ELY- Two friends, both with a passion for agate collecting, have turned their hobby into a full-time business and they’re excited to be bringing their creations back to Ely for this weekend’s Harvest Moon Festival.
Liz Corrie and Cat Luce, both living in the Twin Cities, sell a variety of unique gift items made from agates and other natural stones.
“We go on a lot of “mining” trips to gather the stones we use,” Liz said. “The north shore of Lake Superior for agates, Thunder Bay for amethyst, and Arkansas for quartz.” But they are also interested in expanding their rock-hunting to new areas. This year, they have been exploring an area in Wisconsin where they can find moonstone, a rainbow -colored feldspar formed by volcanic activity.
“This will be our third year doing Harvest Moon Festival,” Liz said. “It is one of our favorites.” “Everyone is very kind and excited to see what we have to offer. It’s a fun, fall-themed show.”
In addition, they both said, it’s a great excuse to visit Ely in the fall.
“This is the last hurrah of our busy summer season,” Cat said.
The two women met while in college at Mankato State. Both were very creative, and both were majoring in music.
Liz has been crafting her whole life and started to focus on jewelry making about 15 years ago. Cat, a chef by trade, started creating with agates and other stones during the pandemic. Now, both are able to pursue their craft business full time, using business skills they acquired over the years while working in a variety of jobs, including in corporate settings.
“We feel very lucky,” Cat said.
“I feel better off being creative,” Liz said.
They both said having a partner makes it easier to run the business, because they each contribute different strengths. They do about 30 shows a year, mostly in Minnesota.
Liz’s art grew out of her desire to design jewelry. She is self-taught.
“I wanted to take a silversmithing class but couldn’t afford it,” she said. Then she learned about soft soldering, which keeps her jewelry affordable, as well as giving her more creative options.
“All of our stuff is unique and one-of-a-kind,” Liz said.
Cat’s work includes tabletop gaming dice along with 3-D printed miniature one-inch-tall glass globes.
“My husband is a tabletop gamer,” Cat said. “During the pandemic, he taught me a lot of the games. The games were a fun distraction from her work as a chef, she said. She also took time during the pandemic to try out some new things. The tabletop games used many different and unique styles of dice. I had so many agates, she said, which gave her the idea to create gaming dice made of agates set in epoxy, which she then polished and painted on the number.
A few years later, while recovering from knee surgery, she got a 3D printer and learned how to make tiny figurines, which she then painted. The figurines go into tiny terrariums, along with agates and crystals.
Creativity is important to both women. The name of their business, Shadow Works, pays tribute to the hard work both have put into their own personal life journey.
“We wanted a name that showed the importance of our friendship, but also something that sounded a little spooky,” Cat said.
The two get help from Liz’s mother, a retired art teacher, who now made beaded crystal bracelets they also sell at their booth.
“We drag her along because she is so much fun,” said Cat. “She also joins us on our mining trips and is a great travel partner.”
Cat noted that starting a craft business is hard, and doing markets and craft fairs can be daunting.
“We really respect our fellow artists,” she said. “Anyone trying to make a living doing art.”
They both said they are thankful to be part of the art community in Minnesota.
“No matter where we are, at a small or large event, local artists are so kind and helpful,” they said. They are also thankful that their work is still fun.
The two were supposed to be at the Blueberry Art Festival in July. They said they totally agreed with the decision to cancel the festival. “Keeping people safe is the most important thing.”
They ended up using the now free weekend wisely.
“We hadn’t had a fun girls’ weekend in a long time,” they said. “So, we went agate hunting on the north shore, spent some time in nature, and then spent some time with Liz’s family.”