Monday, November 23, 2009

Seasonal Sparkle from Drakesflakes


words by Chelsea McMahon

With each person I meet it seems that people’s true talents and ideas are unearthed in such unpredictable parts of life. Take drakesflakes for example, a company crafting designs as delicate as the snowflakes which inspire them from the same machines as the sprinklers, pumps, and bearing houses at Hooke Machine Co. in Canadensis, Pa.

After earning his mechanical engineering degree, Drake Hooke, the creator of drakesflakes returned to his home in the Poconos to work with his father at Hooke Machines – a family business that currently hosts a full-time staff of 15.

The very first drakesflake (and creative venture for Hooke) was made as a Christmas present for his mother, a lady who seemed to have just about everything. His sketches were created on the computer, and made with the shops machines. Drake’s mother loved the gift and requested that he make more the following year, and the business kind of grew from there. Still drafted with CAD (computer-aided design programs) technology, Drake’s elegant snowflakes can be found in 72 designs that crop up at craft shows and retailers across the country.

When asked if drakesflakes will expand into other themed products and designs Drake replied, “You’ve got to be careful and focus on just a few things, and do them really well.” He plans to keep plugging away at his snowflakes– for the clientele he has been fortunate enough to build relationships with. He is thankful to be able to manage all of this with the help of his assistants, Mary Ann Miller and Ryan Gearhart.

Each design is created from aluminum, which will not rust and can be passed down from generation to generation; this is the very idea that Hooke puts behind his work. “These designs are so not much about holidays, but they are about winter – which makes them timeless and classic – it lasts forever.” And each flake has its own name, taken from places around the world that people have been to – “as long as the place is cold,” he said with a laugh.

Drake’s lovely jewelry and ornaments can be viewed online at drakesflakes.com, or you can find them at Theo B. Price of Mountainhome, Josephine’s Fleur-de-lis in Stroudsburg, or this holiday season at Christkindlmarkt in Bethlehem.