About FOLK Ware
There runs a thin, invisible thread through it all. Whether you know it, see it, or accept it, we've all felt it for a long time. Boundaries and borders are nothing more than man's creations trying to distinguish and draw difference in a kind that only differs in the way it expresses it's indomitable light.
The desire to explore, curiosity to create, pressure to improve, call to gather, and inescapable yearning to share your story with the world are all knots on that thread that runs through each of us, and our cultures.
FOLK Ware is a canvas for communities and cultures to elevate what matters to their tables and tribes to the world.
FOLK Ware is founded on three universal principles:
- Everyone has a story to tell, and a right to tell it. FOLK Ware wants to elevate your story through our designs.
- We each have a purpose in making the world a better place. FOLK Ware commits earnings to causes that directly benefit the regions and storytellers that our brands embody.
- We're not picking who sits at the table, but rather focusing on making the table bigger. FOLK Ware is invested in the lifting of lesser heard voices in a way that empowers.
Around these parts, and all parts, We Are All FOLK.
The spirit of FOLK Ware is guided by two fellow Appalachians, Chase Chafin & Austin Widner. Hailing from opposite sides of the Russell/Smyth counties in Southwest Virginia, Chase & Austin have held their roots in the region while their passions pulled them abroad.
FOLK Ware is their effort to elevate Appalachian voices & tradition while celebrating the beauty, creativity, indominable spirit & kinship of our region.
Austin Widner & Chase Chafin
Photo by Ashli Linkous
Austin Widner is a proud Appalachian and entrepreneur from Saltville VA, who is currently residing in Asheville NC with his wife while working for an environmental services company and leading a variety of ventures. Graduating with an MBA from UVA's Darden School of Business, Austin is active in the Appalachian policy and business realms, and considers himself a professional roadie for a number of Appalachian music acts.
Chase Chafin is a multi-instrumentalist musician & artist from Castlewood VA, currently residing & raising his family in Johnson City TN. Chase has toured the world & performed on five studio albums as a founding member, bassist & tour manager of Appalachian country rock band 49 Winchester.