Guitar strap maker earns trip to the White House
Edgewood artisan picked for showcase
A business owner from rural New Mexico earned a trip to the White House to show off her unique guitar straps.
Annie MacHale, who owns Weaver Guitar Straps in Edgewood, was selected as New Mexico’s representative for this year’s Made in America Product Showcase. The showcase, which will be held on Monday, brings local businesses from all 50 states to the White House to celebrate American-made products.
“I think it’s really exciting,” MacHale said. “It’s a place with so much history.”
MacHale was in her late teens when she saw someone weaving and decided she wanted to try it herself. Since then, she hasn’t looked back.
“It was one of the best decisions of my life as a 17-year-old,” MacHale said.
MacHale moved to Edgewood, 30 miles east of Albuquerque, from the San Francisco Bay Area, leaving behind a 9-to-5 job in favor of a slower pace of life.
“We knew that we wanted to be somewhere close to Albuquerque, but not in the city,” she said.
MacHale said her tool of choice, the inkle loom, works well for narrow, intricate designs, and her guitar straps fit the bill.
MacHale makes each strap by hand, creating unique designs from cotton. Some designs are custom orders, while some come
directly from MacHale’s own mind. However, she stressed that each design is unique.
When White House officials called a couple weeks ago to invite her to the event, MacHale said she was taken aback.
“It took me a while for me to register who was calling,” she said, laughing. “I thought it was someone selling something.”
Still, after talking with the owner of Albuquerque-based furniture maker Ernest Thompson, who was invited to the showcase last year, MacHale decided she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
When MacHale left for the nation’s capital this week, she brought a piece of Albuquerque’s cultural scene with her: a Southwestern-series acoustic guitar from Pimentel & Sons Guitarmakers.
Rick Pimentel, president of the custom guitar company, said he met MacHale two years ago and was very impressed by her cotton guitar straps.
Since then, Pimentel & Sons has kept a collection of straps from Weaver Guitar Straps on display at the store. Pimentel said the handmade straps complement his company’s handmade guitars perfectly.
“We’re very honored that she picked out our guitar to come with her,” Pimentel said.
The showcase itself will take place at the White House on Monday morning. For the rest of the trip, MacHale said she intends to explore some of the sights in Washington, D.C., including the Textile Museum.