Artistic Process: Finkelstein’s Center
Six years ago, Michelle Jewell and her husband were visiting friends in Charleston. Thinking this would be a great place to live, they flipped a coin: heads they move to the Holy City, tails they go back to the Upstate – a lease was signed that very day!
While working for the hip and trendy Urban Outfitters store, Jewell was longing to do something creative and be her own boss. In January 2010, she quit her job and started her own company – Finkelstein’s Center. “It’s an interesting name that you do not hear often,” says Jewell. And it happens to be her dog’s 4th middle name.
Finkelstein’s Center is a toy workshop for the “forgotten things to be reborn,” remarks Jewell. “It’s a facility for materials to be upcycled, many times from donations and thrift stores that are washed and repurposed.” With the Van Morrison Pandora station playing in the background, the Center is a positive environment in her James Island house, filled with things that inspire her. Love and imagination goes into each stuffed creature and animal that is made here.
There is no defined plan when beginning, as she wants each piece to be unique. However, there is usually a sketch that starts each idea. The fabric is hand cut. The torso is made with plush, soft, durable fabric. Stitching by hand or with a sewing machine and stuffing the toys come next, and this is when they get a form. Jewell says, “I sit back and look at it. It’s an organic process. There are no patterns; everything is hand cut and no two are alike.” She started doing toys that were funky and strange creatures at first, but people could not tell what they were. “Animals are what people like the most,“ admits Jewell. Each one gets their own personality, complete with clothes and/or accessories. 
You can find Michelle Jewell’s Finklestein’s Center on Etsy and Facebook where she updates her page daily with new pictures of her stuffed toys. She also travels all across the Southeast selling at handmade markets and is working on placing her toys in local stores. Prices vary from $8 – $70. She hopes the toys will help people to be passionate about supporting local artisans and the community that it creates.
Custom orders are welcomed. Provide a picture of someone, like your favorite tattooed sailor, and get him made into a stuffed toy.
finkelsteinscenter@gmail.com
words: Colleen Deihl
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