Michael Phares

Mike has been a wayward artist for most all of his life, well at least since the age of 12. He started college as an art major but life led him in a different direction. Now retired from excessive traveling, he has time to return to his art work with a shop at the Branson Mill Craft Village in Branson Missouri, making pen and ink drawings of the hundreds of pictures he took “going some-place else.”

When asked about his artwork Mike shares his passion and ideas almost contemplatively,

“I prefer pen and ink drawings, I always have. They are remarkably revealing of light and dark, and how they play with each other. Composition is critical. Each picture has messages to tell you. The messages might be of disappearing times, of things of your youth, of things you haven’t seen, or of things you can see today.”

“I like that. It is straight-forward and not overly complicated by style, color, and obscure detail that oftentimes can rob a drawing of its true message.”

“Pen and ink drawings go directly to your heart.”

“Nature speaks for herself – in a thousand separate ways. For me, that is more than enough reasons to continue to try to depict it as truthfully as I saw it.”

When your travels take you through the Ozark Mountains be sure to stop by and see Mike. He loves to share his pen and ink drawings, pictures of his travels, and stories of the same and maybe, just maybe, a cup of coffee!

Eddie and Debbie Wood

Crooked Sky Trading Post located inside the Branson Mill in Branson Mo. Is a unique leather shop. Featuring handmade leather goods from custom belts, gun holsters, billfolds, credit card holders, cell phone holders, guitar straps, gun slings, and lots and lots of misc. leather goods. There top feature items are custom designed, hand beaded belts , and hand beaded guitar straps. If you look around Branson, many of the top entertainers in town are wearing some of Crooked Sky Trading Posts hand beaded guitar straps.

Owners Eddie and Debbie Wood have a passion for Native American Heritage, and so have included many Native American products in their store such as: peace pipes, dream catchers, bow quiver and arrows, leather mandelas, turtle bags, possible bags, hand beaded bags and moccasins, and rugs, just to name a few.

In keeping with the Native American theme, they have a large selection of vintage turquoise jewelry, with pieces ranging from the 1920s thru the late 1970s. Many of the jewelry pieces are one of a kind, signed by the artists. Jewelry includes rings, bracelets, necklaces, pins, earrings, and unique squash blossom necklaces.

Eddie & Debbie Wood have been married going on 37 years, and love being able to use there talents they have learned over the years into there products they sell. Eddie’s background of leatherwork started back in the 70s during his early rodeo days when he rode bulls professionally at rodeos all over the country. With traces of Native American heritage in there backgrounds, they love creating beadwork that will be handed down from generation to generation.

If you are in or around the Branson area, Crooked Sky Trading Post is a must see stop on your trip. Each piece of custom designed and handmade products in our store, is made with the customer in mind, in hopes they will enjoy our products as much as we enjoyed making them . You might even get to see Eddie aka (Rattlesnake Eddie) while you are there. Eddie is a big fan of westerns and portrays that thru his clothing he wears everyday as Doc Holliday. So when your in Branson come on bye and say “Howdy”. We look forward to seeing you!

Cindy Canfield

Cindy Canfield was born in Farmington, Missouri in 1960. Her dad(a Korean War Veteran) was a carpenter/dairy farmer/factory worker, and her mother was an upholsterer and accomplished seamstress. Growing up on a large farm, Cindy gained an appreciation for nature and animals. She was always creating. Using materials that were cast-aways from her parents she built sculptures from scrap blocks of wood, and decorated fashions for her pet kittens with fabric scraps.

She took as many art classes as possible during high school and attended School of the Ozarks(where she learned the craft of weaving) and earned her BA and lifetime teaching certificate in 1983. In 2007 she earned her MA degree from Lindenwood University.

Cindy taught high school art at: Steelville, Miller, and Strafford, Missouri. She taught art to elementary students at Hollister for the past 20 years with a total of 29 years. Teaching afforded her great travel experiences including Mexico, New York, Chicago, Italy, France, and United Kingdom.

She recently purchased a 40inch loom and began discovering she loved working with fibers. Cindy acquired a second loom (22inches) this past summer. Even though it takes approximately 15 hours to warp a loom for rugs, she enjoys seeing the patterns form and choosing different color combinations, and textures for her creations. What pleases Cindy the most is seeing others enjoy her creations.

She recently battled cancer and says weaving has become a therapeutic tool for her. It’s a family thing for her shop at the Branson Mill. Her husband, John-”the go-to-guy” with the help of her children: Clara SeLeena, age 17, Nellee age 13 and Maclee age 10 have created works of art that compliment her shop. Her mother (Dale Collins) sews stuffed animals, and makes jams, jellies, and salsas from her home-grown tomatoes and fruits and berries.

If you like Cindy Canfield’s work, stop by Branson Mill where you will see her creating!

The Branson Mill Craft Village is a 60,000 square foot specialty retail shopping center and working craft village combined. Anchored on one end by Coleman, the world’s leading manufacturer of camping gear and outdoor equipment, and on the other by Tequila’s Bar and Grill, a full service Mexican restaurant with two locations to serve you during your stay in the Ozarks.

The heart of the Branson Mill is a working Craft Village of 40,000 square feet devoted to craftsmen demonstrating their skills in leather carving, china painting, oil painting, wood carving, silversmith, scrimshaw, pottery, copper colorist, etched glass, custom framing, custom sign making and much much more. In addition to these fine artists demonstrating their skills, there are 150 showrooms of upscale home furnishings, accessories and crafts, with many one-of-a-kind items and best of all it is open to the public at no charge.

We’re also home to Big Jim’s Sandwich Shop & Deli which serves deli sandwiches, hotdogs, ice cream, and more.

While visiting our food court for lunch or dinner you just might be delighted by the music driftin’ over from the “Pickin’ Porch” right next door where luthiers Art and Faithe Reid of ArtFolk offer a stage to local music talent. Banjos, guitars, mountain dulcimers, hammer dulcimers, and a fiddle or two make up just some of the musical instruments you might hear any given day. For good down home gospel and bluegrass there’s no place like the “Pickin’ Porch” at ArtFolk in the Branson Mill!

The Branson Mill Craft Village is open seven days a week. Simply give us a call or write to us for more information.

The Branson Mill Craft Village
3300 North Gretna Road
Branson, MO 65616

(417) 334-8436

We specialize in serving buses and groups with just about the best level motorcoach parking in town, one stop shopping, and two full service restaurants on premise.

Call or fax us a day ahead of your arrival and we’ll have our craftsmen and artists alerted as to your arrival, our restaurants stocked and equipped to feed you and a free show on our very own “Pickin’ Porch” for your listening enjoyment!