Detroit Urban Craft Fair

Attention small craft business owners: We’ve got some space left in our 2011 Detroit Urban Craft Fair program guide and we want to feature your Etsy shop or other small DIY venture.

The glossy, full-color guide is given to 2,000 DUCF visitors each year — a fab way to promo yourself. We’ve got some special (read: super affordable) rates for DIY biz. You do not have to be a DUCF vendor to take advantage of this — you only need to be a small business or event that is DIY focused. The idea here is to help you spread the word at a price that you can afford!

Act fast: Deadline for art and payment is Monday, Nov. 14. Ads will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. Interested? Email stephanie.tardy@gmail.com

Amy here!

I’m so excited to share with you that my family and I are embarking on a new business adventure in Detroit called Small Craft! Small Craft will sell upcycled craft supplies on a pay-as-you-wish basis, as well as offer up workshops for learning new crafts and helping small businesses.

Our ultimate goal is to open a brick and mortar shop in the Cass Corridor of Detroit. Until that day comes, we will be hosting a pop-up shop on the second Saturday of each month inside the Trumbullplex Theatre, located at 4210 Trumbull in Detroit, as well as showing up at a local fair here and there.

You can help us kick off the first Small Craft event  this Saturday, November 12, from 12:00-6:00PM. Come peruse the supplies we have on hand, learn a new skill, and enjoy the Trumbullplex Zine Library’s open hours!

This month’s free workshop will teach you how to knit a hat or neck warmer. A list of the supplies you will need, and pictures of the finished project can be found here. If knitting is not your thing, you are welcome to bring a craft of your choice to work on (or buy supplies from us for a new craft!), drink some coffee, make, and find some new friends. The knitting workshop starts at 2:00.

Got some supplies laying around that you never got around to using? Need to clean out that basement? Donations are heartily accepted, it’s what makes our business! If you donate unwanted craft supplies, you will receive a coupon good for a discount on one of our future workshops, or new supplies we will feature at the permanent location. Bring them with you this Saturday, or we’ll come and pick them up for you!

Wanna be a part of Small Craft? Come teach! We are currently looking for workshop leaders for 2012. If interested, you can contact me at: smallcraftdetroit@gmail.com. We are also looking for drop off points for people to bring supplies. If you are a business with a physical address and want to participate, please contact me!

Thanks, and hope to see you this Saturday!

Detroit Urban Craft Fair is nearly a month away and although hard to believe, it’s true. And in our sixth year we’re letting our sweet tooth be our guide. We’re celebrating all things CANDY, and what day to reveal this sugar theme and our official show poster than on Halloween?!

Jason Smith of Jazz Handz is our show artist this year.  In addition to really great poster and logo art he does really incredible and detailed paintings, many of which on skateboards! Be sure to check out his website’s gallery and swing by his space at DUCF to check out his work in person!

Time sure flies, so embrace the leaves and let’s hang onto fall while we can. The holiday bustle is only a few full moons away! Happy holiday crafting everyone, and heck, why not  sneak one more Twix mini?

Just a friendly reminder - applications close for Detroit Urban Craft Fair on Sunday the 25th at midnight! We’re seeing some really amazing new applicants this year, and are happy to see some of our local favorites too. We don’t want to miss out on you, though! If you can try to not wait until the last minute (which is, btw, 11:59 pm this Sunday), we really encourage it.

This year’s DUCF will be at the beautiful, historical Masonic Temple on December 3rd and 4th and as always, we have some fun new additions and surprises in the works for this, our 6th year! We are especially excited to now be accepting applications for craft food vendors! If you make jams, jellies, candies or any other “pre-packaged” food, we’d love to hear from you.

Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned crafter, we strongly recommend that you to read (and read again) all the information in the application and FAQs, where there are some great tips on how to make your application work and look it’s best. Now, go read, take some fantastic pictures, update your product descriptions and hit that submit button soon - we can’t wait to see what you’ve been crafting up for the holidays!

Interested in becoming a vendor for the 2011 Detroit Urban Craft Fair, Dec. 3 and 4 at the Masonic Temple in Detroit? Vendor applications are now live through September 25, 2011.

Vendors who make and sell their own original, handmade craft products or craft supplies are encouraged to apply. Brick and mortar shops that sell handmade products or handmade supplies may also apply. Read on for more info and the application link.

Tips for Applying

Before you apply, please take a moment to thoroughly read through the DUCF FAQs page. We cannot stress how important it is for everyone to read through the FAQs before applying. Inside you’ll find all the skinny on things like booth space and pricing. You’ll also find an invaluable section titled “Tips for Applying.” We will expect all applicants to have read the FAQs, so make sure to give them a looksee.

New This Year: Craft Food

We’re very excited to announce that this year we are also accepting applications for craft food products. We are defining craft food as anything that can be consumed off-site — think jams, spices, coffee and other pre-packaged items. Learn more about craft food vendors under the “Who Can Apply” heading in the FAQs.

Deadline For Applying

Vendor applications for 2011 are due by September 25, 2011 at midnight. We strongly encourage to apply before the last day. The final day of applications often sees our site running slow with the last-minute rush, and applications have been known to go missing. We never accept late applications, so it’s smart to beat this rush.

