The free photobooth at Indie Craft Parade is always a hit, and this year was no exception. With fun props like mustaches, elephants, flags, and chalkboards, everyone seemed to have a blast in front of the camera. We're so thankful for our generous sponsor, Oh Snap Photobooth, for donating this awesome service! The photobooth galleries are now online, and you can browse them here:
Friday, September 9Saturday, September 10Sunday, September 11
Here's a few of our favorite photo strips!
Here's a few shots of the Indie Craft Parade Booth! We had our fabulous merchandise, free temporary tattoos, sign-up sheets for volunteering, participating, or sponsoring next year, and free felt flags for the kiddos.
Photo by Peter Crane
If you missed out on picking up some sweet ICP merchandise, you can get it over at our online store for a few more days. We'll be closing up shop Sunday, September 18, so don't delay! All orders will receive a free set of our temporary tattoos.
These awesome people made the cool stuff you see above:- Plush Elephants (Hugo, our mascot) made by Three Bad Seeds- T-shirts & tote bags were designed by Cory Godbey- T-shirts & tote bags were printed by Dapper Ink- Notecards were designed by Elizabeth Ramos- Tattoos were designed by Cory Godbey and Elizabeth Ramos
Photo by Heidi Heilbrunn, The Greenville News
We had so much interest in the goods at our Indie Craft Parade booth that we've set up a (very) temporary online store for a few of the most popular products. Since we sold out of the red Indie Craft Parade shirts on day two, we'll be printing more for those who missed them. The two Indie Craft Parade tees pictured above and our Buy Handmade totebag will be available to order online, but just until next Sunday, September 18th!
Note: If you pre-ordered your shirt at Indie Craft Parade, you don't need to submit another order. You should have already received an email from us detailing the completion of your order.
Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the 2nd Annual Indie Craft Parade this past weekend. We had so much fun, and the event was absolutely amazing! We're working on getting all our pictures in order, so we'll be sharing those soon and recapping the event. In the meantime, if you have any photos from Indie Craft Parade and are willing to share them, please add them to our Flickr pool. We want to see all your pictures too!
Because we know you're all wondering, here are a few stats from this weekend: We had 5,000 wonderful attendees, 74 fabulous exhibitors, 32 amazing volunteers, 10 talented musical groups, 7 scrumptious food vendors, and 2 exhausted but happy organizers.
Thank you all again for an incredibly successful festival! We're so grateful for your support. We can't wait for next year!
Exhibitors setting up their booths before the event.
Just wanting to remind everyone that Indie Craft Parade starts tonight with our VIP Gala. We still have a few tickets left, so don't let this opportunity slip by. The food, music, and giveaways are going to be amazing! Buy your tickets here.
If you can't make it tonight, don't forget the festival is going on all weekend. Admission on Saturday from 9 AM to 7 PM and Sunday from 11 AM to 5 PM is FREE and completely open to the public.
We can't wait for you to meet all of our vendors. We've given you a sneak peek of just a few artists' work, and believe us--that's just the beginning. Looking forward to seeing you all there!
We feel that live music is an essential part of the Indie Craft Parade experience. Last year, many of the musicians that played at Indie Craft Parade were new to us, but we came away from the weekend with a whole set of new favorite bands! This year, we have a few returning musicians, but with an extra event day to fill, we've also got some great new music to introduce you to as well. Thanks to all the great recommendations we received, we're pretty sure you'll find a few new favorites of your own this year.
The schedule of music for this year's Indie Craft Parade is below.
The Bent Strings
Friday's VIP Night 6pm-9pm: The Bent Strings
Esther Grace Ellis
Saturday 9am-11am: Lindsay Morelli 11am-1pm: The Ragged Orchids 1pm-3pm: Esther Grace Ellis 3pm-5pm: Jentry Rose 5pm-7pm: Corey Pelton
War Jacket
Sunday 11am-1pm: B Natural Jazz 1pm-3pm: War Jacket & Joel Madison Blount 3pm-5pm: Jay Albright
Many of these musicians will also be bringing CDs to sell at our Indie Craft Parade booth, so if you like they way they sound, you can take it home with you!
You might be wondering what you as an attendee can expect at Indie Craft Parade, so hopefully this post will answer your questions!
Who is this festival intended for? The whole community! Indie Craft Parade is for anyone interested in purchasing handcrafted goods. Indie Craft Parade will feature the best handmade art in the Southeast, featuring 74 independent artisans. We invite the public to attend this festival and enjoy high quality crafts, local food, live music, and getting to know the artists in their community.
