Crafting in the Midwest: Renegade Chicago and Strange Folk St. Louis Accepting Artist Applications

Julie Finn — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:31:52 +0000

I am currently a Midwesterner. I stand in line for sweet corn every Saturday at the farmer’s market. Every April, I cheer on my students who ride in the Little 500. Heck, John Cougar Mellancamp lives in my town–is that Midwest enough for you?

As an indie crafter, I’m always bummed that the majority of awesome indie fairs–Maker Faire, most of the Bazaar Bizzare locations, three-fourths of the Renegades–choose to operate on the peripheries of the continental U.S. (it’d probably suck even more if I lived in Hawaii, but I’m willing to bet there are compensations to make up for the inconvenience of living in Hawaii).

So I’m always extra stoked when there are good, national-level indie craft fairs that operate right here in the heartland (occasionally known as the “armpit of America”). Here are two good ones, and how to get involved:

Will the Economic Downturn Negatively Affect Indie Craft Fairs?

Julie Finn — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:24:38 +0000

My first craft fair of the season was this weekend, and it suuuuuuucked. Well, partly sucked. Most of the stuff that I really like about craft fairs was still there–checking out the other vendors, gossiping with customers, my daughter drawing with permanent markers on brown paper bags at my feet.

There was really only one thing that didn’t happen: the buying.

There was looking, mind you, from the fewer than normal customers who attended the craft fair. There was admiring. There even was buying, of some of my items in the $1-$5 range. Overall, though, it was slow, slow, slow.

It was a pretty conventional craft fair, with a few fair trade craft or indie craft vendors like myself. And it left me wondering–is this whole craft fair season going to suck?

Green Options » handmade for the holidays

Crafting in the Midwest: Renegade Chicago and Strange Folk St. Louis Accepting Artist Applications

Will the Economic Downturn Negatively Affect Indie Craft Fairs?