Local Gems: AAOTE – Tari Zarka
Location: Dublin, Buck County, PA
For readers discovering AAOTE for the first time, how would you describe your showroom and creative space?
We’re situated within my family’s former hosiery mill. A humble space hidden down a long driveway along busy state route 313.
Once you pull down the driveway you'll see our entrance adjacent to the old barn. Within our history-rich walls where sewing machines and examining tables were now serves as the palette for whimsy, awe, and inspiration.
In AAOTE Gallery gifts, art, and jewelry are carefully curated from 100+ independent artists and makers. The back of AAOTE Gallery opens up to our Bead Vault, a beader’s paradise with stringing supplies and tools, and now also stocked with quilter’s cotton.
Visitors can expect to spend at least an hour exploring each handmade treasure in the gift gallery and another hour or so revelling in the diverse bead and jewelry making selections.
Our classroom is in the former compressor room. Right now we’re hosting basic beading classes. We’re adding knitting and crochet classes soon! We have an email newsletter we sent out and you can join this list by clicking on the link on our AAOTE Gallery Showroom and Shows page of aaote.com
AAOTE stands for Aspiring Artists of the Earth. What is the story behind this name, and what does it represent to you today?
Growing up as an artist in the hosiery mill, a manufacturing business, I hold a special place in my heart for source of origin. Working in the hosiery mill, I learned I didn’t want to make a career of it. Knowing I needed to make money at the arts, I got my associates from Bucks County Community College in graphic design.
I made a valid attempt to work a “real job“ and it took less than 3 months for my first job outside the hosiery mill to send me to Houston, TX for management training. I would return to lead their sign shop in Willow Grove for the next 4 years.
My art was unfulfilled but I had a salary with benefits. It was a hollow feeling that I grew to loath. I was giving it my all, ingesting all the stress and holding none of the actual control. Seeing how I was entrusted with this business gave me the confidence to start my own. I resigned and decided to learn to bartend for my fallback plan.
I sought a position at a corporate franchise restaurant as they would pay for me to learn to bartend. I told them at hiring about my plan. I got the server job and as I swiftly learned the ropes I was met with fierce disapproval from senior competitors for the bartending positions. Within 3 months I was next hired for the bartending position and was now in a training position for new members to their team.
I learned a lot from both of these corporate, franchised positions, spending a total of about 7.5 years in this world before harboring enough confidence to embark on my vision to bring Aspiring Artists of the Earth to fruition!
Circling back to source of origin, I created AAOTE as a vehicle to offer well-made, reasonably priced, and ethically sourced products to the marketplace.
I inherently knew what I was building was going to be bigger than me. The name Aspiring Artists of the Earth came to me and encompassed what I sought to bring to our table. It all just felt right.
I absolutely love putting artists to work! Plus I know a diversified, well-curated showcase increases customer interest and retention which yields profitability. It also makes for more interesting marketing.
I'm absolutely driven to connect community with well-made, high-vibing goods and absolutely love empowering other original, tenacious makers. So much so that over the course of my career I’ve often lost sight of my own work.
You founded AAOTE in 2004. Looking back, what moments feel especially meaningful in your journey as both an artist and small-business owner?
I truly feel I’m walking a guided mission led by intuition. Moments that confirm this feel like true gold to me. I’ll highlight 4:
First: The moment I realized that voice is no joke and my intuition is spot-on!I was blessed in my first year of business to be introduced to the wholesale marketplace through a nationwide retailer. It was an incredibly hot day in August of 2005. I was vending at Rice’s Market. It was a slow and grueling one with lots of people haggling and little customers buying. The market ran until 1pm but I was ready to pack it up by 11:30am. I started to put some things away but before I could get too far I stopped, felt a literal hand on my shoulder, and was guided to stay by intuition stronger than what guided me to start AAOTE. I must admit, it was kind of creepy because it was so strong. Yet I listened. I stayed.
I made another $60 or so sale to a lovely woman and I then went home at 1pm. I had figured that was it but two weeks later my phone would ring. Turns out that was a buyer for a major nationwide retailer that would place AAOTE’s products prominently across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regional stores for nearly two decades.
Second: The moment I realized my art can help folks shift their train of thought and allow healing to more swiftly occur.
It was summertime, I was at an art show I’d done for three years or so in Cape May, NJ. One of my regular customers came up and shared with me a most touching story of how my Ocean pendant helped her heal from spinal surgery: She was bedridden to heal. Living at the shore she walked the beach daily but during this time of recovery she was unable to go for her healing seaside strolls. She held close her Ocean TZ Glass pendant, staring into it whenever she needed help visualizing being at her favorite place.
Her thanking me for making this piece that she claimed helped her heal, still brings me waves of emotion.
Third: The moment I heard an artist attribute the continuation of her craft through the pandemic to my support.
It was pandemic. Things were so scary for everyone and the arts felt frivolous, or unessential in most places yet I was fortunate to have reasons to keep orders flowing to some of the artists I partnered with. I reached out to an artist, she thought she would never see more orders. She couldn’t believe I still needed her to get to work.