When is the 2011 Indie Craft Parade? This coming weekend, September 9-11. The VIP Gala is Friday night from 6 - 9 pm and is for ticket holders only (see details here). The rest of the festival is free admission, and is open Saturday from 9 am-7pm, and Sunday from 11 am-5 pm.
Where is the festival being held? Indie Craft Parade is held indoors at the historic Huguenot Mill in downtown Greenville, SC. The mill is located at 101 W. Broad Street, next to the Peace Center. The venue is handicapped accessible. There is street parking available, and several parking garages with easy walking distance.
Is this event family-friendly? Absolutely! Saturday and Sunday are both free admission, so bring the whole gang. If you've got small children, we suggest you leave your stroller at home if possible. The aisles are a bit narrow, and can make maneuvering a stroller a little difficult. The only time alcohol will be served is at the VIP Gala, and attendees must be 21 years or older to partake.
What type of goods can I expect to see? At Indie Craft Parade, you'll find the best handcrafted goods in a variety of categories, everything from paintings to children's toys, paper goods to jewelry, ceramic mugs to artisanal chocolate. You can get a sneak preview of some of the work by checking out our Etsy treasury lists, like the one pictured above. We love seeing what the vendors have made, and had a little fun by making some color-coordinated lists. Check them out here: Blue,Green,Yellow,Pink,Red,Purple,Black & White.
Will credit cards be accepted? Probably not. This is primarily a cash event. Some vendors may have the ability to accept credit cards or checks, however you should be prepared to pay cash for most of the items you purchase. There is an ATM on site in case you forget your cash.
Will I have to wait in line? Maybe. We've expanded our hours and added an extra day to better accommodate the crowds, but depending on the turnout, you may have to wait in line before you enter. Obviously, our goal is to get everyone in as soon as possible, but we do have to respect the venue's fire code. If there is a line, we'll do our best to keep it moving quickly, and aim to have everyone in within about 15 minutes. If you'd like to avoid the line, you should attend our VIP Gala!
Is there food and drink on site? Yes! We're delighted to have the offerings of several local establishments available to our attendees. You can purchase items from FiggyWhigs Cupcakes, O CHA Tea Bar,The Bavarian Pretzel Factory, and Fresh Tamales on Saturday and Sunday. Our VIP Gala guests will receive complimentary food and drink from The Community Tap,Coffee & Crema, and Ribault St. Catering.
If you have any questions, please check out our FAQs. Or, leave a comment below and we'll reply!
Congratulations to commenter #31, Kathy M! You are the lucky winner of the 2 VIP Gala tickets, as chosen by random.org. We've just emailed you the tickets, so please let us know if for some reason they haven't come through. Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaway. If you didn't win, why don't you go ahead and get yourself a ticket or 2? You can purchase them right here. There's not too many tickets left, so don't wait too long or they may be sold out. (In the event that we're not sold out by the time the Gala opens, we'll sell any remaining tickets at the door.) Attending the VIP Gala not only gets you an amazing evening filled with fabulous handmade goods, free food and drink, live music, artist demonstrations, and giveaways, but you're also able to to support the arts community and the mission of Indie Craft Parade.
If you're not able to attend the Gala, please definitely join us on Saturday or Sunday. Both days are free admission, so bring the the whole family! We will be open on Saturday, September 10 from 9 am - 7 pm, and on Sunday, September 11 from 11 am - 5 pm. Stay tuned later today for a post detailing what attendees can expect at this year's Indie Craft Parade!
It's hard to believe that Indie Craft Parade is only 1 week away! We're so excited about our vendors coming together: seeing old friends, making new ones, and finding out all the fabulous goods that everyone has been working on.
In today's post, we've put together a few details that our exhibitors should be aware of. Many of you are exhibiting for the first time at Indie Craft Parade and a number of you for the first time ever. Craft fairs are an awesome way to build your business, but coming prepared is really the best way to enjoy your experience.
Paige of Lightnest at the 2010 Indie Craft Parade.
The Crowds The biggest unexpected factor we encountered last year was the crowds. This means bring more items to sell than you think you need. Many of our vendors last year sold out or came close, and with an extra day this year, this seems even more likely. The Friday night gala will have a quiet, relaxed atmosphere where you can get to know the attendees and talk to them about your craft. However, we're prepared to be slammed Saturday and Sunday. Come with a backup plan for taking custom orders. Also, bring plenty of business cards that direct people to your online shop in case you run out of anything.
