Have you been wondering what, exactly, you’ll find at Crafty Supermarket? Voila! Our 2009 Vendors page is now up, with all the fantastic crafters who’ll be hawking their wares at our show!
Many of the 19 crafters, makers and artisans come from Cincinnati, some are from further away. Some are familiar faces on the indie craft show circuit, others are brand new to it. We’ve got knitters and printers and artists and button-makers, and even an embroiderer.
Leapin Lizard in Covington is looking for crafters for its second annual craft show Nov. 28 and 29 (the weekend after Crafty Supermarket!). A booth is $65. If you’re interested, e-mail leapinlizzz at mac dot com with images or a URL and a description of your work by Nov. 1.
The first 50 shoppers at Crafty Supermarket (and our esteemed vendors) will get swag bags full of goodies! If you want to promote your craft business, project or local store, you can send in promotional items or samples to be included in the bags. These can be postcards, business cards, stickers, coupons, flyers, samples or anything else you dream up that’s smaller than a breadbox.
Send in up to 75 (we prefer at least 50) of your item by Nov. 10, and we’ll put it in the swag bags for the lucky shoppers to see! You can mail your stuff to:
Grace Dobush
The Artist’s Magazine
4700 E. Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45220
Because this is a family-friendly event, we ask that your promo items have no profanity or nudity.
in preparing for this epic indie craft show, we’re looking for sponsors! if you’re a cincinnati business or a crafty business or just a supporter of craft, you can reserve a space in our show program and reach out to the hundreds of people we expect for this show.
A quarter page (2 3/8 x 3 7/8 inches) is $20
A half page (5 x 3 7/8 inches) is $35
A full page (5 x 8 inches) is $60
We’re also collecting promo items for our swag bags, which is a great way to reach our crafty audience. For more info, or to reserve your space, contact me at grace dot dobush at gmail dot com.
Holy crap, what a response! Alisha and I have our work cut out for us, but we will notify all vendor applicants whether they were accepted for Crafty Supermarket by Oct. 10. There is no doubt in our minds that this is going to be a kick-ass craft show.
Gather your thoughts, round up your pix, get your typin’ hat on and submit your work! The deadline is Wednesday, Sept. 30. When the clock strikes 12, we will all turn into pumpkins and fire up the old Excel to start digging in!
This discussion can get pretty esoteric really fast, but it’s worth addressing. Crafty Supermarket is an indie craft show—not a craft show, not an art show. What’s the difference?
The lines are fine, but I think of indie crafters as people who work outside the system as much as possible. Making stuff by hand, using unique materials and doing it themselves.
I addressed this very topic in my book, Crafty Superstar, because the “indie” term gets thrown around so much lately:
Some people say screenprinted T-shirts aren’t handmade enough to be DIY. Others include vintage wares under the indie umbrella. Some exclude wares created with mainstream craft kits. Some indie crafts are one-of-a-kind. Some are made entirely from scratch. Some blur the line between fine art and traditional craft. Some blur the line between trash and treasure.
I think of “indie” (stemming from independent) as the visual contradiction of combining granny craft techniques with punk sensibilities. A classic example of indie craft (that’s been completely co-opted by big box stores) is a knit scarf with pink skulls on it.
Indie craft is really similar to indie music in terms of exclusivity. When it’s underground and exclusive, the look has the organic street cred corporate types salivate over. Eventually, the trend catches on with the general public, gets diluted and overdone, and by that point it’s totally over.
When it comes down to figuring out whether you fit in a scene or under the indie umbrella, the most important thing is to stay true to your ideals and aesthetic. Who says you need a label, anyway? (And the indie musicians would totally agree.)
You can learn a lot more about the indie craft movement in Faythe Levine’s documentary “Handmade Nation.” Faythe talked to a lot of the movers and shakers in the craft world, and the film is finally touring the US! (And I interviewed her for my book!)
crafty supermarket! 