News

April 29, 2026

Welcome to our updated website! We've been back in the shop for a little over a month now producing lots of new and beautiful brooms. We will have regular posted hours again soon.

August 10, 2022

Our toll free number is no longer active! We are happy to call you if you text 250-227-9245 or email northwovenbroom@gmail.com with your number to avoid long distance charges. We are late to update things on our website this year but we have been in full swing in our shop since the spring. We are currently open from at least 9 to 5:30, seven days a week. We are taking orders but some things may take a little longer depending on availability and shipping rates have risen considerably.

October 15, 2021

We have recently adjusted our hours to 10–5 MST, seven days a week as we shift into our fall production. Getting in touch ahead for orders and in-shop visits is a good idea as we will likely be returning to our seasonal rhythm and unable to fulfill orders through the winter. Our hours may be more variable as the weather changes. Thanks for another great season, all of your support, and patience!

June 3, 2021

I’m happy to share some of what I love about broom making, mountain biking, sailing and the many things that I love about living in Crawford Bay in this brand new video from Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism for the “Our Place” series. Looking forward to sharing it with more people again soon.

May 7, 2021

We have quietly been back in the shop for over a month now, but as the season has turned warmer and our doors can be wide open with good ventilation it’s time to let everyone know! You should find us here from at least 10–5 MST seven days a week. We’re happy to fill orders so get in touch if you’d like something shipped.

February 17, 2021

Shaw Spotlight featured North Woven Broom recently in this short video. I’m looking forward to getting back into the shop in person this spring — enjoy this virtual tour for now.

January 11, 2021

Thank you to everyone for your support and patience through the last year. We are feeling blessed and grateful for having had a good year despite all of its challenges. We are now closed for the winter months but are not far from the shop and continue to accept phone and email orders. We look forward to visits again in the spring.

October 20, 2020

We have adjusted our open hours at the shop but are continuing to produce brooms seven days a week for a little while longer. We can be found at the shop from 10 to 5pm MST daily.

June 5, 2020

We have rearranged our shop to improve physical distancing and have begun to open our doors to visitors again. You will now find us in the shop seven days a week. We’re still happy to ship to Canadian customers and now customers in the US too. It feels good to be getting back to work — we’re asking visitors to respect the space of others and use hand sanitizer before entering. We miss you all and have been putting in an effort to make things safer.

March 29, 2020

Check out this video about The Artisans of Crawford Bay and our very special part of the world.

March 22, 2020

Dear customers and friends,

This is usually the season when we are beginning our operations and welcoming visitors into our store but things will be a bit different for now. We will be taking orders over the phone and through email. Leave us a message with your return contact details. At this time we will only be able to fill orders for Canadian customers. You can view our catalogue here and we can be reached at 250-227-9245.

We have been working on an evolving plan to respond to this crisis for protecting our staff, our customers and our community — right now that means we won’t permit public entry to the workshop. We also await further guidance from the province and medical leaders to adjust this plan accordingly.

We will for now continue to produce our unique brooms. We really appreciate your patronage through your orders. If you are local we can process credit card payments over the phone or accept email money transfers and arrange contactless deliveries outside of the shop — please call us if you’d like to arrange something.

Be safe and take care,
Luke

February 16, 2020

We are currently closed for the season but are looking forward to the start of our 2020 season in early April. We are currently accepting applications for our Broom Maker’s Assistant position for this season. Contact northwovenbroom@gmail.com for more information.

Older news (2008–2019)

October 6, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving! We’re adjusting our hours a little bit after this weekend. You can find us in the shop at least 10–5 MST, seven days a week for the rest of October.

April 11, 2018

A new season begins! We’ve been getting back at making our beautiful brooms with renewed vigour for a few weeks now and will be resuming full hours soon. Give us a ring to place an order or stop by!

November 17, 2017

We are now closed for the 2017 season. Thank you to all our customers for making this a wonderful year. We look forward to seeing you in the spring. In the meantime keep in touch with us on Facebook and Instagram.

April 27, 2017

A taste of our craft, filmed in 2015.

