Gifts from the old world on Cherry Street

Europa shines bright at Christmas, and beyond

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
December 22, 2020

Tom and Kim McMurtry own and operate Europa, which offers traditional handcrafted gifts from the old world right in the heart of Black Mountain. Photo by Fred McCormick

Finding the world’s oldest known Christmas market would require a trip to the City of Dresden, the capital of Saxony, Germany. Local merchants set up the first Striezelmarkt in 1434, and in the nearly six centuries that followed the annual holiday event would grow to attract millions of shoppers seeking traditional European crafts through the Advent season each year. 

The market is one of many traditions from the old world that continue into the modern age, which captivated Black Mountain business owners Tom and Kim McMurtry when they first visited Europe more than two decades ago. As they returned each year, their growing appreciation and reverence for the culture and hand-crafted goods inspired them to bring a taste of the continent to Cherry Street. 

Europa opened its doors in downtown Black Mountain in 2014, nearly 15 years after the couple began regularly visiting the continent from which it borrowed its name.  

“We went on a Christmas trip one year, and we fell in love with the Christmas markets,” Tom said. “The German Christmas markets are a fantastic thing to experience, and that served as an inspiration for a lot of what we carry in our store.”

The couple, who met while attending Montreat College where they would later teach together during their careers in academia, found an opportunity to share their passion for fine handcrafted European gifts. 

“I walked by this building one day when I was picking up take-out from the Veranda,” Tom said of the brick structure with large windows facing the quaint shopping district. “There was a for sale sign in the window and I got right in the car and called Kim.”

The location was ideal for displaying and selling the traditional European wares the McMurtrys would find on their regular trips overseas. 

“We purchased the gallery that was here, but we immediately knew that we wanted to sell things that we liked from Europe,” Tom said. “We wanted to find a way to let the people who visit this community from all over the world find authentic European collectables right here in the mountains.”

The most wonderful time of the year

Kim began researching Polish pottery, German cuckoo clocks, hand-made nutcrackers and a wide variety of traditional merchandise. 

“Our store appeals to people who have been to Europe, or lived there, and they recognize the items,” Kim said. “It’s also appealing for people who have wanted to go, and to the growing number of people who are now tracing their DNA and learning that they have roots there.”

And, while crafts like hand-painted German beer steins or French-made folding pocket knives can be found at markets around Europe throughout the year, the Christmas season is when they shine the brightest. That spirit is reflected at Europa. 

Kim McMurtry carefully arranges items in her downtown Black Mountain business to provide the feel of a traditional European market. Photo by Fred McCormick

“We intentionally do things to bring out the Christmas spirit,” Tom said. 

That is apparent when strolling by the carefully decorated shop, where the windows offer a glimpse of a wooden German nativity arch, Morovian stars and Christmas Pyramids. The scene is framed by four lighted Christmas trees outside Europa. 

“A big thing for the holidays is treats, like Scottish marmalade and other food items from several countries,” Kim said. “The trees out front are directly inspired by what we saw in small towns in Germany. They put real trees outside with no stands, and we try to make it feel like a Christmas market when you’re walking in.”

Carefully crafted Christmas ornaments line the walls in Europa while a large wooden nutcracker, a permanent display in the store, welcomes shoppers. 

The gift of culture and history

While the holiday season is always a special time for Europa, locating merchandise that best represents the theme is a year-round endeavor for the owners. 

“We don’t like buying products that we have not held in our hands,” Tom said. “You don’t really know the true quality until you’ve seen it being made or until you’ve held it and had the chance to examine it closely.”

The couple regularly attends trade fairs, meeting face-to-face with craftspeople and carefully curating potential inventory. 

“We spend a tremendous amount of time researching the products,” Tom said. “These trade shows are very large, often with many vendors and thousands of people. So, when you get to the vendor you’re looking for, you don’t have a lot of time in that spot.”

The couple is “constantly looking for new products,” Tom added. 

 “We don’t want to be stagnant,” he said. “We keep an eye on what’s trending in markets over there and we look for new things based on feedback from our customers, as well.”

Hand-painted beer steins from Germany are among the many authentic European crafts that Tom McMurtry, and his wife Kim, carry in their downtown Black Mountain shop. Photo by Fred McCormick

One increasingly popular service has been the recent addition of a database that allows Europa access to 1.2 million surnames originating from the region. With a growing number of people learning more about their ancestral connections in Europe through DNA testing, the software allows the McMurtrys to create armorials tracing the lineage of the surname. 

“An armorial gives you a coat of arms and family mottos, if they were used,” Tom said. “We can also print out a history of that name, which also provides names of influential people who were part of that lineage and quite a bit of information about the origins of the name.”

Europa can also print coats of arms on t-shirts and has plans to work with a Scottish embroidery company to supply custom merchandise. 

“Just right here in Montreat we have the Montreat Scottish Society, which represents multiple Scottish families with connections to the area,” Tom said. “And, there are many additional connections to other European cultures in WNC.”

The specialty shop carries a wide range of unique products, like hand-made pipes from France and Italy, shirts made in Germany and Delft pottery from the Netherlands. 

“We pride ourselves on being a place where people can find gifts that aren’t easy to find in this area,” Tom said. “But for us, it’s about carrying the stuff we love while bringing European culture and history to Black Mountain.”