Volunteers will be making their way around each room to relieve you for 30 minutes at a time. Feel free to use this break to do some shopping, meet other artists, eat a meal, or just sit down!
The Music There will be live music playing throughout the event. Depending on where your booth is in relation to the musicians, it may or may not be loud. We'll do our best to keep it at a comfortable level, but please let us know if it's causing problems for communicating with customers at your booth.
The Perks Each artist will receive a goody bag when you check in. We're filling these with great items (i.e., no junky fliers) for your weekend in Greenville. This includes basic like bottled water and aspirin, as well as some coupons and discounts for local businesses, such as a $25 gift certificate to be used at a few of our favorite restaurants!
While we can't provide every meal for you, we do have food vendors on site that you can conveniently purchase food from. Each of them will be giving you a free voucher (found in your goody bag) for something at their booth. It might also be a good idea to pack snacks in case you're unable to break away from your booth.
We will also have a special meet and greet time for artists only before the doors open Friday night. We know the weekend will fly by, but you'll definitely want to make time to meet other artists while you're here!
If you're a craft show veteran and have any tips to add, please comment below!
You've heard so many great things about the Indie Craft Parade VIP Gala, and now you have a chance to win two tickets! This is an opportunity you don't want to miss.
The VIP Gala is your best chance to get to know the artists and get first dibs on their work. With Indie Craft Parade being such a heavily attended event, the Gala allows you to avoid the crowds of Saturday and Sunday. Not to mention the other great perks for attending Friday night: free food and drinks from some of our favorite local establishments and a host of fabulous giveaways. Food will be provided by Ribault Street Catering, drinks from Community Tap, and a coffee bar by Coffee and Crema. This is also the night to win giveaways — baskets of handmade goods straight from our vendors' booths. We'll also have live music from The Bent Strings that night, so come and enjoy it.
The VIP Gala will be held on Friday, September 9 from 6 to 9 pm at the Huguenot Mill in downtown Greenville, SC. This ticketed event kicks off the festival weekend, and helps support our artists and the mission of Indie Craft Parade. Check out the full details on our website!
So, how do you get these 2 free tickets? Simply leave a comment on this post, and you'll be entered to win! The winner will be announced a week from today, on Monday, September 5.
Don't want to take your chances? You can purchase VIP Gala tickets here and be guaranteed a place at the party!
This giveaway is now closed.
For those of you coming to Indie Craft Parade from out of town and needing a place to stay, we want to tell you about our preferred hotel. Comfort Inn of Downtown Greenville has donated generously to our event this year and are welcoming vendors and attendees alike to stay with them. Besides their close proximity to our event--just a few minutes by car--their accommodations are comfortable, their staff is friendly, and their rates are affordable. Take the stress out of finding lodging and give them a call! For more information or to book a room with Comfort Inn Downtown, call (864) 283-0370.
On Monday August 1 you'll have a chance to snatch up a ticket for our highly anticipated VIP Gala. On Friday night, September 9, we're kicking off Indie Craft Parade with an exclusive evening of relaxed shopping, live music, and complimentary food and drink. At this event, ticket holders will get a preview of all the crafty goodness available this year--no crowded aisles, no waiting in line, and first dibs on artist work. If these perks weren't enough, Friday night is when we're hosting the Indie Craft Parade giveaway. Last year, our artists were very generous in contributing to our giveaway baskets--each worth over $75. Attendees will also have the opportunity to talk with the artists personally and watch live demonstrations by some of our crafters.
Tickets for this event are only $25, and they go on sale August 1! Check out the VIP page of our website for the rest of the details. We expect these tickets to go extremely fast, so be sure to stop by our website on Monday.
Hope to see you there!
Last year Indie Craft Parade had the pleasure of hosting a number of local bands to entertain guests as they shopped at our festival. This was a such a successful part of the event, and we know we absolutely must have it again! As we did last time, we're opening up this opportunity to musicians who would like to join the fun of the indie art scene. Good music helps complete the atmosphere of Indie Craft Parade, and we're on the hunt to find some new performers.
If you think your musical group would be a good fit for Indie Craft Parade (or if you know of a good band or solo artist), please contact us at info@indiecraftparade, or leave a comment on this post. Tell us a little about yourself and attach a link to a clip of your music. We're interested to see what you have to offer! Spaces are limited, and will be allocated at the discretion of our directors.
Check out last year's awesome musicians in this post from 17 Dove Street.
