About
The Martins
Prior to the museum’s opening, Nathan and MaDonna Martin worked with Dr. Mark Cook of Shelby, who had his mother’s (Mrs. Margaret Cook) massive collection of nutcrackers. The couple had just opened Flossy’s, an antique shop that had been a life-long dream, and decided they could also house and display the nutcrackers in the unused portion of the building. They got to work renovating the remainder of the building and loaded up a 26-foot U-Haul with approximately 3,000 nutcrackers.
As an electrician, Nathan was in charge of lighting and building display cases, while MaDonna worked on the arrangement and layout of the museum. MaDonna’s goal was to have a modern display that would allow the nutcrackers’ array of colors to shine as well as have ample space for each nutcracker to be seen. After 8 months of hard work, Nutty for Nutcrackers celebrated its official opening on June 27, 2024. Since then, the museum has been expanding its collection and display as well as its stock of nutcrackers for sale.
Margaret Cook
Mrs. Cook married a WW2 combat veteran in 1948. She noticed that when some GI's returned from Europe they possessed German nutcrackers. Mrs. Cook loved the nutcrackers' expressions, vivid colors, and the numerous varieties available, so she began collecting them.
A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Mrs. Cook raised three children and worked various jobs. Throughout her life, she lived in WV, NC, and FL, and is buried next to her husband Gregg in Bradenton, FL. She loved life, had a wonderful sense of humor, and remained young at heart until her heavenly homecoming at the age of 95.
Margaret Cook's Christian faith was foremost in her life. This theme was evident in her favorite thoughts often expressed in letters or dedications:
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing dismay you
All things pass, but God never changes
Patience attains all that it strives for
He who has God finds he lacks nothing
God alone suffices.
Her prayer and ours is for you to be nutty for God, nutty for family, nutty for veterans and first responders, and nutty for nutcrackers!
Dr. Mark Cook and the Martins after the grand opening of Nutty for Nutcrackers!