Handmade Mart – The Results Show

I just came back from Handmade Mart was yesterday and must say, I really loved the energy, atmosphere, and the crowd. Something about crafts festivals will do that. The business did extremely well in the DC area and I wouldn’t mind doing another similar event. It was held in Silver Spring, MD between Fenton and Ellsworth Streets(right by the movie theater) and there was also a Latino Festival happening across the street. I had my nephew and my daughter helping me set up at the event and watch the table for me while I got them something to eat. I know many of you will be mad at me for this, but I forgot my camera again and forgot to take pictures. At least I remembered at the Baltimore Hair Expo. But for some reason, maybe it’s because my mind is scrambling and I have enough to worry about. The camera is always the last thing I remember and then it’s too late. So I have to keep a note when I do event to always bring my camera to take pics(I hate using my camera phone because the pictures come out fuzzy).

The weather was nice but it rained a little bit. Still a nice crowd size. There were about 2 others in my category of bath and body while the rest were either clothing, jewelry, bags, or other craftsstuf. It ran from 10am – 6pm. Now for the cons: I had to drop off my stuf first and then go around the corner to park in the parking garage. It wasn’t too bad, and it made sense, because the area was a tight squeeze. At the end of the show, I pulled the car up and had to back in to load up. It was actually supposed to end at 5pm, but due to traffic and the fact that there was another festival going on, we all had to wait until quarter til 6 to start packing it in. Wasn’t too bad, and we survived. Another beef I had was that I would love to see more artists of color. So far, I’ve attended other craft festivals and events, and there are little to nil artists of color and most of the crafts happen to be from the same vendors year after year or feature the same crafts. I bring this up because I was speaking to some customers yesterday and they noted that they would like to see some diversity amongst the featured artists, given that the area the show was in was very diverse, and people from all walks of life showed up. I have bought crafts and art from many artists, African, Latino, Asian, and I believe that they feature some beautiful works of art that emphasizes culture, style, and heavy details on bags, jewelry, etc. These artists would be perfect for shows like these and to showcase other forms of art that’s unique and original.

Other than that, I really appreciate being part of an amazing event and, hopefully, look forward to doing similar events in the DC and Baltimore areas.