Support Our Makers

Makers / British Columbia

Snow Cottage Carvings

Community-listed

Castlegar, British Columbia · Own site · snowcottagecarvings.com

Small businessMain products hit

Dave Francis carves basswood Santas by hand in Castlegar: 5-inch Tall Hat Santa head ornaments at $90 each, 6-inch Chubby Santas at $160 to $180, Santa figures from 9 to 18 inches at $200 to $700, one-off pieces like the 12-inch Polar Pals at $850, and carved Frosted Evergreen Trees from $150, each one painted and wax-finished by him.

HTS 4420.19.00Wooden ornaments and statuettes50% since Aug 22, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff barrage against Canada has had far-reaching impacts in unexpected places. B.C.-based Santa ornament-carver Dave Francis is one of those impacted.Source: cbc.ca, Aug 26, 2026

Hand-carved wooden Santas are statuettes and other ornaments of wood, HTS 4420.19.00 on the CBP Section 338 list, so every carving Francis ships to an American collector carries a 50% duty on top of the price, in effect since August 22, 2026: about $200 on a $400 twelve-inch Santa and $45 on a $90 Tall Hat ornament. CBC's Hanomansing Tonight named him on August 26, 2026 as one of the Canadian makers the tariffs reached.

Visit the shopClaim this listingRequest removalChecked 2026-09-10

In their own words

  • U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff barrage against Canada has had far-reaching impacts in unexpected places. B.C.-based Santa ornament-carver Dave Francis is one of those impacted.

    CBC News, Hanomansing Tonight · cbc.ca, Aug 26, 2026

    A five-minute Hanomansing Tonight segment titled "Canada-U.S. trade war hits Christmas ornaments" names Francis as one of the Canadian makers caught by the new duties.

Quoted word for word from public posts and articles. Owners can claim the listing to add or remove a quote.

Made in Canada

Every figure is cut and carved in one Kootenay studio - "Three hours drive North of Spokane, Washington, in the West Kootenay town of Castlegar,British Columbia, is the wood-carving studio of Dave Francis" - and Francis says "All of the pieces are carved in the old-fashioned way, with good old-fashioned hard work. I do not use any power tools other than a bandsaw to cut out the basic starting shape."

On the tariff list

  • HTS 4420.19.00 · Wood marquetry and inlaid wood; caskets and cases for jewelry or cutlery and similar articles, of wood; statuettes and other ornaments, of wood; wooden articles of furniture not falling within chapter 94, Statuettes and other ornaments, Other · 50% since Aug 22, 2026

    The galleries price carved wooden Santa figures by size and sell them from the site's own basket: the "Well Balanced Diet Santa" runs from "9" ($200)" to "18" ($700)" and the "Maple Leaf Tall Hat Santa Head" ornament is "Size: 5" ($90)". The maker says "I almost always use Basswood" and that every piece is "carved in the old-fashioned way". Carved wooden figurines are statuettes and other ornaments of wood under HTS 4420.19.00 on the CBP Section 338 list.

Rates are the additional US duty under Section 338. About the tariffs

Sources