The Latest Version host Betsy Bush talks with interviewer Nancy Steiner about her years selling German nutcrackers and other Christmas decorations in the early years of the internet. As a German speaking American who travelled to the former East Germany in the mid-1990’s, Betsy recognized that these genuine handmade wooden crafts were not readily available yet in the U.S., nor were the folk art origins behind the nutcracker figure and many other ornaments well known. Betsy founded her home-based business, Drosselmeier’s Handcrafted Treasures from the Land of the Nutcrackers, in 1998.Topics include:A trip to the former East German state of Saxony, discovering the Village of Seiffen, the center of the toy-making cottage industry in a region called the Erzgebirge, or Ore MountainsStarting a home-based business in the early days of the internetTelling a real German nutcracker from the impostersThe meaning of the nutcracker and smoker figures in the folk art traditionHaving a gift business in the awkward space between bricks and mortar and the internetThe surprising history of the Nutcracker ballet and American Christmas traditionsWhat to consider if you go into a holiday-based businessUsing journalism skills to get PR“Know when to fold ‘em”Betsy Hills Bush is the host of The Latest Version. She recently graduated from Columbia University with a second BA majoring in Architecture. She has multiple interests including gardening with native plants and singing in her church choir. She serves on the board of several nonprofit organizations in Westchester County, NY.ResourcesThe Latest Version Christmas Episode:  https://youtu.be/LKGFD4lmvFgYouTube: “Discover Seiffen: Germany’s Christmas Village” https://youtu.be/J9Gw2UEN54YouTube: Martha Stewart Living: Betsy Bush with her nutcracker collection https://youtu.be/AuSvWtvLHVIAn excellent article on Seiffen in the Ore Mountains by Ann Mah for the New York Times Travel Section with photographs and maps:Dreaming of an Artisanal Christmas by Ann Mah, NYT 12/18/19An excellent book about the Nutcracker ballet:Nutcracker Nation: How an Old World Ballet Became a Christmas Tradition in the New World by Jennifer Fisher (2004)

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