Yes, this tale is for real...there is a small company of cobblers in the village of Granville Ferry, near Annapolis Royal, on the Nova Scotia side of Bay of Fundy. These folk have been making specialty shoes for film and theatre for about 20 years. Think: faerie shoes, Shrek boots, elf slippers....
The shoemakers work out of a historic building in the community ('though come to think of it, all the houses in pretty Granville Ferry are historic!) equipped with fairytale-like workbenches, cutting tables, heavy-duty sewing machines and floor-to-ceiling bolts of leather.
Previous clients for Handmade Shoes include Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Canadian Opera Company, as well as many Broadway productions (including Shrek) and theatre festivals. They are currently designing and producing fancy footwear (picture here) for Wicked, a touring show based on Gregory Maguire's book The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
And, in case this post gave you a hankering for the original Christmas elf story, here's link to a version of the original Brothers Grimm tale.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Elf shoe makers in Bay of Fundy
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2 comments:
I see a road trip... what a delightful thing to have right in our back yard!! Well, across the pond, so to speak.
Maureen
We use to live in Granville Ferry when my children were younger. Each year, around this time when we were out for our walks we would peek in the windows or hear the sounds from the workshop. My daughters thought it was a magical place were dancing shoes, elf boots or even Santa's special boots were made. Memories of a very special time. Thank you.
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