Ann Stover Bell was raised in Arlington,Virginia. She settled in the hills of East Tennessee, began growing broomcorn and making brooms 28 years ago in pursuit of a self-sufficient lifestyle. Annie is featured on the Heartland Series and Tapes. Seven of her brooms and a corn husk mop are on Permanent Display at The Tennessee Aquarium Wall of Folk Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Also, four of her brooms are in Foxfire's Permanent Collection at Rabun Gap, Georgia. Annie is a contributor to the recently released Encyclopedia of Appalachia in two catagories, dolls and hearth brooms. She is a member and past-vice-president of Foothills Craft Guild in Tennessee and a member of Southern Highlands Craft Guild in North Carolina in partnership with her husband Steve Bell.
Steve Bell, born in East Tennessee, brought his background in forestry and agriculture to the partnership when marrying Annie in 1994 by jumping the broom and jumping into the broom business. His skillful hands and heart share her passion for wood and natural materials. He has designed and executed several innovative and unique variations on an old brush style, some of which have proven to be marketable. Steve is a member of Southern Highlands Craft Guild of Asheville, North Carolina.
As instructors of broom making at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina, Annie and Steve teach students from all over the country.
