Finding Finklestein's

The creatures from Finklestein’s Center aren’t sad, but the slightly low slant of the hand stitched mouths and the dark, Gorey-esque eyes make you want to cuddle them just a little bit more.
That was more or less the idea behind their creation, according to artist and Finklestein’s Center owner, Michelle Jewell.
“They’re not really your typical, bubbly kids’ toys. They’re more melancholy and I think that makes them more relatable. We aren’t always walking round with big, bright smiles. These guys sort of look like they’re a little nervous or uncomfortable; like they could use a hug,” says Jewell.
The idea for Finklestein’s Center evolved about four years ago, when Jewell, a James Island resident, decided she’d had enough of the corporate life and began saving as much as she could in anticipation of taking some time off. She didn’t know what she wanted to do, but she knew it didn’t involve working for big companies.
“I didn’t have a direction or plan, which was scary because I’ve always worked and I don’t really consider myself much of a risk taker,” says Jewell.
She tried her hand at a few different projects at first and began creating clothing accessories. Since her mother, a seamstress, taught her how to sew when she was young, she began stitching some interesting trinkets and in her spare time, drew sketches of odd, somewhat askew creatures with a shade of melancholy. She never really thought her pastimes would go anywhere.
“Then someone said to me, ‘Cool sketch, you should make one of those.’ And I thought, ‘Why not?’” says Jewell.
The first few creatures were such a hit that she began taking them to markets and selling them on the weekends. She also began experimenting with fabrics, eventually settling on a combination of soft, blanket-like fleece for the bodies and vintage fabrics for the hand-crafted clothes and accessories.
“It was exciting to see other people getting excited about what I created,” says Jewell.
Today, Finklestein’s Center employs three part-time sewers to keep up with demand, although Jewell still designs each figure, cuts out the patterns and adds the final hand-stitched personalities herself.
Along with more recognizable animals such as pigs, elephants, sheep and bears, Jewell also makes creatures that aren’t quite of the natural world. With names like “spiked fur friend” and “horned monster,” the creatures of Finklestein’s Center all seem to have an air of the mythological.
“My characters are all normally a little outcast and on the strange side. I can definitely see a little of myself coming through in them; that feeling of always being a little nervous in my own skin. I also draw a lot of my inspiration from classic children’s stories and fairy tales, like Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grimm. You really don’t read stories like those anymore,” says Jewell.
While Jewell has a selection of creatures that she makes regularly, she also gets special requests on a fairly regular basis. From creating doll versions of a bride and groom to a six-foot-tall octopus, Jewell enjoys the challenge of taking someone’s idea or image and turning it into a three-dimensional creature.
“I did a project for one guy for his niece’s birthday that was really fun to do. The top part looked like him but the bottom half was a horse, in centaur fashion. He had little deer antlers and a camera around his neck, since he’s a photographer, and a figure representing his niece riding on his back,” says Jewell.
She’s also created a line called “nippy animals” that have been very popular. Simply put, it’s the creatures without their shirts, little stitched “x”s for nipples, and a small, appropriately placed button.
“I get a lot of requests for creatures without their shirts,” says Jewell, smiling.
Jewell and the Finklestein’s Center team are currently gearing up for market season with the approaching holidays, but she has a lot of interesting ideas for future characters and projects. Check out her site, www.finkcenter.com, for new creature updates, craft show appearances, and special requests.
Finklestein’s Center creatures can be found at Spacecraft in West Ashley, where Jewell plans to offer a creature making class this fall, as well as at the bi-annual Lowcountry Artists Market, Mixson Market in North Charleston, and Mac & Murphy on Cannon Street in downtown Charleston.
 
Spacecraft is located at 8 Avondale Ave. For more info about the fall creature making class call 284-MAKE or visit www.spacecraftstudios.com.