Bea Apple and Trisha Logan seem to embody a purest form of creativity and authenticity. Their Bentonville based Textile Studio + Shop has a simple goal in mind: to create beautiful products for your home and entire life! They founded Hillfolk in 2018 and have been very successful at providing a new experience to the Northwest Arkansas region region! Hillfolk is equal parts studio and retail and they offer a variety of classes featuring contemporary and traditional fiber arts. The retail shop has a very curated assortment of all things textile, local, and handmade. They also offer a thoughtful assortment of raw materials and tools for your own creations.

Hillfolk is located at 8th Street Market, surrounded by amazing neighbors, such as Brightwater Culinary School, Bike Rack Brewing, The Holler and several other local food entrepreneurs. Hillfolk is in the heart of the Market District, directly across from The Momentary, and adjacent to the Razorback Greenway. They always warmly welcome me into their space and I so love that they took the time for this feature so we get a glimpse into Hillfolk! I will be sharing a few of my favorite things from their shop too! They ship so if you are not local, no need to stress.

Interview With Bea + Trisha

-When did Hillfolk first launch?

Hillfolk first opened our doors on October 20th, 2018. We started working on and developing the idea in 2017.

-You ladies are the epitome of creative duos! How did you come to meet, and then make the Hillfolk dream a reality?

Trisha: We first met through being local female business owners. I started a stationery store and boutique, Shindig Paperie, and Bea started the original Pressroom in Bentonville. Bea contacted me in 2017 as she knew I was looking to do something new and she was too. She had always wanted to start a creative maker space and I wanted to do a more textile focused retail shop. We decided to combine our efforts to create Hillfolk.

Textiles have always been my first true love. I studied Apparel & Textiles at the University of Arkansas for undergrad and continued with a graduate degree in Design & Merchandising with a focus on textiles at Colorado State University. My background is not as focused in the maker area but more on textile design, history & cultural traditions.

-What types of workshops does Hillfolk offer?

Trisha: The mission of Hillfolk is to preserve & promote textile & fiber art traditions of the region as well as providing a space for learning and creating. The classes are typically one time workshops but we hope to add more advanced classes and ongoing series as we grow. We teach some of the classes ourselves, while others will feature local and national visiting artists. Bea teaches all of our knitting classes.

Bea-For me, the mission of Hillfolk is simple. I believe everyone should experience the joy of making things. We are here to provide materials, support, and space to make that happen. The intention is to have low commitment one day classes, drop in help with projects, and we will eventually offer more involved workshop series, where the community can further develop skills in knitting/dyeing/sewing, etc..

-Are there any workshops offered for children?

Yes we do occasionally offer workshops for kids and our weekly Wednesday open craft night is always full of children working on projects! We offer lots of classes for kids AND beginners, to make people comfortable with whatever craft they are learning..

-Do you have to be experienced in textile work in order to attend and participate in the workshops?

No, our classes typically focus on beginners. We have found that our more advanced clientele comes to us for materials and products rather than the actual workshops. The workshops tend to be people looking to learn something new. Many of our advanced knitters come to our weekly knit/craft night to hang out and work on projects with others.

-Where are Hillfolk products sourced from?

Trisha:Our retail shop offers a thoughtful assortment of materials for making and tools for your own creations, including our own Hillfolk yarn line that we developed last summer. In addition, a curated and inspiring mix of handcrafted goods & textiles for the home by some of our favorite local and international artisans. This includes quilts, candles, apothecary goods, ceramics, books & more.

Bea: Trisha and I laugh all the time about our eclectic assortment of goods. Our main ethos is we want to carry lines that are produced ethically by small companies and artisans. In the maker space, we are carrying a line of Hillfolk exclusive yarn that we worked with ranchers and mills in Colorado and Wyoming to develop. We are carrying a small assortment of beautiful fabric by the bolt so that you can create your own masterpieces at home and a variety of notions so that you can pickup everything you need for your project right at the shop.

-Did you always plan on a Bentonville location? Any plans to source a second location?

We always planned on being in Bentonville yes. We don’t currently plan on a second location as we are trying to grow our online presence and strengthen our worksop and retail offerings at the current space.

PRODUCTS I LOVE

A few of my favorite items are the candles!!! Their soy candles transport you to wonderful far away places!
It is a hard decision between the two ! ( so I recommend both)
No. 1 Aux Arcs: leather + rosemary + amber 🤎 No. 2 Fleur de Aux Arcs: rose + sandalwood + oakmoss + amber
They are both hand poured in Arkansas too!

Also love the Buffalo River Tea Towel! Clean up with their tribute to the Buffalo River, an Arkansas treasure. Approximately 26"x 26", 100% cotton. Designed in collaboration with local artist and illustrator Tram Colwin. Printed in the USA. Machine wash cold & tumble dry low or line dry. The Buffalo River is an area of Arkansas that I love so much!! I have so many fond memories of my time there so this tea towel is very special to me! I really hope I get the Ozark Native Wildflower Tea Towel for my birthday next month as well as the Ozark Folk Instruments Tea Towel.

I also love the Indigo Dye Kit!! I purchased one over the holiday and Jenna and I will be sharing our blog post soon where we documented the step-by-step of dying our own indigo bandanas with the Hillfolk organic indigo dye kit. Inside the kit you will find two cotton bandanas, and all the materials and instructions you will need to create an indigo vat, as well as make unique patterns with the Japanese art of shibori. All materials are non-toxic, and are lovingly packaged at the store in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The Hillfolk indigo kit contains the following:

- (2) 100% cotton bandanas
- organic indigo
- iron
- calcium hydroxide
- assorted tools for shibori
- latex gloves

And of course I am so happy they feature amazing brands like my beloved Zelma Rose!!! I was gifted this gorgeous Estero Hand Woven Necklace in Indigo! I had it in the bone color but wanted the indigo so bad!!! The beloved Estero Necklace takes a cue from the great yonder, inspired by the deep shades of desert flora across California. Big skies, miles to wander, and rich with color, the natural beauty and intrigue of our California deserts evoke a love for adventure. The perfect pairing with your well worn denim, or the showcase piece for an epic life celebration, the Estero Necklace will become your go to accessory to express your signature style. Each Estero Necklace is hand woven in an original pattern of knots and weaves designed to create a stand out necklace that is beautiful, durable, lightweight, and incredibly comfortable to wear. I just love that Hillfolk introduces the community to many makers all over the U.S!