Jessica H.
Yelp
We visited as part of a group and knew next to nothing about the location in advance, other than it was place to "learn about handicrafts and see demonstrations". It is indeed that.
Within about five minutes of stepping foot on the property, however, I promptly turned to the group organizer and asked "okay, who owns this place?" because I was getting some interesting vibes. Some indications that this is not a nonprofit, museum, or other historical place. The women, many of which looked like young teenage girls, working in the various stations were dressed in homemade, modest clothing with long, braided hair. At first you think perhaps this is period dress, but the men are walking around in blue jeans and current clothes. No one braids that well just as a "work uniform".
We toured around a half dozen buildings, each one dedicated to a specific "craft": baskets, fibers, grist mill, blacksmith, pottery, cheese making, etc. Each one did have some information on history or background as well as at least one worker creating a product and willing to discuss and demonstrate their work. But the VAST majority of the spaces was dedicated to the finished products for sale, and to say they are pricey is an understatement. A large basket was priced at $450, when asked how long such a basket would take the worker, she answered 3 hours. So the workers are expecting $150 per hour for their goods? That's expensive. I don't know many executives that bring home that amount, it's equivalent to almost 300,000 per year.
Another example was a soft, but very small and very thin blanket for $125. A scarf for $150, etc.
The personnel were nice and inviting, but I was put off by how much of each space is designated for goods for sale versus learning. There is no admission fee, so I guess any amount over zero is "fair" technically. I did not like that the prices were unapproachable, because at the end of the day if there's not much learning and not much to afford, there's not much sense in going?
My kids enjoyed it, and that's what earns it 2 stars. Another star for having friendly, well informed staff. Loss of two for price and commercialization, and for not being particularly forward that this is a commercially designed property for the sole purpose of generating income for a religious group that lives communally onsite. Not that that would have changed my mind, but I honestly thought we were going to a museum or historical center.
Lastly, in one of the craft houses a worker looked over our group of moms and children and asked "and how many families are these children from?". Call me suspicious, but I *think* she just politely asked if we were sister wives.