Now that all of our accepted exhibitors are confirmed, we're so excited that we can finally share who's going to be participating in Indie Craft Parade this September! Our 2011 participants are a fantastic group with such varied goods, everything from letter-pressed paper goods to hand-spun yarn. Click here to see the exhibitor list and start exploring their individual websites. Stay tuned! Throughout the summer we'll be featuring a handful of these artists on the blog. You'll see a sampling of their work and hear a little more about them...just enough to get you excited about buying out their booths.
Thanks again to our jury for choosing such a fabulous lot!
Another reason to come to Indie Craft Parade this year--to join in on the fun provided by Oh Snap! Photobooth. They're another of our fabulous sponsors for the event, and we're so happy to have them back. Last year people loved using props and gathering friends to create the silliest and most creative pictures that captured the spirit of Indie Craft Parade. We can't wait for all the fun pictures that will come out this year. The people from Oh Snap! were so great to work with. If you have an event such as a wedding or other party coming up, you should totally check them out here. You'll be so glad you did.
A couple shots from the 2010 Indie Craft Parade.
Michelle somehow manages to be an art professor, a serious artist/crafter, and full-time wife and mom (soon to be of three). Through all of this she still creates fresh, new works that have a flavor uniquely hers. And her fiber goods, such as her reworked fabric jewelry and pillows, are stunning. If jurors were allowed to have booths at Indie Craft Parade in September, she'd sell out quickly.
Indie Craft Parade: In your art as well as crafts, you have a tendency to turn trash in to treasures. What's the oddest thing you've incorporated into one of your pieces?
Michelle: I don't know if these would seem particularly odd to people who practice mixed media: a little dutch boy had to give up his head to a brooch, and a little angel had to lose her wings...all for a good cause. I've stitched bones into a piece. The finished products look must less sinister than they sound. My work is anything but Halloween-ish, however.
Indie Craft Parade: The gap between art and craft is continually growing smaller. Is this a trend that you embrace in your own work, or do you think of your fine art work as a separate endeavor from your crafts?
Michelle: My paintings tend to look very different from my "crafts". I could see them merging more eventually, though. I don't think it is very useful or interesting to try to keep the arts and crafts apart if they want to intersect or blend. The most rewarding handmade objects to me--whether "arts" or "crafts"--are thought provoking, meaningful, well-executed, and have a little bit of wow-factor.
Indie Craft Parade: Who is an artist that you currently find inspiring?
Michelle: As far as no-longer-living artists, I always really enjoy looking at the work of Rothko and Rauschenberg. I really like the way they used paint, and how their work makes you think of space, format, and materials. As far as living artists who make objects for everyday use, I'm always really captivated by the things the artists at ShopSCAD make. It's really fresh and fun.
The wait is over! The participants for Indie Craft Parade have been chosen! This past Saturday our jury reviewed nearly 350 applications for Indie Craft Parade. After many hours of careful discussion, they finalized the list of vendors accepted to represent their work this September. Our jury is a group of 5 professional artists with expertise in many genres, and we're very happy to hand over this difficult task to them. They juried each category separately and judged individual applications on how well they matched the vision of Indie Craft Parade, as well as their originality, quality, uniqueness, and innovation. All applications were reviewed anonymously to avoid any bias. Each jury member viewed an applicant's description of their work, along with the 4 photos they submitted. They briefly discussed the merits of the application, and then voted whether or not it should be accepted. The jurying is a tedious process, but this thoroughness is essential for selecting just the right mix of exhibitors.
So what happens next? Today we're sending out email notifications to all of our applicants. If you haven't received yours yet, please be patient. We're writing individual emails, not a mass mailing, so it takes several hours. When applicable, we're including comments from the jury as to why a work was not accepted or how to refine work that was. The official list of accepted exhibitors will be posted on our website once they've all confirmed their reservations.
To be honest, this day is the hardest for us at Indie Craft Parade. We hate writing rejection letters! But we only have room for 70-80 vendors, and with nearly 350 applicants, there simply is not room for everyone. Many of our applicants showed great skill in their work, but they were not the best fit for our festival or we just had too many similar entries in some categories. Indie Craft Parade represents all the genres of art and craft--so we can't limit ourselves to showing just fine art or just jewelry, etc. So please, if you were not accepted for this year's event, don't let that discourage you from entering again. Keep working to make your goods better and more original, and we'd love to see your entry next year!