Apply Now!

Applications are available on the Detroit Urban Craft Fair site through September 25, 2011.

Grab your calendars because we have some exciting 2011 Detroit Urban Craft Fair news! The 2011 DUCF will will return for two full days of craft fun on Saturday, Dec. 3 and Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, at a new location, the Masonic Temple. The fair, now in it’s sixth year, will be taking over the Drill Room of the historic beauty — and we could not be more excited to be fairing it up where the Detroit Derby Girls have played. More info is after the jump.

Important vendor info

We’re busily working behind the scenes to get vendor applications ready to go live August 12, 2011. Then you’ll have just over a month to turn in your application. Remember, we do not accept late applications, so please forward this info on to anyone you know who may want to apply.

Call for DUCF sponsorships

Interested in sponsoring DUCF this year? Past sponsors have included everything from food to crafts to media to local businesses — all with a DIY spirit — interested in helping DUCF meet our goals while promoting their business. To learn more, e-mail stephanie@handmadedetroit.com with the subject line: Sponsor request.

We don’t think we could’ve have said it any better ourselves … here’s what some of our shoppers had to say about this year’s Detroit Urban Craft Fair:

The Fillmore was packed full of crafty goodness – like Etsy in real life!

Sillygrrl

There were so many great handmade wares that I ended up buying more for myself than gifts for others …

Rays Big Ideas

… held at the Fillmore in downtown Detroit. It’s a beautiful theatre with painted freezes …

Gaidigt

Hit up the Detroit Urban Craft Fair this weekend. Awesome, as usual!

I Think I Love You Michigan

It was Robocop who originally caught our eye…

Club Jade

I saw some nice bike products at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair.

Bar and Lever

I managed to leave Detroit with some money left in my wallet …

Laureality

and some of our vendors:

There is a great crafting community in this city that has grown a lot since the beginning …

Always The Forest

The Detroit Urban Craft Fair this past weekend really was like Christmas morning …

Courtney Fischer Jewelry

I had a bang up first day at DUCF, it pretty much obliterated my stock of well … everything.

Lesliebot

… a craft fair is like a marathon. it’s crazy preparing to get there, and then when it’s all over …

Dang Argyle

… the venue — the Fillmore Theater — was spectacular …

Sloe Gin Fizz

.. .all of the amazing vendors – you all are seriously inspiring …

Reware Vintage

and the press too!

Checking out the Detroit Urban Craft Fair, and the beautiful Palms/State/Fillmore theater

Detroit Funk

The event was a collective of over 70 local and national artists

Metro Mix

DUCF as it is affectionately called is a showcase of talented makers and the materials they bring to life.

Street Culture Mash

Thanks for all your kind, crafty words guys!

Hope to see everyone at the fair today!

Like the Red Wings? We do! Make sure to stop by Open Skate’s booth this weekend at DUCF to learn more about this fun program.

Just the basics, please!
Open Skate

Tell us a little bit about what your organization is all about!
Open Skate is an official Red Wings fan organization. Get together at great bars to watch the Wings with a different type of hockey fan.

What can people expect from Open Skate?
Love hockey but not exactly a “sports bar” kind of dude/lady? The Red Wings have put together some great people at our favorite bars, in our favorite neighborhoods. Join us during any Red Wings game, meet new friends and grab drink specials from Stoli and Sailor Jerry. What’s more, purchase exclusive Red Wings tickets at each bar for $30 that include a party bus to and from the game.

What’s your favorite thing about craft fairs?
Getting all up in it.

What’s coming up next for your organization?
Monday December 6th; Red Wings v. Sharks ($30 = Ticket + Party Bus!)

Freshtight Designs will be joining us as an awesome sponsor at DUCF this weekend. Here’s a little bit about who they are!

Who the heck are you?!
Freshtight Designs. Check us out on Facebook and Twitter, too!

Tell us a little more about Freshtight Designs
Freshtight Designs represents artists and musicians who blend categories and blur genres, by organizing and taking part in area events aimed at bringing the community together. Through enlightenment and entertainment, we bring to the forefront an eclectic group of creative individuals. We are a website and graphic design firm. We also provide artist networking and promotion services. We are in this together. Create. Display. Communicate.

Additionally, we create many unique, handcrafted items such as handmade totebags, wallets and purses, jewelry, screen-printed t-shirts, posters and other print designs.

What’s your favorite thing about craft fairs?
Our favorite thing about craft fairs is the do-it-together attitude. As an organization, we strive on encapsulating the community-oriented aspect of creation, and believe that craft fairs, especially DUCF, encourages this mentality. We appreciate our local artists and are always honored to be a part of and witness any event in which they are in the foreground.

What’s next for you guys?
In the coming months, Freshtight Designs will showcase a group of musicians at a few local events. A couple of them will be hip hop nights in which emcees, DJs, breakdancers and graffiti writers will be highlighted. The other event we have planned will be at a local skate park and will have live rock and indie rock bands performing. Be sure to check out our website for further details.