Report from BMAC & ACC Craft Fairs

We're back! Jae and I had a great time in Philadelphia and Baltimore at the big craft fairs this past week, but as always are glad to be back in Brooklyn. The fairs were great from our point of view, but many exhibitors were saying they thought attendance by buyers was down from previous years. Considering the sizeable amount of money and effort it takes artisans to participate in these fairs, we were sorry to hear that and hope by the end they were able to get enough orders. Nonetheless, we'll be back again next year and hope that everyone else will be too.

As we parused over 2000 booths in four days (!!!) we met many new-to-us artisans and saw lots and lots of wonderful work. Alas, Greenjeans is small in size and we couldn't order from everyone who struck our fancy, but we did start new relationships with a number of artisans whom we are very excited about.

These include: Mary Ellen and Russell Chamberlain (Ohio) who make colorful felted wool bowls, boxes, and balls; Janet and Jay O'Rourke (Oregon) who craft polished wooden boxes for keeping cufflinks, business cards, and other small things guys use; Lisa Crowder (Austin, TX) who makes fresh and chic riveted silver jewelry; and Whit McLeod (California) whose warm, welcoming folding chairs are made from recycled wine casks.

Also coming soon: minimalist wooden cutting boards, botanical silver jewelry on handmade cords, jewelry made from sea stones and pearls, sculptural statement pieces, fine porcelain jars with carved bone lids, fused glass trivets and trays, and more. I can't write about everything right now -- there's sooo much follow-up work to be done today! -- but look for profiles of these and more to appear in the blog over the coming weeks and months, and if you're in the neighborhood watch our window for new works to appear as they arrive at the shop.

We also were able to reconnect with folks we met last year and see their new work. Look for new jewelry to arrive this spring by shop faves Connie Verrusio, Erica Schlueter (Bent Metal), Kimberly Navratil-Pope, Susan Pratt-Smith, and Lulu Smith. We will also be getting new handbags and picture frames (including 5x7s) by Wendy Stevens, and more glasses/vases, perfume bottles, and sculpture by Matt Eskuche.

That's a lot of great new stuff! Glad we ordered a proper jewelry case last week. And how's that display case coming along for us, Dad...?