Looking for something unique to give to a friend or loved one? Something that will bring a smile to their face and make them think of you everytime they see it? Well you might want to take a little trip to Waterville... Carruth Studios Garden Smiles Gift Store, located at 211 Mechanic St. Waterville, OH, is a hidden gem full of unique gifts by the talented George Carruth and other artists. One man's vision to take a lump of clay or ordinary stone and create a piece of art bloomed into a thriving business for years to come for the Carruth family. George Carruth worked as a sculptor for American Greetings Cards in his late 20s, he started carving images on stones with basic hand tools simply as a way to practice and refine sculpting techniques while enjoying the outdoors. His wife and biggest supporter, Deborah, saw the potential in his work and encouraged him to enter various art shows to exhibit his one-of-a-kind garden stones. After traveling around the country to numerous art shows, Deb (who handles the business-end of the art studio) was approached by the owner of a mail order gift and garden catalog. She convinced George to cast his original designs in stone so multiple version could be produced and sold at more affordable prices. His first cast piece, the cat birdbath, was featured on the cover of David Kay's Garden and Gift Catalog.
George and his daughter Libby collaborated to publish two children's books. If I Were a Dinosaur and The Boy Who Loved Birds were written by George Carruth and illistrated by Libby who is a freelance illustrator. The pictures are gorgeos and these would make great gifts for any child.
Other fun gifts you can find are Garden Freak gloves, wind chimes, ceramic mushrooms and even darling one of kind bird houses. Covid has had its impact on this family owned business, for example some popular items have taken much longer to arrive than normal but they are open for business and ready to serve you! You can visit https://www.carruthstudio.com/ to see the complete collection that is available.
