One of the nice things about working in Chelsea in Manhattan for a while was the occasional weird surprise, just walking through the neighborhood.
Maybe two years ago, some promotional company took over a whole bar/restaurant and turned it into a pilgrim tavern. Upstairs there were free drinks and food and downstairs, there were craftspeople and displays. I made a cornhusk doll at the cornhusk dollmaking booth.
There was also a parchment expert. He just sat/stood there working a skin and I chatted with him – turns out his family has been making parchment for many generations. It’s a tradition and business that has passed from one family member to the next. It is a peculiar business now – though I imagine parchment was once much more in demand.
