Tryon Toymakers and Wood Carvers

In 1915 Eleanor Vance and Charlotte Yale, co-founders of Biltmore Estate Industries, relocated from Asheville to Tryon, NC, which was already a center for arts and crafts, where they opened Tryon Toymakers and Woodcarvers. The enterprise was originally called Tryon Toy-Makers and Weavers with Yale bringing the approach to weaving that had been successful at Biltmore Estate Industries. However, in 1921, Vance and Yale began focusing solely on wood working.

Vance and Yale, who were most likely what we would now call a Queer couple, originally set up the business as a non-profit in which local young people could learn a craft. Yale managed the business while Vance, a skilled carver, provided designs and taught local residents how to create made-to-order furniture as well as handcrafted toys inspired by the popular styles coming out of Northern Italy. The company grew when demand for this style of toys grew after the outbreak of World War I cut off American access to the European versions.

With its new popularity, Tron Toymakers and Woodcarvers received visits from three First Ladies: Grace Coolidge, Lou Hoover, and Eleanor Roosevelt. The company also became a member of the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild in 1932. Yale and Vance stepped back to an advisory capacity in the 1930s until they finally sold the business in 1949. The company had several different owners before closing in the 1990s.

[Source: Museum Staff – Kimberly Cramer]