Friendswood Brooms

08/23/2024

One of our brooms is featured in the current issue of American Craft magazine. Diana always makes our brooms look good in her photos.

04/29/2024

Wedding season is coming soon! Here are some recent wedding brooms we've been working on.

09/11/2023

07/16/2023

We were featured in the new issue of Carolina Home and Garden. Thanks to Diana Gates Photography for the awesome photos.

03/28/2023

Another successful Wicked Witch of the West broom! This custom piece debuted in Lyndonville Central School's production of the "Wizard of Oz".

09/30/2022

Latest batch of Friendswood Flyers ready for the fullmoon and Halloween! These range from $150 - $300.

05/26/2022

Corbin, third generation broommaker, working on his original design. He welded two camshafts together for this one.

10/02/2021

All the best dressed Wizards and Witches are sporting Friendswood Brooms this Quidditch season.

06/19/2021

New moose antler design. It took a few months for it to decide what it wanted to look like. Very pleased with the result, even if it took forever...

09/14/2020

Diana has been working around the clock to get our Website updated. There are lots more pictures of Ralph and his brooms from the past 5 decades. If you want to see some funky brooms from the 70's and learn more about Ralph's story, check out the new and improved website.

http://friendswoodbrooms.com/our-story/

Our father, Ralph Gates, received a phone call in 1973 that would forever change our family. Ralph had been working as a software-systems engineer at the Kennedy Space Center on the east coast of Florida. His job with Grumman, contracting with NASA, helped put man on the moon and it was an exciting....

08/26/2020

Some of our brooms are being featured in the focus gallery at the Folk Art Center. These are some of our latest creations and the stories that go with them. They are available to view and purchase in person at the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville or online at https://www.southernhighlandguild.org/shop/

05/06/2020

Here is a link to The Southern Highland Guild's Spotlight Exhibition: "Home in the Blue Ridge Mountains." Enjoy ours and 9 other Guild Artisans in the exhibition that we are each excited to be a part of.
https://www.southernhighlandguild.org/news-stories/meet-the-maker-marlow-gates/

Since 1930, The Southern Highland Craft Guild has created a network of over 900 artists & mountain craftspeople selling jewelry, pottery & much more.

05/02/2020

A little video we made recently promoting the Southern Highlands Craft Guild
https://youtu.be/nqbVO22bCrQ

Marlow Gates making brooms in his studio in Big Sandy Mush, North Carolina. Marlow is a 2nd generation broom maker who learned to make brooms from his father...

02/18/2020

Here is some of what I've been up to this week here at the John C. Campbell Folk School. I've been enjoying being the Artist in Residence this week.

10/20/2019

Having a great time in the Village of Yesteryear here at the North Carolina state fair. If you're in Raleigh anytime this next week, come by and say "Hello".