When retired football coach Mark McCullough came up with an idea to help disadvantaged individuals get jobs in 2008, he had no idea his vision would turn into the thriving upcycling retail operation it is today. As long-time assistant football coach at Parkersburg High School, McCullough worked with several boys who faced different challenges. He made them ball boys who participated in the teams’ success, complete with uniforms and championship rings. Concerned about their welfare as he approached retirement, McCullough wanted to extend the same sense of belonging for them and similar individuals in the community.

McCullough drew up a plan and presented to REM Community Options in Boaz. REM, a natural alliance for his mission, is a home and community-based provider for a variety of health and human services. McCullough’s name for the idea, the Open Hands Seed Project, explained his vision: “The community opens its hands, the seeds are the people and we are all projects,” he chuckles. REM took interest in the project even though they didn’t know exactly what it would entail. McCullough was made Vocational Coordinator, and his plan sprang into action when he and his hires started selling plants in Big Sandy’s parking lot.

In reference to giving work to employees who may not have opportunities in the traditional workforce because they’re different or misunderstood Coach says, “We like to recycle material and people.”

After selling plants a few years for seed money, the employees decided they wanted to create things.  Although McCullough, affectionately dubbed “Coach,” claims he can’t build anything, he knew he could bring in the right people. Woodcraft heard about Open Hands and asked them to do an infomercial and accompany them to a national convention in exchange for supplies and safety programs. Donations also poured in from the community as word spread. With training underway, the employees needed a place to display and sell their one-of-a-kind artistic works they created from everyday objects. REM provided a small conference room for a gallery.  In August, they outgrew the space and moved to a larger facility next door.

One of the gallery’s more popular items, the corner door piece, originated with a hire who couldn’t read or write.  McCullough supplied the door and challenged him to think about how he might make a window. When he returned, the employee had knocked out all the panels to make a display of the treasures his grandmother had given him. McCullough collaborated on the design process and what took a month to build the prototype can now be made in a few days. In reference to giving work to employees who may not have opportunities in the traditional workforce because they’re different or misunderstood Coach says, “We like to recycle material and people.”

The gallery also sells jewelry, paintings, headboard benches, and other re-purposed items. McCullough’s philosophy explains the broad range of creativity displayed in the workers’ creations: “We try to fail every day. There is too much emphasis on success. Failure is just a direction. I want you to be uncomfortable so you can come up to a higher level. Don’t tell me what you can’t do. Tell me what you can do.”

Burlap prints made from single pane windows are another big seller. McCullough came across the burlap while on a scouting trip to Florida for supplies. He and his wife go on weekend trips to various artisan fairs to look for interesting finds. “I’m always looking for something different because we’re different.” McCullough noted. A national organization called Dream Life, a one-year rehabilitation program for recovering addicts locally housed in Downtown Bethel Church, provides labor for the prints. “We take drug addicts, and we help them help themselves.” McCullough adds. An antique store in Mount Dora, Florida, serves as a distributor for these high-end prints.

I appreciate the opportunity to work in a place where people believe in what I’m doing and where co-workers aren’t treated like employees but like family.

McCullough readily admits he doesn’t understand the popularity of everything made, such as steampunk-inspired art, perhaps due to a generational gap. However, he always encourages originality and never tries to stifle anyone’s creativity. Artist and builder, Montana Lorraine, who has been with Open Hands since its inception confirms: “I appreciate the opportunity to work in a place where people believe in what I’m doing and where co-workers aren’t treated like employees but like family.”  

Besides coming up with their own artistic creations, employees pride themselves on the restoration of sentimental items. A majority of their work, in fact, comes from custom orders. “A lot of people bring in second and third generation rocking chairs,” said McCullough. They recently finished one that belonged to a customer’s great, great grandmother. The owner was thankful to have a piece of history preserved. Open Hands will also help people restore their own pieces, so they can enjoy a greater sense of ownership.  Classes are also offered for those who want to learn how to make their own projects.

If we open our hands to people that we don’t think matter in life, we’ll be surprised where they’ll go.

