Click here to see the Sept. 19, 2009, Neighbors section in its entirety


By Erica Bowlin for the Times-Tribune

I just can’t sit still, I like to stay busy,” said Joyce Gaddis as she walked through her gift shop, The Pied Piper, in Corbin.

Every what-not is meticulously placed, every necklace carefully hung. Ceramic sculptures and candles adorn the counter tops. Silver and gold necklaces with brightly colored stones fill the glass cabinets.

“I just added jewelry, but there are all kinds of other fun things too, most of it is what Herb and I have made..” she said.

“She likes to stay busy, and so do I,” said her husband, Herb. “We started with ceramics, and just kept making things from there.”

The couple will celebrate their 39th anniversary later this month. And it’s obvious by looking at the things on display that the two make an excellent team.

“We met and got married in 1970, and he really is my best friend. He has supported me in everything I have ever wanted to do, and he’s always been there for my three children, which I had from my first marriage,” Joyce said.

“I was in nursing school at Eastern when I became interested in ceramics. There was a shop close to school, and I would go by there on my days off,” she said, and added “I was so interested in crafts and art, but I was getting ready to graduate with my nursing degree, and I knew I needed to put my education to use.”

In 1980, Joyce did graduate and became a registered nurse. She took a job in the obstetrics department at Corbin Hospital and worked as a nurse for the next 20 years.

“But making things is what I always really loved to do,” she said.

Barely a month after graduating in 1980, Joyce walked into a ceramics shop in Williamsburg. She liked the idea of making her own artwork and found out the shop was for sale.

“So I just decided to buy the shop. I started out with about 200 molds, and it just kept growing from there,” Joyce said. “If I decided I wanted to go out of town to market, or if I wanted to take a class or anything, Herb went right with me. He would do the molds and I would do the painting. We knew if we wanted to be taken seriously, we’d have to get certified. So we did, and once we became certified, we started teaching classes.”

From then on, the couple remained busy.

“I worked as a nurse and he worked for the railroad,” she said.

They continued making ceramics, learning to paint with oils, gardening, and caring for their beloved dogs and cats. The couple traveled to trade shows and festivals, all while continuing to sell their artwork in the shop in Williamsburg.

Joyce said that creating things with your hands and imagination brings great satisfaction that is difficult to describe.

“I remember one night years ago, I was down in the basement painting on a piece, and I really got into it,” said Joyce. “I remember it was the Lord’s Supper, and I just kept painting and painting. I looked up, and I couldn’t believe it. It was three in the morning, and here I was — painting in the basement.

“You really feel like you have accomplished something when you make it yourself,” she said.

After retiring, Joyce made time to make the things she had always longed to create. The children had grown up, and she and Herb felt more excited than ever about making things together.

Then in 2001, a year after opening a new, bigger gift shop in Corbin next to their home on Fifth Street, the Gaddis family endured a trying time. Herb was having trouble seeing out of his left eye, and felt wobbly, but went to work anyway. Later at home, Joyce saw Herb was getting worse, so she hurried him to the hospital, where they learned Herb had suffered a stroke.

He remained hospitalized for 23 days and had to relearn how to walk.

After much therapy, and sheer determination, Herb recovered and is now working tirelessly in the shop, the basement and the yard.

Joyce remembers Herb’s desire to get better, no matter how painful or tough it seemed.

“If they asked him to walk ten steps, he would make sure and walk twenty. You could see that it wasn’t comfortable, but he didn’t complain,” said Joyce.

“I have never seen someone so determined in all my life.”

Herb and Joyce don’t let anything get in the way of their dreams.

They are working more now than ever, and are loving every minute of it.

About five years ago, Joyce discovered that she also had a talent for making jewelry.

“Herb and I were at a crafts store in Knoxville and we decided to sit in on a jewelry making class,” she said. “I really enjoyed it, and it was so interesting, so I started buying pieces. I started collecting beads, stones, and started making them. Now, making jewelry is probably my favorite thing.”

Joyce and Herb hope to open up the new improved shop on Fifth Street in early October. All types of handcrafted gifts, trinkets, holiday items, along with jewelry will be on display.

“I think I am going to call it ‘Pied Piper Gifts and Jewelry,” said Joyce.

“I am also going to start giving ceramic classes. I really love to teach people, it is so fun.”

“I always try to keep things reasonably priced so everyone can afford it. I will also do layaway for larger purchases,” said Joyce.

Joyce said she is proud of all the things she has made over the years. But what she is most proud of is not any of the ceramics, nor the porcelain dolls, nor even any of the jewelry... What she’s most proud of are her children.

Her oldest, Sandy is an attorney in Corbin, and her youngest, Michael, works for the railroad. Danny, the middle child, is a federal judge.

“I am just so proud of them. They are my greatest accomplishment.”

The Pied Piper is located near Scuffletown Road on Fifth Street.

For information on registering for ceramic classes or to order custom pieces, call Joyce and Herb at 526-8938.

Erica Bowlin is a former Miss Whitley County. She is a mother and homemaker currently living in Lily. She can be reached at ericalynnbowlin@yahoo.com