SOUTHERN MAKER: Sweeping Beauties

Florence, Alabama, broom maker George Jones Jr. continues a family tradition with flair

- MARISSA WU

WHEN GEORGE Jones Jr.'s great-grandfather began crafting brooms during the Great Depression, it was because he needed another source of income to support the farm he managed. Jones' grandfather learned the skill too. But by the time Jones himself was taught to create brooms in 1986, it was less about survival and more about beauty. This Jones aimed to make the family trade his own.