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Places to Buy Hand Carved Canes in Maryland

Hand-carved canes are a traditional American craft, valued both by people who use them as a functional walking stick and by collectors who treasure them for their beauty. Made from exotic woods and carved in a wide variety of styles, hand-carved canes are a little harder to locate and buy. They are well worth the effort, however, often becoming prized family heirlooms.

Craft Shows and Festivals
- Wood crafts are a perennial favorite at craft shows, and you can expect to find at least one maker of hand-carved canes at the larger shows. In Maryland, one of the largest craft shows is the Sugarloaf Craft Festival. Named for Sugarloaf Mountain south of Frederick, Maryland, this outdoor craft festival is typically held at two Maryland locations in both autumn and spring: the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium and the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg. For dates and directions, visit the Sugarloaf Craft Festival website at sugarloafcrafts.com.
Craft Galleries
- From the big city of Baltimore to small towns on the Eastern Shore, Maryland abounds in craft galleries. Here's a list to get you started:
  
  ArtFX Gallery, Annapolis; artfxgallery.org
  The Mind's Eye Craft Gallery, St. Michaels
  American Craftworks Collection, Annapolis; americancraftworkscollection.com
  Appalachian Spring, Rockville; appalachianspring.com
  Waygoose Gallery of American Crafts, Rockville; thewaygoose.com
  Bishop's Stock Fine Art &Fine Craft, Snow Hill; bishopsstock.com
  Calico Cat, Baltimore; calicocat.net
  
  Since a gallery's inventory and roster of artisans changes throughout the year, you may want to call before you visit to make sure they currently have walking sticks in stock.
Individual Artisans
- From animal carvings to Americana, the work of Fruitland's Ted Nichols has been featured in the Washington Post, Country Home, Country Living and other publications. His website is noahs-ark.com.
  
  Meilie Moy-Hodnett of Big Stick Canes in Rockville works with cherry, Osage orange, tiger maple and other hardwoods. Her canes sell at prices ranging from $180 to $1,800, and she does custom work as well. Moy-Hodnett was also featured in a Washington Post article, "Making It" (washingtonpost.com). Her website is bigstickcanes.com.
  
  Roger Lent of Snow Hill makes handcrafted walking sticks in addition to his paintings of marsh life and waterscapes. His studio hours are by appointment only. skipjack.net

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