Craft Lake City

Entertainment

We heard about a local event that we just couldn't miss - and I'm so glad we didn't!  Craft Lake City  is an annual festival held in Salt Lake City, Utah, celebrating alternative arts and crafts and all things handmade.  Not just anyone can have a booth or table in this festival.  Artisans submitted their applications and 130 of the best crafters in Utah were selected by a panel of local artists.  In additions to all the booths, local music artists performed on a stage set up for the event.  Walking through the festival felt much like browsing Etsy, but better.  There's nothing quite like seeing arts and crafts up close!

My neighbor

One of my neighbors was fortunate enough to be selected for the festival.  Her business, Vinylicious, seems to be doing well.  She's been at it for a few years, starting small with her Etsy shop, and now selling on a consignment basis through local shops and directly to the public at festivals.  She told me that she no longer has the time to manage her online shop.  I'm just jealous because she has an amazing amount of inventory and can handle these festivals!  Her products really stand out and I haven't run across anything like them anywhere else.

Since my husband doesn't really involve himself in the day-to-day running of our Etsy shop, I pointed out to him things in the booths that reflected many of the trends I had noticed on Etsy.  There was some Amigurumi, a wide variety of upcycled items, and tons and tons of hair accessories.

Really cute way to display earrings

I took some pictures along the way and picked up some business cards from some that were my favorites.  

Felted dogs and stuffed sock creations

2nd Skin Leather - masks

Pink Lemons Studio had cute felted dogs, including a beagle (I have 2 beagles). 2nd Skin Leather had the most amazing (and scary) leather masks and some corset dresses.

Arrow necklaces

Verla Ivans had arrow necklaces that reminded me of when my sons were in Cub Scouts and learning archery.  I was really intrigued by one shop that used cute retro prints for displaying their earrings.

Carrie Wakefield of Metalhead Jewelry Design was gracious enough to give us some guidance on getting some displays for our jewelry.  She also mentioned a friend who is involved in choosing participants for festivals like these and that the friend had shared with her how important great product photos are.  A bad photo can ruin your chances of being included faster than almost anything else.  I got so busy talking to her that I forgot to take a picture.  She had the most unique chainmaille type body jewelry that went beyond just being a necklace.  Some pieces wrapped around the shoulders as well.

Crocheted creatures with sewn-on maniacal faces

My favorite skirt

Grimmleigh's Fiends had crocheted creatures that had printed fabric faces sewn on.  Some of the maniacal expressions were priceless!  I found a skirt I really wanted to buy.  It had been embroidered to say, "Today a mighty oak tree stands where a little nut once held its ground."  So perfect for me!

I'm so glad we were able to go and connect with other local artisans.  I don't know if we'll ever have enough inventory on hand for an event like this, but it sure was nice to see how it works.  I highly recommend that you seek out local festivals and get ideas from other local artisans on how to display, price, and promote products. 

Sorry about the photo arrangement.  If anyone has some advice on keeping them where they should be, please share.