To know my work and all that I endure to keep AAOTE alive helps keep the arts going for others is truly awesome!
Fourth: The cumulative moments of people asking for and thanking me for having AAOTE Gallery and Bead Vault open.
Let's admit it, operating a handmade business in today’s world is anything but easy. Sometimes it can feel like the grind isn’t yielding needed results. Especially when major setbacks challenge the visions. I closed AAOTE Gallery during the pandemic and was very hesitant to reopen but the community clamored for me to bring it back. I’m forever grateful they did!
What originally led you to open a showroom and creative space, rather than focusing solely on your own artwork?
I have huge visions for this property in Dublin, Bucks County, PA and they serve the arts and community as a whole. A self-serving situation doesn’t vibe with my innate practices.
AAOTE is located in a former hosiery mill. Does the textile history of the building influence the identity or spirit of your space?
Absolutely! I call it our ‘history-rich’ space which is my fun way of saying ‘renovation-ready’. The front part of the mill where AAOTE Gallery and Bead Vault is housed is in a section of the building that was built in the late 1940’s. I’m blessed to be able to repurpose this space that once housed 100 or so workers as it ran 24/7 spinning hosiery.
These walls once churned with industry, providing consistent work and revenue for our community. A fact to highlight, when textile production began to move overseas my family pivoted to create highly specified compressionware for the medical industry. They became a resource for USA-made comfort pieces for amputees. One of my jobs in the hosiery mill growing up was pressing the work on huge steam-operated machines.
What does it mean to you to bring handmade art and creative practices into a place once connected to textile production?
Handwork is healing and our society is hurting for connection and love. I’m driven to pursue the arts and I feel a great responsibility to repurpose my family’s property creating a haven of arts, wellness, and community.
My grandfather was a visionary and a leader that built and grew a business here that thrived and well-supported his family. His work provided consistent employment to hundreds in the community, while supporting the marketplace with superbly made products. I love that our current classroom location is in the former compressor room. A room that once made compressed air to run the knitting machines now serves as a space for budding makers to be inspired to learn and continue expanding their skill sets. We used to weave hosiery here, now we bead, string, weave, and flamework jewelry, sculpture, and home decor!
Do you see a connection between beads, embroidery, jewelry, and wearable art?
Our love of adornment connects these items. Albeit there are so many forms of jewelry and wearable art not made of beads, and embroidery for home decor, one thing that ties them all together for me is our obsession as a society to adorn ourselves. Be it an art glass pendant on a cord, an intricately embroidered collar, or a beaded mala necklace, it's a choice of expression. I think it’s quite interesting how we assign meaning to these objects and allow them to be methods of connection, expression, and/ or protection.
Beads have been used across cultures for centuries. What do you think gives them such lasting meaning?
Glass art is awesome to me because it has no language barriers. I see beads like that, too. There are so many shapes, colors, and textures that can be enjoyed and shared. All ages can partake in some form of beading allowing us to fall for them as youth and continue to find ourselves looping back to them in different ways through our years. I love how we’ve used beads for prayer (rosaries) and meditation (malas) for centuries and continue to find peace and calm through the art of beading as well as by making these special necklaces.
Do artists or customers at AAOTE use your materials for embroidery, textile art, or mixed-media work?
Yes and we love to see the diverse palette of work people are creating with beads and supplies they’ve sourced with us. Some of the favorite recently shared projects or WIP are a woven vase, a lampshade, a spiderweb dreamcatcher, a beaded succulent, curtains, clothing and beach coverups. We carry a number of large hole beads, too which open up design options in macrame and clothing.
What do beads add to a handmade piece that other materials cannot?
A cord with no bead is just a cord. A glass art pendant with no accents needs to speak for itself. A bead can add flair and balance a design with a pop of color or texture where needed. It’s our drilled friend that can be stacked and strung or used alone on pretty much anything. I’m not sure I’ll ever be done playing with beads.
The Bead Vault feels like a treasure space for makers. What can visitors expect to find there?
It truly is a special place resulting from over 2 decades of careful hand selections and scrupulous show scouring. To share with you the whole truth which I’ve not yet done publicly: I call it a Bead Vault because it’s actually my private stash turned public in a massive pivot to save AAOTE.
In short, I’ve been creating jewelry for the wholesale marketplace for regions across the country for 20+ years. To supply such a busy and diverse opportunity I pulled from a massive palette, curating my purchases from bead shows, Tucson Gem Show, and New York city trips. When it was time to choose my self-worth and respect over being bullied by a major corporation, I chose wisely and opened our Bead Vault. Today, I’m adding to the assortments as I learn what the community would like to see.
The current selection at the Bead Vault offers something for pretty much every style from awesome focals to fabulous fillers, rondelles, spacers, rounds, flats. Gemstones, recycled glass, table cut glass, metal, faceted cut crystal, wood, shell, coconut, fresh water pearls, and some seed beads. There are regular hole and large hole beads. You’ll find beads here you won’t see just anywhere. We’re also an authorized Beadalon distributor and carry a full collection of quilters cotton, too!
