Beginning in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri more than twenty years ago, Doug Sheridan started his business creating unique one-of-a-kind and custom items for the home. Now located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, the business, Designs in Copper, crafts copper and glass into garden stakes, glazing globes, suncatchers, iridescent globes, bird feeders and oil lamps. SUNSPOTS is the retail operation of Designs in Copper.

It was a commission from the historic home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, which took Designs in Copper to its next level. Doug Sheridan, sole proprietor at the time, was commissioned to design and construct candle lanterns to be used as luminary along walkways at the historic site.

In 1989 after marrying, Doug and his wife, Caroline, decided to make the leap from the small retail craft fair circuit to the wholesale world. It was the New York International Gift Fair that proved to be a turning point; they were now competing alongside handcrafted, imported, as well as mass-produced product lines.

After moving the business next door to a glass blower, a new line of products emerged which married copper and glass. Again the business took a huge leap in demand. Now employing nearly forty people, the business has recently moved into a renovated 75-year-old brick warehouse in the heart of the City of Staunton. The 3-story historic landmark has allowed for increased production, additional storage of inventory, and onsite storage of all production materials.

SunSpots is the retail operation of Designs in Copper.