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The Red Shop

Gertrude Ashley: Pocumtuck Baskets

Certainly one of the most enchanting destinations for a Deerfield Arts and Crafts devotee would have been Gertrude Ashley's Red Shop where one could view and purchase the creations of the Pocumtuck Basket Makers. The shop was located in part of a series of connected sheds on the main street of Deerfield beside Ashley's home. The Red Shop's entrance, nestled amidst a picturesque arrangement of ivy bedecked walls and slightly overgrown perennials, would, no doubt, have beckoned approaching visitors. Those entering the shop would have been rewarded with a colorful view of intricately patterned baskets displayed amidst ample bunches of cascading hand-dyed raffia fibers.

This outbuilding likewise served as the studio of Gertrude and her daughters Mildred and Nathalie who also wove raffia baskets. They called their studio "The Cubby."