|
(a) Black-and-white checked fabric adds sass to a straight-laced
settee. (b) Miss Spider, atop a treat box from Glitterville’s handmade line,
awaits her sparkly prey. (c) Spooktacular invitation. (d) Enter the haunted greenhouse, if you dare. (e) A pumpkin head lawn jockey announces
the Glitterville Halloween
party. (f) Getting covered in glitter is all in a
day’s work as Bryan (left) and Stephen (right) create quirky new products in
their Rockwood, Tennessee, studio.
|
|
![]()
Text by Kim Ratcliff •
Photography by Davies & Lawery
Stephen Brown has lived the sweet life for as long as he can remember. Candy and
cake frosting are his vices. He’s concocted delicious window displays for Henry
Bendel and other chic New York City stores. And, just like a real-life game of
Candy Land, his path led to Glitterville, a unique line of whimsical seasonal
décor he created with his business partner, Bryan Wilkerson.A longtime
friend, Bryan was heading a community college art department when Stephen
recruited him for a colossal window-dressing project. “As we sat there carving
heads out of 10-pound hunks of clay, we thought, ‘There must be an easier way,’”
recalls Stephen, who’s also designed costumes for film and TV. So they created
five ornaments on the spot. A retailer friend charged $85 apiece and
consistently sold out for an entire year. That success gave Bryan and Stephen
the gumption to attend their first gift show, where they collected 2,000 orders
and were picked up nationally. Three years later, their empire has grown to
include a multi-holiday giftware line licensed to Department 56, as well as a
limited-edition hand-made collection.
The Sultans of Sparkle page
1 |
2 |
3
 Stumble It!
archive »
|
