Celebrating 75 years, the Village of Yesteryear is an exhibit that demonstrates traditional handicraft and heritage skills. Held every year at the N.C. State Fair, the village has featured more than 100 artists and crafters creating, displaying and selling time-honored handmade crafts. “A Maker’s Dozen” is a series that tells the stories of these artisans and educates about their heritage crafts.
For the past 27 years, Keith Hartman of Clayton has been the wooden toy maker in the Village of Yesteryear. Generations of fairgoers and their children have loved his puzzles, games, and toys. When Hartman was a young child, his father fostered his passion for toy making.
Hartman said that it all started as a father-son project when he was eight. “My dad brought me with him to his wood working workshop and tried to teach me his craft. He did this mainly to keep me out of trouble, but I found something greater beneath it. We did a few projects together, doing yard sales or small showings from time to time. I decided to do it for some extra money growing up and then just kept doing it.”
Hartman decided to go to school to learn more about his craft. In college, he did mechanical drafting for two years and then did tool and dye for four years. He learned how to do all the blueprints and woodworking. “All I had learned then became obsolete when computers started to take over the industry,” said Hartman. “So, I just decided to do it myself and create my own homemade toy line, Quality Woodcrafts.
Hartman makes over 75 different toys, including tops and rolling toys. A popular toy is his wooden stools with the child’s name on it. To make that, he starts off with rough cut lumber and cut out a blank square. Then, he cuts the letters out of the stool and sands them off. Once sanded, he paints the letters a primary color or other calm color. Everything then gets stained and left to dry. Then, the legs are added to the bottom of the stool and sent to the customer. During the Village of Yesteryear, Hartman takes orders for stools and sends the final product to them after the Fair.
“The time required to craft my toys varies significantly,” said Hartman. “I can produce a wooden spinning top in just a minute or two, whereas a custom name stool requires three hours of labor followed by a week-long drying period. I create a diverse range of educational toys designed to support childhood development, such as stools that help children learn to spell their names.”
“I used to do a showing of my product every other weekend,” said Hartman. “However, two years ago, I broke my neck and that discouraged my showings. Since then, I have only been showcasing my products at the N.C. State Fair. I also run my website and an Etsy store, which keeps me as busy as I need to be.”
Hartman’s business is assisted by his family. His sister runs his office. She does all the computer work and the shipping for Hartman. She also paints the letters on certain toys. His father helps put wheels on some of the toys. “Sometimes, I will take whole boxes of toys to his house for him to put wheels on,” said Hartman.
“The people in the Village of Yesteryear are like an extended family for me,” said Hartman. “Since 1998, when I first started, I have looked forward to the Village each and every year. I love to see my fellow craftsmen and all the interesting fairgoers. After 11 days, I am ready to be done, but give me one day away from the Fair, and I’m ready to do it again!”