Besides their Boaz gallery, Open Hands’ art can be found in other local stores such as Jeremiahs and S.W.A.G.G. in Marietta and in out-of-state retail shops in Mount Dora, FL, and West Jefferson, NC. Open Hands Gallery also has a website and a Facebook page that facilitates online business. McCullough has increased advertising this year and is participating in more trade shows as the gallery’s popularity grows. A few of this year’s shows include the Old Time Collectible Antique Fair in West Jefferson, NC, the Nashville Flea Market, and a show in an artisan village in Mount Dora, FL.

When McCullough looks back at his original presentation, he couldn’t have predicted how far his vision would come, let alone imagined having distributors in several states along the East Coast. Though he receives a paycheck, he insists it isn’t work. “I like what I do. It’s all about relationships, which is why what we’re doing is so important,” said McCullough. Though no one knows how a tiny seed becomes a forest, Coach’s inner belief provides clue: “If we open our hands to people that we don’t think matter in life, we’ll be surprised where they’ll go.” Just ask the ball boys.

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Each December, I look forward to enjoying one particular ethnic food served once a year at a local restaurant: latkes.  For the last seven years, Doug Kreinik has cooked latkes at the Crystal Café one Saturday around the holidays, which has become a much anticipated annual tradition in the community.  This year Kreinik, along with his sous-chef Jeremy Bungard, will make latkes at the Crystal restaurant on Market Street in downtown Parkersburg on Saturday, December 16^th between 9-11am.  I recently interviewed Mr. Kreinik about the event and these popular holiday Jewish treats.

Beth: How did this tradition start at the Crystal Cafe?

Doug: Latke Saturday began after I heard that Jennifer, one of the owners of the Crystal Café, was trying to make latkes from a mix.  I volunteered to come to the restaurant and teach her how to make latkes from scratch.  The first few years I used frying pans full of hot oil, but I have now graduated to the deep fryer.  The fryers are faster and a lot more fun to use.

What are latkes, and what’s the secret to making good ones?   

A latke (pronounced Lot-key or Lot-Kah) is a potato pancake.  It is made of potato and onion shredded in a food processor.   Before adding the other ingredients, it is important to place the mixture in cheese cloth and wring out all of the liquid into a bowl in order to collect the potato starch.  After the liquid settles out, the liquid is poured off as waste.  The solid potato starch is then scooped out and mixed into the potato onion mixture with eggs, matzah meal, salt and pepper.  This is the secret for better than average latkes.  Next, the mixture is shaped and dropped into a hot fryer until crispy.  Finally, the latkes are drained.  Latkes are often eaten with sour cream, applesauce, cinnamon, or other condiments but never ketchup!  That would be a sin!

Why are latkes especially eaten around Hanukkah?

It’s a Jewish tradition to eat greasy foods during Hanukkah in recognition of the oil left after the destruction to the second Temple in Jerusalem.  The oil was supposedly only enough to keep the sanctuary lamp lit for one day but tradition says, the lamp stayed lit for eight days.  Thus, we have the eight days of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights.

Are your latkes made from a special recipe?

The latke recipe I use was handed down to me by my mother who learned it from her mother’s mother.  It is an ancient recipe.  I will remind you though that the potato was brought to the new world by the Spanish from the New World.  The original latkes were made from various root vegetables such as carrots, rutabagas, or turnips.

What has been the reception from the community for Latke Saturday?

It has now become a yearly tradition.  People who have enjoyed them in the past have actually stopped me on the street to ask when Latke Saturday will take place.  We’ve filled every seat the last few years multiple times.  It has become a fun downtown PKB secret holiday event.

What’s different about this year’s proceeds?

This year a portion of the profits from each latke sold will go to a charity created to educate people on drug addiction, suicide prevention and, most importantly, grief counseling.  This fund, the Charles Kreinik Fund, is managed through the Parkersburg Area Community Foundation.  It was established by my wife Myla and me after our son’s passing to help survivors who have lost loved ones to suicide.

Is there anything else you would like the community to know about this event?