Are there particular materials in the Bead Vault that you personally feel drawn to?
Due to the origin of the Bead Vault pivoting from my private stash to a public bead shop it’s truly safe to say I’m totally attached to about 90% of the stock. If I had to pick some faves I have a serious affinity for table cut glass beads from the Czech Republic and offer a diverse selection of them as I love how they work with my TZ Glass focal pendants.
I also really love and need to highlight the wood diffuser focal beads we make. Reasons they are awesome:
We make them here at AAOTE.
Domestic source of origin and they are made from sustainably USA-grown lumber
We can put essential oil right onto the engraved wood and bring essential oil aromatherapy into our everyday life!
The wood absorbs and diffuses the essential oil so much more efficiently than lava beads.
For embroidery or textile artists who may be new to beadwork, what would you recommend they explore first?
Depending on the skill set or what piques their interest, I’d guide a beginner with a textile or embroidery background to either a macrame square knot with some large hole beads to accent it. Or a simple memory wire or elasticity stretch bracelet.
AAOTE represents a range of artists and makers. How do you choose the work you feature in the showroom?
This is an intense process for me and it has evolved over the 20+ years of our gallery showroom being open. I curate and purchase wholesale for AAOTE Gallery perusing works from artists at retail and wholesale trade shows.
I look for several things when considering a new artists work including quality of work:
Craftsmanship and source of origin of their raw materials, do they cut corners or does it feel solid (tangibly and energetically)?
Uniqueness of artistry, is it something I’ve seen hundreds of times or have they made it special?
How is the energy of the artist? Do they truly love what they do or can you feel that ‘ill say anything to get an order’ vibe?
Is their catalog priced properly? Do they honor retail/wholesale pricing or do they undercut the marketplace? Most new makers and crafters don’t understand pricing structures.
How is their social media and marketing? This factor isn’t a make or break but it can be a big perk if all of the above factors are there and their marketing is also in-check, they have a stronger chance of getting an order because I know they understand how to work to return my investment.
Lastly, there is the filler inventory. There are categories that I just can’t find domestically sourced that I need to have on the floor for Customer demand.
As an artist working with glass and materials, what continues to inspire your creative work?
I’m driven to keep our inspiration lit! How folks react to my work and love to share it with their families and friends is truly awesome. I’m driven by the spark, that wow, someone gets when they are awed by my glass. To know light and bring it to people’s eyes and hearts through my artistry is a God-given gift I’m elated to hone. It wakes me daily without an alarm and drives me incredibly through long work days.
Why do you believe supporting handmade work and local artists is important today?
It’s too easy to shop online, forgo social interaction, and stay sheltered in one’s own bubble. This is not a recipe for good mental health and is a contributing factor to why our society is hurting so much right now.
Sharing handmade work with a quality source of origin in a tangible format is crucial to community connection, and essentially societal wellness. Communing in brick and mortar establishments, sharing actual eye contact, smiles, and conversation is a gem we need to do more of!
This is why I love utilizing social media marketing to drive customer traffic to AAOTE and TZ Glass retailers. Mobilizing folks to go to a store and interact with other humans over creatively made gifts and art becomes fun for me, and them!
AAOTE offers hands-on classes. What motivated you to make education and experience part of your space?
Folks have asked me to teach for years and I always said I’d teach when I retired. Well, when I pivoted my business in 2023/2024 it seemed like a retirement of sorts so I went with it, ramping up on the classes and team builds I had already been offering.
I say it often but handwork is healing and I am blessed with this space and a vision. I love educating folks on how creativity can help in everyday life and at the workplace.
It’s awesome to see folks enjoy making something together; like hosting a grandmother and grandchildren as they bead bracelets, or couple on a date at the torch flameworking each other a pendant. These moments can last a lifetime. To offer the community an experience to share together in real-time seems like a treasure in our AI-cyber-filled world.
Have you seen how creative classes impact people, whether through relaxation, confidence, or connection?
Oh for sure! I love when people who have never made any jewelry go from being totally overwhelmed by the classroom bead selection to landing on a finished design. That moment of empowerment that comes from learning that ‘yes, I can make that!’ is so gratifying!
We may be playing with beads but we are building confidence and connecting with each activity!
What do you hope visitors feel when they walk into your space?
May folks feel the love I pour into AAOTE! I want visitors to feel welcomed and comfortable, hugged by good vibes, and inspired by a visual delight. To feel like they are somewhere magical, special and unique.
Looking ahead, what are your hopes for AAOTE, the Bead Vault, and the creative community you’ve built?
It truly feels like AAOTE is just getting started. We have so much opportunity to build on the healing vibes handwork creates as we continue to expand on our abilities to teach folks how to make jewelry, craft, and art in multiple mediums.
The evolution of AAOTE is unfolding as we build plans to renovate our property to best serve the arts, the community, and our overall wellness. Hope you’ll stay tuned!
Discover more online or if you are in town visit the store or take a class at 174 S Main St, Dublin, PA 18917
All photographs are taken by Roza Goltser Photography
