12755 Quincy Ave./US 31, 4 mi. N of downtown, 616-399-1900. Hrs. irregular; Tulip Time 8am-8pm. Factory: free; tulip farm: $7, 3-13 $4.
At the DeKlomp Wooden Shoe and Delftware Factory store you can see Dutch wooden shoes being hand-carved or carved by machine in a range of sizes--from a miniature Barbie doll version all the way up to a man's size 13. The only authentic delftware factory in the United States is also here, and artisans still hand-paint the blue floral and windmill motifs onto white china just as they have in the Netherlands for more than 500 years. All materials and equipment for both the shoes and the pottery are imported from Holland.
images c2010 Carole Terwilliger MeyersAt the DeKlomp Wooden Shoe and Delftware Factory store you can see Dutch wooden shoes being hand-carved or carved by machine in a range of sizes--from a miniature Barbie doll version all the way up to a man's size 13. The only authentic delftware factory in the United States is also here, and artisans still hand-paint the blue floral and windmill motifs onto white china just as they have in the Netherlands for more than 500 years. All materials and equipment for both the shoes and the pottery are imported from Holland.
In April and May, the adjoining Veldheer Tulip Farm--the Midwest's only working tulip farm--blooms with more than 5 million tulips in 125 varieties. The blooms are at their peak from the last week in April until mid-May. Begun more than 50 years ago, this 30-acre extravaganza becomes a huge summer garden after the tulip season ends. Tulip bulbs are cultivated here for sale in the fall.
No comments:
Post a Comment