Latke Saturday is a unique opportunity to try something new.  Latkes are fun to eat especially when they are fresh and crispy.  They are addictive, but a good addiction.  That first crunch of oniony potato flavor will get you hooked and give you great memories.  It’s best to come earlier because seats fill up quickly.  Take outs are also available and a great option.  Come and join your friends for this other Taste of Parkersburg.

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When people first hear the name of Jesse Cottrell’s embroidery business, Knotty Hoops, they usually chuckle. After she spells it out, they get it. Jesse’s business was born out of her imagination earlier this year after she spent years selling quilts.  After realizing the market for high-end quilts was shrinking, she came across embroidery patterns on Instagram that inspired her.  By watching YouTube videos, she taught herself how to embroider and found it a natural fit that unleashed her creativity and suited her lifestyle as a new mom.

Knotty Hoops offers a variety of items including earrings, broaches, and framed decorative pieces. Jewelry ranges in price from $25 earrings to $70 custom necklaces. Jesse creates designs, but most of her business comes from custom orders. All of her work is done by hand.  Pet portraits are popular custom pieces. When people give her photos of their cats or dogs, she embroiders and frames on twill fabric. Jesse turns other images into decorative items as well.  For example, one customer recently gave her a picture of her home and asked her to embroider and frame it.

The process starts with securing fabric such as canvas or twill in a hoop. The Knotty Hoop’s owner first chooses a color scheme and then etches an image with a needle through various embroidery stitches or traces a design with a pencil onto fabric and embroiders by thread painting. Thread painting, also known as needle painting, is a free motion technique using needle and thread with short and long stitches to create a shading effect. Once the design is complete, it can be framed or cut to size and transferred to a piece of jewelry.

Knotty Hoop’s most popular piece and Jesse’s favorite to make is wedding bouquet necklaces.  After seeing a Canadian designer’s larger bouquet creations on the internet, she came up with a different twist: turning wedding bouquets into necklaces. When brides give her a picture of their bouquet, she matches the colors and flower types and stitches it into a necklace or a framed piece. A variety of stitches goes into the intricate, flower-clad pieces. The wedding bouquet necklaces make a unique wedding keepsake. “I’ve had brides tell me the way I stitched their necklace was more beautiful than the actual bouquet. I share several close-up macro shots of my work, and people tend to be blown away by the detail that goes into each necklace,” Jesse said.

Knotty Hoop’s products can be found on Etsy, their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Locally, Jesse consigns her jewelry at Wit & Whimzy on Front Street in Marietta.  She was their featured artist last month and had the opportunity to talk to customers about her pieces. A highlight for the designer was meeting a woman who came to the artist event just to purchase a specific necklace of hers.

Additionally, Cottrell showcases her work at various state fairs and festivals. In May, she was a vendor at the Almost Heaven Etsy WV Market and will exhibit again at their fall event on November 25th at South Charleston’s Holiday Inn. There will be over 70 vendors. The Etsy WV event is a mix of jewelry, wreaths, wooden signs, felt flowers, succulents in terrariums, clothes, and everything in between. “When I was there in May, I don’t think I saw one customer leave empty-handed,” Jesse said. In Parkersburg, she’ll be selling her pieces at the Harvest Moon Festival at the City Park during the weekend of Sept. 16-17th.

Jesse designs are also on parade in her home. Images of cacti and flowers that adorn her walls from their hallowed fabric hoops reflect her enthusiasm for the world of hand embroidery.  “I love the nature of embroidery because I get to be free with it, and it allows my imagination to play,” Cottrell said. Her artistic creations have not only found a place in her home but in her hand as well, creating a business she not only enjoys but that also brings happiness to others through its custom offerings.

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How can professional women make a difference in the lives of other women in their community?  The Professional Women’s Association of the Mid-Ohio Valley gave an answer by starting a professional clothing drive to help women who are job hunting put their best image forward.  When several members of the community approached PWA about a “Dress for Success” type of closet in the MOV, they did their research to find out if such a service existed.  Upon discovery that there were none, PWA members rose to the challenge.

