"Gritgoods" is a play on my real name, Margaret Goodson but refers to the combination of gunmetal (the Grit) and genuine stones (the goods).

I have a long-time appreciation for handmade Goods that started with getting handmade Christmas ornaments every year from my family. My Grandma painted canvases and gourdes, made ornaments, small baskets and even did some wood working. My Mom paints silk, my sister is a photographer and web designer, and my aunts make jewelry, hand painted tiles, baskets, and pen and ink drawings. I also admired the artwork I grew up with. Paintings by Georgia O'Keefe and drawings by M.C.Escher inspired me to blend linear and organic qualities in my work.

I studied ceramics at UNC Asheville and in 2002 earned my B.A. in Art then really fell in love with jewelry after a stint at the Gallery of the Mountains in the Grove Park Inn in Asheville 2004. After 8 years of exploring my own jewelry designs I find I am inspired by my artistic family and my wonderful supportive friends (alternate names for my cluster styles included "30 friends" and "circle of 7") and I am most inspired by my environment. I just moved to Greenville, SC where I have a wonderful large space in which to work and create new designs. And I love nature, especially spending time in the mountains and hiking. I love the details in plants and animals so I often create work that is detailed and time-consuming. When I wear my stone clusters I love the sounds they make when the stones clink together as much as I love the sounds of leaves blowing in the woods.

The Goods are currently featured in 9 shops and galleries in North Carolina and South Carolina, 5 of which are in downtown Asheville including Woolworth Gallery, Hip Replacements, Pura Vida and The Kress Emporium. On the North Carolina coast you can find Goods in Blue Moon Gallery on Ocracoke Island and River to Sea Gallery in Wilmington. In the spring and summer look for me at arts and crafts festivals in the Asheville area, like Big Love Fest, The Big Crafty and LAAFF.

Gritgoods makes every effort to have a low impact on the environment and buy locally. My business cards, tissue paper, and gift boxes are all made of 100% recycled material. I have a local supplier for stones, buy many supplies from my neighboring state, Tennessee, and also support many Etsy supplies sellers. I buy less than 5% of my supplies overseas. I keep sterling bits for recycling and support local movements like the Asheville Grown Business Alliance and Just Economics. Gritgoods is also a member of the Asheville Etsy Street Team.

Thanks for reading up on me! Please contact me with questions, and enjoy browsing my shop.

get some Grit in your Goods.

find me on facebook as "Grit Goods" to get coupon codes, updates and new listings.

I'm also on twitter and flickr as Gritgoods