Big Bear's Lodge Podge brings arts, crafts people together - Spectrum News 1

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BIG BEAR, Calif. — Big Bear already got its first snow of the season, and that is good news for Joanne Norton, who counts on the seasonal ski crowd for her handcrafted jewelry business called Deep Forest Designs.
Norton is just one of a handful of local artists/craftspeople at Lodge Podge, which was conceived as a one-stop shop for buying arts, crafts and antiques. It's also a hub for artists to support each other.
"Last year was grim for most people," Norton said. "And even in Big Bear when we were super busy, there wasn't a lot of shopping going on. There were a lot of stores that weren't open."
Norton has been making handcrafted jewelry for 34 years, but COVID and its variants like omicron can destabilize small businesses like hers. Norton says Lodge Podge, which opened earlier this year, with its collective approach of having many artists under one roof, might help weather these economic uncertainties.
"This has been an absolute godsend for me and for so many other artists," Norton said. "We're like one large family. You know, it's like, 'All for one, and one for all!'"
Dawn E. Hartmeister is the owner of Lodge Podge and Rotary Club president. Given the ebb and flow of the pandemic, he was not sure if it was a good idea to start a new business venture that depends so heavily on tourist traffic.
"We lost so many stores, so it seemed against the grain to start something new," Hartmeister said. "Then again, it was needed."  
But so far, omicron does not seem to be keeping visitors away. Hartmeister said business is good, and with another snowfall expected to attract even more skiers, the Lodge Podge family is buckling up for the holiday rush.
"It's really going to just take off and then those weeks between Christmas and New Year's. That's the season," Hartmeister said.
But how will the omicron variant impact seasonal sales? Norton said Big Bear is all about being outdoors in nature, and for many coming here will be an escape from the pandemic. He predicts that will translate to solid sales numbers.
"People are shopping like crazy," Norton said. "It's a godsend for us who had a really, really rough year."

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