Tryyn Wooden Spoon Gallery

There is no better store I know which sells the beautiful assortment of wooden spoons and other fantastic carvings. There are also pices of jewlery which include old beads with a history and his smooth carved shapes. The store owner is William V. Chappelow and he has made the most interesting gallery of wooden implements and other wood carvings in all of San Diego County.
No way do I think his prices are high. The work is that of a master crafstman and he deserves to recive the amount he asks;l in fact more but he is willing to accept the area he has his shop and lives in. It is somewhat off the beaten path, but woprth the trip on Old Hwy 80 to get there.
On his property, he has created a gallery of work by very talented artists throughout the County of San Diego, including some very famous people. This is a wonderful place to browse.
I have purchased many pieces of his wooden carvings and some from the gallery. In fact, I displayed some of my work and sold one of my faviorite paintings, despite the fact that I was rather reluctant to sell it. It was my best piece depicting my feelings and vision following the 2003 wildlife fires in Cuyamaca
I continued to paint these after the heart breaking wildfire of 2007. It broke my heart to lose the beauty of the areas I used to hike there. But time has repaired much of the damage and though I won’t hike there yet, I am glad that it’s restoration continues.
I truly hope many tourists, as well as residents of the county, will take the time to make this short detour from interstate * and discover this great gem!

Stopped in on our way to Julian and what a fun gallery/​shop. Bill, the owner/​artist couldn’t be nicer. And so talented. Beautiful wood spoons and other utensils. But these are not ordinary spoons. Each has its own unique shape and curves. Half the fun was looking for images within the shapes. Bill includes care instructions for your purchase but my lovely Black Locust wood stir fryer (looks like a rabbit to me!) is going on the wall.
Each item is tagged with a humorous description. I purchased a «Marinated Octopus Arms with Bougainvillea Petals Stir Fryer» and a «Really Creamy Goose Liver Pudding Kerplopper»! Bill also creates fan pulls, bookmarks and more.
The gallery also has gorgeous pottery and glasswork. Another small building has additional pottery and paintings.
Take a few minutes and stop by to relax, enjoy and chat.

My guy and I stopped in after seeing a pamphlet at Major’s Diner just down the highway. I was intrigued and really wanted to see the beautiful utensils in person.
I loved them. Not just for the physical craftsmanship in assembling them but for the artistic manner in which the wood was selected and used. The way the grains were highlighted and the unique curves in each piece spoke of patient and peaceful actions.
I meant to inquire how the wood was gathered since some of it seems so exotic but we spoke of other things and it was totally forgotten. I’ll try to remember for next time.
I selected a piece for myself and one for a dear friend who loves things that are black. (And artistic. And locally made.) She will receive one made of Ebony wood. As I went to the counter the extremely friendly fellow in the shop showed me a really gorgeous utensil and I chose it instead, quite happily. He said my purchase came with a small gift so my dear one selected a tiny little utensil that I imagine will spread almond butter or grainy mustard superbly.
I’m the sort that loves to use and enjoy beautiful and beloved things on a daily basis so I’ll be following the care instructions carefully. The next time we stop by I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to help myself from getting one of the purpleheart paddles that seemed perfectly made for rice. The prices could seem high if you forget how much time is worth. They seemed fine to me given that our selections will last a lifetime with diligent care. I’ve seen small shops on the east coast charge a great deal for equivalent products so I found the prices refreshing, actually.
If you have some time for conversation and like to speak with intelligent and compassionate individuals I think you really must stop by. You’ll probably get a lot more out of the encounter than a carefully crafted spoon.

Stopped in to leave some stuff in a geocache, which the owner of Tryyn allows on his property.
He does this because it gets folks like me to stop in and discover something interesting that I would not have otherwise found!
It’s a craftsman’s shop of spoons, ladles, bowls, and other creations from hardwoods varying from the backyard maple tree to Hawaiian koa and African cocobolo.
I found the items to be a little pricey for what they are, but then again I am a woodworker and I can make them myself. Most people will not think a $ 45 price tag on a rice paddle to be too much — and hey, they’d make a good gift.
Even more interesting than the product is that the owner seems to know a heckuva lot about southern Californian artisans (pottery, glass, et cetera) and a bunch about architecture and art movements.
A very interesting place to peruse, and sure to be a good conversation if you have a few minutes to spare.