Open Studios: Willie Simmons

Botetourt County is blessed with a lot of folks who are very creative. Willie Simmons of Fincastle is a local wood turner whose work I have long admired. (He is also a distant cousin.)

This past weekend 11 of the local artists opened up their studios and workshops to the public. I only made it to three of them because of my health issues, but I enjoyed the outing.

Willie makes interesting and unusual items that he sells at local craft shows.

He recently located some very cool-looking wood and has been making many implements from that.

I have a couple of his bowls and a few other items.

This is an overview of some of his work.

He recently came up with a wooden handle for a seam ripper. His product was featured in Threads magazine. You can order them online at his website.

Many of these items make great Christmas gifts. If you're local, check out his shop, which is on US 220 in Fincastle. I love to give local gifts and support my neighbors.