenticed under him to learn our new trade. After a couple of years of working for
him and learning every aspect of the trade, it was time for us to strike out on our own.
We were lucky enough to be juried into some of the best Renaissance Festivals in the
country. Arizona Renaissance Festival and Colorado Renaissance Festival run eight
weekends each and attract over 250,000 patrons during each run. Carolina
Renaissance Festival is a seven weekend show that attracts more than 150,000
people and is steadily growing every year. In between each festival we return to
Kentucky to prepare our stock for the next show. In 1999, we started our shop in
Upton, KY. We still travel to renaissance festivals around the country but we always
look forward to coming home.
and Allie Shadowens. In 1994, we were operating a private insurance agency in the
Louisville, KY area specializing in Medicare and Nursing Home Insurance. Because
of the type of insurance we sold, most of our clients were older people who were
retired. We met many nice people during that time. It seemed that a lot of these
people had an RV or Motorhome in their backyard and would travel, since they had
the free time. Well, we thought it would be great if we could find a way to do that
before we retired, so we set out to find a way to make that happen. We were
introduced by a family member to a crafter who made brooms and hiking sticks in
Northern California. He needed someone to manage a booth for him at a
Renaissance Festival in Minnesota. For any of you that are unfamiliar with them,
renaissance festivals are events held in what is built to look like a 15th century
European village. The people working there, as well as many of the patrons that
come out to enjoy the day, dress in costumes that are authentic to that era . Within the
village you will find many handmade arts and crafts as well as entertainment, games
and food. We knew this was just the type of thing we were looking for so we closed
the insurance agency, sold our house and were on our way. We had such a good
time at the seven weekend show in Minnesota we decided this was just the business
we were looking for, so we went to California, parked in that crafter's driveway, and
apprenticed under him to learn our new trade. After a couple of years of working for
him and learning every aspect of the trade, it was time for us to strike out on our own.
We were lucky enough to be juried into some of the best Renaissance Festivals in the
country. Arizona Renaissance Festival and Colorado Renaissance Festival run eight
weekends each and attract over 250,000 patrons during each run. Carolina
Renaissance Festival is a seven weekend show that attracts more than 150,000
people and is steadily growing every year. In between each festival we return to
Kentucky to prepare our stock for the next show. In 1999, we started our shop in
Upton, KY. We still travel to renaissance festivals around the country but we always
look forward to coming home.