We’ve been busy in the shop and are now working seven days a week 9:30–5 MST. Visit our Facebook page for more news and photos including some from a recent concert with Oliver Swain held in the broom shop.

March 22, 2017

We are back for the 2017 season! We aren’t open seven days a week yet but you will find us at the shop at least Friday to Monday 10–4 MST. Give us a ring if you’re coming through or would like to place an order, 250-227-9245.

October 16, 2016

We are winding down our 2016 season. We continue to be open 9–5 MST seven days a week to the end of October, then occasional hours to the middle of November. Deadline for Christmas orders is mid-November, after which we will be closed until March. Here’s a recent KBTV interview with us at the shop.

August 5, 2016

Happy summertime everyone! This summer has seen record visitors to the shop with brooms flying out the door, so to speak. We are making brooms every day to keep the inventory up. Come and visit Luke, Willow, Megan and Kaylah at the broom shop. We are open 9–5:30 MST seven days a week.

November 26, 2015

November 27 is our last day open this year. We can take mail orders until Sunday November 29th, but we will be closed for the season after that. Time for the broommakers to rest and look for some beautiful wood for next year’s brooms. We will be back open in March.

October 17, 2015

Check out a recent Shaw TV video about the retirement of broommakers Janet and Rob Schwieger and the takeover by Luke Lewis.

May 20, 2015

It’s official! Luke Lewis is now the proud owner of North Woven Broom Inc. His aunt and uncle will still be around to help out with the transition and Willow will be returning. Come and visit the broom shop this summer and take home a beautiful broom.

March 15, 2015

The Ides of March was a turning point in Roman history and very bad luck for Caesar himself, but for us broommakers, a whole new season is upon us. It will be an exciting year as we transition ownership of North Woven Broom to our nephew Luke. Some of you may have met him at the shop these past two years. Rob and Janet will not be far away supporting him in his undertaking. We are open April 1, seven days a week — but Luke will keep some hours before that, so call or email ahead if you plan a visit.

December 6, 2014

We are now closed for the season until early April. It is snooze time for the broommakers in between gathering wood for broomsticks and resting the muscles to be ready for next year. Barefoot Handweaving in Crawford Bay has a selection of our brooms if you are in the area. Keep warm this winter and have a Happy New Year — from broommakers Janet and Rob, Luke and Willow.

October 18, 2014

After Canadian Thanksgiving we do not keep regular hours, but may be there Friday–Sunday 10–4. Please call ahead to confirm. 250-227-9245. We are still taking mail orders. If you are in Crawford Bay when we are closed, you can find a selection of our brooms at Barefoot Handweaving.

September 5, 2014

We now have an official Facebook page: facebook.com/northwovenbroom. If you are searching Facebook, please use the ‘local business’ North Woven Broom, not the one which was started by an unknown fan.

August 14, 2014

Carved lightning bolts on our rustic birch brooms are now available for $80. Come and visit Crawford Bay and see some amazing artisan shops.

April 16, 2014

Springtime greetings to everyone! We are back open again, making lots of brooms for the upcoming season. Our shop is open 9–5 MST at least, seven days a week.

October 4, 2012

Our final day open for 2012 is Wednesday, October 10. Thank you to our amazing customers this year — every one of you has been a pleasure to talk to. Soon enough Rob and I will be in search of next year’s manzanita branches. We are excited to introduce our nephew Luke Lewis to the broom world. He will be working for us next year and will help make the broom season easier for the 20-year veteran broommakers.

April 12, 2012

We are now open for the 2012 season, 7 days a week, at least 9–5. PBS Spokane Northwest Profiles featured our business on April 26, 2012. Sweeping Beauty — watch it on YouTube. Also, check out the RV West magazine Broomsticks and Sunshine article about our winter travels.

October 21, 2011

2011 has been the year for film crews and sending brooms to Disney. Watch for Northwest Profiles on PBS Spokane sometime this fall. We have been filmed by Selkirk Loop, Tourism BC, Kootenay Rockies, and a Quebec travel show. Watch RV West for an interview about our winter travels into the sun.

October 6, 2011

Next Tuesday the 11th of October will be our last day open this year. We will be away for a week, back for 10 days to fill mail orders, and then gone for the winter. It has been an amazing 7 months, but we are looking forward to some downtime.

