Do you remember: The Cottage was a magical place for many aspiring artists
Published 3:30 pm Sunday, September 27, 2020
- The Cottage in New Iberia in the late 1970s was a one-stop shop for arts and crafts supplies and is still remembered today by then-young inspiring artists throughout the area.
Many people in the Teche area remember visiting The Cottage to get the arts and crafts supplies they needed when they were younger.
Located on Main Street in the late 1970s, The Cottage was the go-to spot for many in the area when they had a project due the next day or wanted to make decorations for the holiday.
For so many it is still remembered to this day as a place they loved to visit.
Laura Edmunds, like many, would go to the Cottage when she was younger and would see all the art possibilities the local arts and crafts store offered.
“It was wonderful,” Edmunds said. “Every imaginable thing from embroidery hoops to paints — oils and acrylic, canvas — for stretching, millions of brushes.”
Aside from the sights, Edmunds also remembers the smells of the paints, woods and yarn that covered the walls. She said she could barely move around inside the store, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“There was a little portent there as I bought my mom a hand-carved owl for her birthday, cute but abstract,” Edmunds said. “That place was a treasure.”
Like Edmunds, Carlos Bedia also has fond memories of the Cottage. His son, Carlos, took art lessons from George Watkins at the Cottage and it was there he was able to hone the artistic skills that he showed as a child.
“Since computers is his passion, art is second fiddle,” Bedia said. “Before he began extensive lessons George told me he has a lot of great qualities about art.”
Art was always a passion for his son. Bedia would enjoy watching his son at 3 years old sitting with his grandmother, a self-taught artist herself, to do art projects. Bedia said he enjoyed seeing them share their love of art and The Cottage was a big part of that.
“At 11 years old he drew a charcoal drawing of a shrimp boat with the reflection of the boat in the water,” Bedia said.
The Cottage was a special place for aspiring artists, both old and young, including Kelli Kaufman, as she called local arts and crafts store a “magical house” for her and what it did for her artistically.
“I remember discovering kneaded erasers and charcoal for drawing there, much cooler than a number 2 pencil and eraser,” Kaufman said.
