By Courtney Caligiuri – SUTTON, Mass. (FOX Providence) – It always feels like Christmas at Vaillancourt Folk Art. The unique store is home to some of the best handmade figures. While visiting the store, step back in time by admiring the collections of years past, new pieces, and enjoy the decor of the holiday season. But the true standouts are the chalk ware figures. ” Vaillancourt Folk Art has been making Santa Clauses in Sutton, Massachusetts for the last 28 years. My wife is the designer and creator of the product and we work with a collection of 3,000 antique chocolate and ice cream molds,” said Gary Vaillancourt, owner of Vaillancourt Folk Art. Gary’s wife is both creator and designer, but her love for the figures came from a gift of three original molds that Gary bought back in the eighties. “The first Christmas she poured them with chocolate which the boys ate, she poured them with beeswax which spilled all over the refrigerator and she poured them with chalk ware which she took one piece to a show for $25 and sold about 45 units that day,” explained Gary. After her immediate success, the Vaillancourts opened their business in 1985. Bored with how dull the original molds looked, Gary’s wife, Judi, decided to hand paint them, giving life to the chalk ware figures. The collection has grown to over 3,000 pieces. Vaillancourt Folk Art has been making classic pieces for decades. But with the addition on their web store they’re able to attract worldwide clientele. — Caligiuri, C. (2011, December 21). video photo the rhode show rundown tmz: Kris humphries staying with nets tmz. Fox Providence. Retrieved from http://www.foxprovidence.com/dpp/rhode_show/rhode_show/store-home-to-christmas-collectibles Johnson, M. (Producer) (2011). Ma store home to christmas collectibles [Television series episode]. In Johnson, M. (Executive Producer), The Rhode Show. Providence, RI: Fox. Retrieved from http://www.foxprovidence.com/dpp/rhode_show/rhode_show/store-home-to-christmas-collectibles