One other change to expect this year: Most of our applicants requested full-sized booths. Unfortunately, we can't accommodate that many full booths without significantly reducing the number of exhibitors represented. So, several applicants were asked to downsize their booths in an effort to fit all of the accepted artists--something we didn't have to do last year.
Thank you again to everyone who applied! Your work is vital to the Greenville and greater Southeast art community, and we're so grateful that you chose to share it with us.
Teresa Roche's Art and Light gallery is often at the center of attention for Greenville's artist community events. Besides the numerous tasks that come with running a chic art boutique that boasts some of the best finds in town, Teresa manages to produce her own work. She's best known for her whimsical mixed media pieces. Next chance you get, visit her gallery in the Pendleton Arts District. You won't be disappointed.
Indie Craft Parade: You love using found objects as a basis for some of your art. What is one of your favorite finds yet?
Teresa: I love using vintage fabrics and wallpapers in my mix media pieces. My favorite is a café curtain made from a fabulous 1950's bark cloth. The vivid chartreuse color is my all time favorite color, and it was a total fluke that I found it in a thrift store in New York.
Indie Craft Parade: Your gallery is in the heart of the Greenville art district. What kind of growth and development would you like to see in Greenville's art future?
Teresa: I would love to see the Pendleton Street Art's District grow with the addition of a great artsy café and other service businesses that would be open for daily retail hours. That way when customers come to the district they can grab lunch and run other errands within the area. The art, artists, talent and quality is already there. I think that it's so important for small business owners to come together with a concentrated marketing plan and a commitment to spend the marketing dollars and commit to the sweaty equity involved in trail blazing in order to have long term consistent growth.
Indie Craft Parade: As an artist and savvy businesswoman, do you have any suggestions for start-up artists or crafters?
Teresa: Yes, the importance of a business plan. It doesn't matter how small or how big you start - without a business plan you can find yourself floundering. Artists and crafters also need to be very thick skinned, willing to put the work out there and to get professional assistance in the areas they have weaknesses (i.e., marketing, accounting, merchandising, sales). It takes all of these things to run a business. And you have to remember that being a successful artist or crafter is a business.
The application deadline for Indie Craft Parade is tomorrow night at midnight! You're running out of time to show us your fabulous art or crafts. We've made the application process super easy, so please don't delay any longer.
Today's jury interview is with Barb Blair, a lady who can do marvels with cast-off furniture. She's made quite a name for herself in both the home design community and the blogisphere, with features in many publications. Her design aesthetic is fabulous, and I'd love to fill my house with all sorts of goodies from her shop. You can visit her studio in the Pendleton Arts District of Greenville or follow her blog, to keep up with all her projects and fun finds.
Indie Craft Parade: You're contributing to a book coming out! That's super exciting. What can readers expect to see?
Barb: The book is called Design*Sponge at Home, it comes out September 13th. It is basically a large book featuring a lot of the content that makes up the website, and it shows readers how to incorporate the ideas into their homes. There will be lots of people featured in the book, and I will be in the before and after section. My projects will be featured as tutorials on how to transform furniture.
Indie Craft Parade: You exhibited at Indie Craft Parade last year and had such a cute booth. Do you have any advice for this year's vendors for setting up a creative display?
Barb: As far as a creative booth display. I think you should keep your booth consistent with your brand. Incorporate elements that tell your personal brand story without having to say a word. I think another really important thing is to have plenty of product. A full booth sells, and giving people lots of options is key to attracting a variety of buyers.
Indie Craft Parade: What is a quick summary of your creative process for restoring furniture? Do you have usually have a vision for a piece as soon as you see it?
Barb: When I pick up a piece of furniture I am always looking for interesting details that will stand out when painted. Or I look for furniture that I can add interesting detail to, such as wallpaper, stripes, and/or shiny new hardware. I check to make sure the piece is structurally sound and that all repairs (if necessary) are within my means to repair or can be repaired by a professional without taking too much off my bottom line. Once all of the repairs are made and the piece has been sanded and prepped for paint, I get to work executing my design plan. Speaking of design plans, I usually know right away what I will do to a piece when I see it, but there is the occasional piece that sits and stares at me in the studio for a few months before the plan hits me.
Indie Craft Parade: What new and exciting things can we expect to see from your studio in the near future?
Barb: One other cool thing is that I have just designed and had built my first piece of furniture! It will be the start to my new Knack couture line which will consist mainly of wallpapered and highly design intensive pieces. Other than that I am painting away in the studio, shipping pieces all over the country. And I just recently shipped my first international piece to TOKYO!