“I don’t think we are any different than women in other areas.  We have lots of ladies in transition, underemployed or in need of a hand-up due to no fault of their own.   PWA of the MOV is a group of women helping women.  We felt this was another good way to meet that objective,” DeAnn Cummings, PWA President, said.

“It is for women of all ages, backgrounds and income levels.  We have served ladies who are in shelters due to a family emergency or domestic violence, college students in need of professional clothing for a job interview, ladies who just started a new job but don’t have enough money to buy professional clothing until they receive their first paycheck, or victims of natural disasters or house fires,” Cummings explains.

Since its inception, the closet has gone through a location and name change, but its mission of providing area women quality, professional attire to help them make a positive first impression on potential employers has remained the same.

Owner of River Valley Insurance Agency, Regina Murray, and her staff originally housed and ran the clothing closet in her Williamstown office’s spare room. When she vacated the building in December, her new location couldn’t accommodate the closet’s needs.  Soon after, a few members of PWA approached Jocelyn Adelsperger, Executive Director of the Betsey Mills Club in Marietta, about the need for the wardrobe’s new home, and she gladly offered one of the Betsey Mills Club’s vacant dorm rooms.  The closet then took on its fitting new name.

The official launch of Betsey’s Closet began with a fashion show on May 25^th including catered finger foods hosted by the Betsey Mills Club and co-sponsored by PWA and the Hot Tomato Portrait Studio and Parlor.  Courtney Smith of Randomsity 740 styled the models, and Abigail Gedon and Tonya Winebrenner provided their makeup.  Smith emceed while the models paraded two looks a piece from the wardrobe’s most stylish finds, including coordinating shoes and jewelry.  The Hot Tomato Portrait Studio and Parlor provided swag bags to attendees.  Afterwards, tours were offered of the wardrobe’s new space.

Much of the clothing was donated at the Women in Leadership Luncheon hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in Parkersburg last June.  Since then, donations have poured in from members of PWA, the Betsey Mills Club, Marietta Zonta, Hot Tomato Portrait Studio and Parlor, Marietta Welfare League, and many individuals.  Vienna Jewelry Buyers have generously supplied jewelry as well.

Donations of new or gently worn clothing are accepted and appreciated.  Items needed include blouses, camisoles, jackets, suits, pants, dresses, skirts, scrubs, and jewelry.  There is especially a need for neutral shoes, hangers, and plus size clothing.  Donations can be dropped off to the Betsey Mills Club’s 4th Street door anytime between 9-5pm, Monday through Friday.  Monetary donations and volunteers are also welcome.  Receipts for tax purposes are available upon request.

Women who are interested in using the closet can call Adelsperger or her assistant, Franci Bolden, at the Betsey Mills Club to make an appointment.  If necessary, appointments can be arranged after hours. Women can choose to shop alone or request a volunteer stylist from the Hot Tomato Portrait Studio and Parlor to help them select an outfit complete with accessories and shoes.

Andi Roberts, owner of Hot Tomato Portrait Studio and Parlor, shared her excitement about partnering with the mission: “The mission is in total alignment with our goal to empower all women. We love Betsey’s Closet because it provides not just a needed service for this area, but also it infuses the women that take advantage of it with a dose of confidence.”

Although several women have already been helped, Adelsperger has a larger vision for Betsey’s Closet. “My vision goes beyond offering professional attire to women.  I’m looking to apply for grants that will allow us to eventually provide interview skills, talks on professional topics, professional etiquette, and light computer skills to women interested in polishing and updating their skills as they enter the workforce,” said the Betsey Mills Club Director.

Adelsperger takes pride in taking on and expanding Betsey’s Closet because it supports the mission of the Betsey Mill’s namesake founder who started a Monday afternoon sewing circle in her home to mentor young women: “We believe Betsey would be pleased with the community efforts we are seeing to bring this closet into reality.  She was a huge proponent of community-based action and furthering women’s goals.  Bringing The Betsey Mills Club, The Professional Women’s Association and Hot Tomato Portrait Studio and Parlor together is the perfect trifecta to make this program grow.”

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