About 15 years ago I started Camelot Enterprises.  I was trying to sell at small craft shows. I started selling a few pieces of Indian beadwork at the Wisconsin Dells. It was there I met an artist from a Renaissance Faire. I started beading for her and she said that I should try to get into the Bristol Renaissance Faire. I started out as a beaded jewelry shop, with a few plain white fans on the wall to fill the empty space. Court members asked me to customize the fan for their costume.

Visitors saw the fans and wanted their own to be like the court members. From that moment on, we grew in styles and designs. Every year we try to expand with colors, shapes, styles and medias.

I chose the name Camelot because my mother was born in England. I loved the tales of Kings, Queens, castles and the Knights of the Round Table. It just seemed natural to name my business Camelot. The past years we have been known as Camelot Enterprises-"The Royal Fan Shoppe," that's also when my daughter, Krystyna, became my partner.

Share with us the type of work/material that you create?.

We work with a lot of different types of legal feathers, such as duck, chicken, rooster, peacock, pheasant, emu and ostrich.

With these materials, we add a little glue, leather and ribbon to create a variety of fans. We create everything from a simple fan to a fancy fan. One style I carry was modeled after a fan Queen Elizabeth I used.

We have the base on some of our fans made for us. It saves us time and keeps our cost lower, so we can pass the savings on to our customers.

Even though we have the base made, we still have to prepare it. We remove plastic around the wires, and then the wire is bent to prevent cuts or tears. A small hole is drilled at the end of the wood handle, which is then wrapped in leather. In order to hang the fan, a piece of cording is put through the hole. Next, the fan it is checked for flaws and cleaned before applying the decorative feathers.

Recently, we started making what we call feather halos. These are made from wire, wrapped with feathers, to wear on your head. We started creating different looks, such as adding leaves, flowers, glitter and pearls. We also started making them smaller, to be worn around a hair bun and ponytail.

Krystyna uses velour and feathers to cover mask forms and design different effects with feathers. Her favorite is called a "Griffin," where the feathers around the mask look like your hair.

What inspires your designs?

Just about everything. We can be out somewhere and see a color combination or shape; the world is a beautiful place, full of ideas. But many times people have helped. They ask for something, and we create it. We have been asked to combine some different colors, not knowing they would turn out so beautiful and so popular!

It isn't always an easy process. Some items have to be mounted, fastened and when necessary, removed quickly, or they won’t seem to be just right.

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