Recently it occurred to me that my pot holders — many of which are 10 years old or older — were starting to look pretty shabby.

I was thinking about buying myself some new ones, when I wandered into my local health food store, Stay Well Health Foods, and discovered that handmade goods were being sold there.

They had hand-knitted scarves and matching hats, aprons, and yes, some wonderful pot holders too!

And because you don’t have to pay shipping when you’re a walk-in customer, the price was fantastic! So of course I bought myself a couple of pot holders in a heartbeat!

And just look at the lovely fabrics they had, for me to choose from (these are the aprons):

Now I live in a very small town in Idaho, and local folks get to know each other pretty well. I’m a regular shopper at Stay Well Foods, because I have to eat a gluten-free diet. In a place like Twin Falls, Idaho, there are not a lot of options for people on specialized diets.

But Kevin, the owner of Stay Well, keeps a well-stocked supply of gluten-free foods, and he can ship his products out when people purchase them online as well. He’s just a heck of a nice guy too.

I buy products at Stay Well that I absolutely have to have for my gluten-free diet, like baking mixes, gluten-free flour, gluten-free pastas, and more.

During the summer, Stay Well carries a supply of seeds and planting goods for your organic gardening, so that’s where I buy all my gardening goodies, just to show my support for this wonderful little store.

They sell local wines as well, and just look at the adorable display they use for showing them off to their customers! I’m sure the local wine sellers really appreciate this “western” style special display, which draws attention to their wines.

So when I first saw handmade potholders, aprons, and knitted scarves at Stay Well Foods, I asked Kevin, “Do you take handmade items on commission or something?”

But it turns out these handmade goodies were all created by his mother! Hearing that just warmed my heart!

Which is why I’m doing a blog post on this wonderful topic… a man who runs a health food store, and also supports his beloved mother, by displaying her handmade products in his store. Isn’t that neat?! I just love it!

I’d like to know where you — my friends and followers — sell your handmade goods. Do you sell them at flea markets? On Etsy? In local shops like Stay Well Foods?

If you have an Etsy store or an eBay store, a Facebook page or a business website, feel free to leave a link in the comments. And let us know which venues work best and why.

And if you are interested in supporting Stay Well Foods, follow my links over to their Facebook page. They’re best known for their vitamins and supplements, as you can see below:

And don’t forget, they support organic gardening as well!