Craftspeople

Jim Blanchard has been making furniture for ShackletonThomas since 1993. He came to us as a carpenter and Army veteran and has practiced his skills to become a master. He and his wife have raised their three sons in that time and he enjoys hiking and hunting ginseng.

Clara was born in Argentina and has sailed around the world, but to our great fortune, ended up here in Vermont. She has a BFA from MICA in sculpture. She can make all pieces of furniture, but her artistic skills really shine in her carving. She loves travel and being outside. Clara lives with her husband, Hugh Shackleton, and their two children.

Nick grew up in Virginia, moving to New England to study architecture in 2009. However, the immediacy of furniture appealed more than large buildings and he decided to pursue his passion for furniture at North Bennet Street School, where he honed his craft. He moved to Vermont in 2018 and started with ShackletonThomas in 2019. He also makes furniture for himself and otherwise spends time with his wife and cats cooking, baking, and occasionally fishing.

Jeff is our newest addition as he transitions from his previous career as an automotive technician. Jeff grew up in Tunbridge and has lived most of his life in the Upper Valley, except college in Wyoming. He is self taught in woodworking and came to ShackletonThomas to apprentice because of our focus on hand work and individual piece production. He enjoys fishing, hiking, and spending time with family. He lives with his wife in New Hampshire.

Shea hails from Boise, Idaho, moving to Vermont for adventure and its rich furniture making tradition. He started making furniture as a hobbiest in his early twenties, eventually working for a Boise custom furniture co and teaching at a makers' space. He chose ST for the opportunity to develop his fine woodworking skills. Chairs are his favorite thing to make for their complexity and smaller scale. He lives nearby with his wife and their Great Dane, Winston.

Vermont native Art Baker has been with us since 1999, coming into the accessories department and then upholstery. His favorite aspect of work is hand tying springs in chairs. When not working, he enjoys his game cameras in all seasons, likes to hunt, fish, go to yard sales, makes his own maple syrup on a wood fire, and he splits his firewood by hand. He went to the National Championship for Softball as a first baseman and enjoys all sports. He has two grown sons and lives with his dog surrounded by nature.

Logan grew up on Seneca Lake in upstate New York. He does everything tech and machine related for the company as well as running his own company. He enjoys what he does because "at the end of the day, building something that does hard work is easier than working hard."

Christi Becker returned from her home state of Kansas to join Miranda Thomas Pottery in 2021. She studied Arts Administration at Bethany College, focusing her studio time on pottery and painting. She helps create the pottery for Miranda's studio and is working with her to learn traditional slipware decoration. Her own artworks explore form and function using dramatic colorways and motifs found in nature to decorate her forms. When not making pottery, Christi loves to explore art museums and get outdoors with her husband, Nick. She also has a cat, FatBelly, who keeps her entertained at home.

Eric grew up in Pennsylvania and went to art school at MICA, first studying illustration, but pottery soon became too great a draw and he changed his focus. He moved to Vermont upon graduation for work at another pottery and came over to ShackletonThomas in 2019 as the pottery manager. He lives with his partner, Annie, and their cat and makes his own work and teaches in his spare time.

Jess grew up in Thetford, Vermont and fell in love with pottery in high school. She has been working for Miranda Thomas Pottery since 2001 and has particularly enjoyed all aspects of decorating pots in addition to throwing them. She currently lives on a sunny hilltop in Tunbridge with her husband, twin girls and various animals. In her free time she enjoys riding her horse and camping with her family. 

Evan grew up outside of Boston, relocating to Vermont after college where he first starting making pottery. After an apprenticeship at Simon Pearce he came to work for Miranda in 2002. Evan also works with his wife, also a potter, at their home studio firing wood, gas and salt kilns.

Megan is a Woodstock native and talented self-trained potter who is now apprenticing in Miranda Thomas Studio. After travelling and working around the US and Canada, she returned to the Upper Valley and joined the company contributing to our social media and working in the store.

Charlotte Lanahan grew up in New York, Italy and Australia and went to university in Canada. In 1994, after 14 years in management consulting, she joined her sister Miranda at ShackletonThomas, drawn to being part of a company that makes beautiful furniture and pottery by hand in an aesthetically pleasing environment like Vermont. Now living in the hills of Pomfret, Vermont, Charlotte and her husband enjoy spending their free time telemark skiing and mountain biking.

Sarah joined ShackletonThomas in 2020, having recently arrived in Vermont from San Francisco with a with a background in Interior Design and sales. She is involved running the store, furniture and pottery sales, website, and other aspects of marketing. She lives with her daughter, son, and two cats in a 150 year old house that she is slowly renovating.

Jane has been keeping our books straight since 1996, making her a fixture of ShackletonThomas. She does the same for several local organizations. She lives out in the country with her husband where they raised their two sons.

Carolyn has welcomed our Sunday visitors since 2020 and is always has sunny greeting and helpful attitude. Originally from London, England, she moved to Vermont from Oakland, California in 2020. She has a background in early childhood and special education. She lives in nearby Woodstock and is very involved in the community.