The shoemaker explained that every
pair of shoes he made had at least a days labor in it. He kept busy,
but he also answered a lot of questions. One of the more interesting
this he said was that goat leather is refered to as "Morrocan leather",
and shoemakers were sometimes refered to as "Morrocan Ambassadors". He
gave me the impression that most colonists bought professionally made
shoes.
The Millaner spent most of her time talking to visitors to her shop.
She explained that even back in the mid 1700s, women were slaves to
fashion. They kept up with what was going on in London through letters
and newspapers. She also talked about an English woman who came over
and plied the trade for a few years before going back to London. Much
of the ribbon and fancy cloth was imported at that time.
The Silversmith didn't say much while we were there.
I suspect this building would have
been more interesting with an archaeologist to explain the meaning of
the ruins.