June 3, 2011

Our shop is full of brooms and we are looking forward to our busy season. Cochise Stronghold manzanita is as spectacular as usual. We welcome back our full time assistant Shirley and our long time helper Willow who returns for weekends this summer.

October 22, 2010

We are thrilled to announce the birth of Granville Island Broom Company, under the ownership of our daughters Mary and Sarah Schwieger, and friend Jori Bohm. Mary and Sarah managed our shop for many summer seasons over the years. Visit their beautiful shop on Old Bridge St. while in Vancouver, or see their website broomcompany.com.

September 22, 2010

Another tourist season is almost over, and the broommakers will be open until just after Thanksgiving, around October 15. We are excited to head into Arizona again in November to begin our annual collection of dead manzanita branches.

March 4, 2010

Spring is here, and so are the broommakers. We had an amazing winter in Pearce/Sunsites, Arizona and collected a bunch of manzanita deadwood from Cochise Stronghold B&B land. Thank you so much to Nancy and John at cochisestrongholdbb.com for letting us prune your manzanita. What a beautiful and powerful place it is on this planet of ours.

October 30, 2009

Just yesterday we ‘put the shop to bed’ which was a bit sad, but an indicator of our time off coming up. We took all of the remaining brooms away from the log walls and hung them with good airflow around them. As it becomes colder, the foot-thick logs do their work and the whole place becomes a bit of an ice cube, making it fine to store the remaining brooms for the winter. I feel like our shop vibrates most of the year with positive energy, so putting it to bed feels odd. I guess it needs a holiday too. Happy Hallowe’en and winter.

October 14, 2009

It is hard to believe it is the end of our 2009 broom season. We are closing our shop at 2pm October 15, until March 1st. It was an excellent year — thank you to our many customers from around the world who came to visit our shop.

July 24, 2009

Happy summer everyone! Our brooms will be used in two new movies being filmed in Canada: Gunless (filmed in Osoyoos, BC) and Black Field (Manitoba).

March 4, 2009

Our broom business and Janet are featured on page 14 of Country Woman Magazine, April/May 2009 issue. The photos are by Randy Giesbrecht of blackknightphoto.ca.

February 18, 2009

Greetings. The master broommakers and their assistants are rested up and ready for a new year of broommaking. We will be producing and open four days a week — Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday — starting February 27th and for the month of March. After April 1st, we are open seven days a week. Bring on springtime!

January 3, 2009

Happy New Year! We are off gathering beautiful natural branches. See you in early March.

October 15, 2008

Our broom shop is on snooze mode and the broommakers are taking a break. However, we are taking orders until Christmas. Happy Hallowe’en!

August 2008

Many of you have seen the Highways Magazine article (Good Sam Club) June issue. We are honoured to be considered a must stop, but note that the author was in error about us making brooms for the Harry Potter movies. We produced brooms for the publishers of the books, and brooms for other movies.

June 8, 2008

The broom shop is as full as it will be this year. Any day now we will be selling more than we can make. Even the broommakers are impressed!

June 2008

We recently sent a selection of brooms to Martha Stewart Living in New York for a photo shoot. A short handled cobwebber will be in the October 2008 issue, page 51.

June 2008

North Woven Broom received special mention and was selected Editor’s Pick on the 2009 Rand McNally Road Map as part of the sites to see along the Selkirk Loop.

April 6, 2008

You can find a link to the CBC North By Northwest interview of the Crawford Bay Artisans here: North By Northwest — scroll down to ‘Crawford Bay’.

March 11, 2008

Check out page 42 in Canadian Home & Country magazine, April 2008 issue, to see one of our brooms in their ‘green laundry’ toolbox display.

March 10, 2008

Childsplay, from Tempe, Arizona will be using one of our brooms in their upcoming play.

March 3, 2008

The shop is now open for the season! We are back into production Thursday through Sundays for early March, after a month in Arizona gathering our new supply of manzanita branches.

February 16, 2008

We are working on our new website. Finally after many years with our old one we are making some much needed changes.

© North Woven Broom Inc. 2026