Craftspeople

Jim Blanchard has been making furniture for ShackletonThomas since 1993. He came to us as a carpenter and Army veteran and has practiced his skills to become a master. He and his wife have raised their three sons in that time and he enjoys hiking and hunting ginseng.

Shea hails from Boise, Idaho, moving to Vermont for adventure and its rich furniture making tradition. He started making furniture as a hobbiest in his early twenties, eventually working for a Boise custom furniture co and teaching at a makers' space. He chose ST for the opportunity to develop his fine woodworking skills. Chairs are his favorite thing to make for their complexity and smaller scale. He lives nearby with his wife and their Great Dane, Winston.

Vermont native Art Baker has been with us since 1999, coming into the accessories department and then upholstery. His favorite aspect of work is hand tying springs in chairs. When not working, he enjoys his game cameras in all seasons, likes to hunt, fish, go to yard sales, makes his own maple syrup on a wood fire, and he splits his firewood by hand. He went to the National Championship for Softball as a first baseman and enjoys all sports. He has two grown sons and lives with his dog surrounded by nature.

Logan grew up on Seneca Lake in upstate New York. He does everything tech and machine related for the company as well as running his own company. He enjoys what he does because "at the end of the day, building something that does hard work is easier than working hard."

Christi Becker returned from her home state of Kansas to join Miranda Thomas Pottery in 2021. She studied Arts Administration at Bethany College, focusing her studio time on pottery and painting. She helps create the pottery for Miranda's studio and is working with her to learn traditional slipware decoration. Her own artworks explore form and function using dramatic colorways and motifs found in nature to decorate her forms. When not making pottery, Christi loves to explore art museums and get outdoors with her husband, Nick. She also has a cat, FatBelly, who keeps her entertained at home.

Jess grew up in Thetford, Vermont and fell in love with pottery in high school. She has been working for Miranda Thomas Pottery since 2001 and has particularly enjoyed all aspects of decorating pots in addition to throwing them. She currently lives on a sunny hilltop in Tunbridge with her husband, twin girls and various animals. In her free time she enjoys riding her horse and camping with her family. 

Evan grew up outside of Boston, relocating to Vermont after college where he first starting making pottery. After an apprenticeship at Simon Pearce he came to work for Miranda in 2002. Evan also works with his wife, also a potter, at their home studio firing wood, gas and salt kilns.

Megan is a Woodstock native and talented self-trained potter who is now apprenticing in Miranda Thomas Studio. After travelling and working around the US and Canada, she returned to the Upper Valley and joined the company contributing to our social media and working in the store.

Charlotte Lanahan grew up in New York, Italy and Australia and went to university in Canada. In 1994, after 14 years in management consulting, she joined her sister Miranda at ShackletonThomas, drawn to being part of a company that makes beautiful furniture and pottery by hand in an aesthetically pleasing environment like Vermont. Now living in the hills of Pomfret, Vermont, Charlotte and her husband enjoy spending their free time telemark skiing and mountain biking.

Jane has been keeping our books straight since 1996, making her a fixture of ShackletonThomas. She does the same for several local organizations. She lives out in the country with her husband where they raised their two sons.

Carolyn has welcomed our Sunday visitors since 2020 and is always has sunny greeting and helpful attitude. Originally from London, England, she moved to Vermont from Oakland, California in 2020. She has a background in early childhood and special education. She lives in nearby Woodstock and is very involved in the community.