Urban Craft Uprising Arrives at Seattle Center
What do handmade monkey socks, sandblasted, designer dishware and zipper jewelry have in common? Not a lot—but they will all be featured at this weekend’s Urban Craft Uprising fair at Seattle Center. We got a chance to learn more about Seattle’s largest indie fair in our interview with UCU Co-Director and crafty guru gal, Kristen Rask, of Schmancy Toys.
Who is behind Urban Craft Uprising?
Moxie, a fiber artist and the President and Director of Vendor Relations, Lindsey is the CFO and I, am the Director of PR and Marketing. I also own Schmancy on 2nd Avenue, which features quirky toys, collectibles and original artwork.
How many vendors participate?
Generally we have between 110 to 150 vendors. We really try not to go over that because we think much more than that can be a really overwhelming shopping experience. It doesn't really serve the vendors either.
How many attendees do you estimate coming to the fair?
Last summer we had close to 5,000. It would be nice to break last summer's record! Last winter we had close to 9,000. Somewhere in between would be awesome.
The vendors at Urban Craft Uprising are carefully selected to be a part of the fair...
What are your requirements and what do you look for in sellers?
We consider a lot of factors when we jury for a show. We do a survey after each show with both vendors and customers. We take those comments to heart so if people thought they saw too much of x we try not to have that happen again. We look for work that is innovative, unique, high quality and inspired. It's a good feeling to hear customers say "that was the best show yet" or "not one thing in there that I could say 'we could make that'". We are after quality and not quantity.
Can you tell me about some of your favorite featured vendors?
This is a really hard question so first off I think all of our vendors are really amazing and have work that I love and admire. I am really excited to have an ice cream vendor, Half Pint Ice Cream, this summer especially with the heat. I am not really into stamps but Blue Diamond Stamps makes her stamps in her kitchen and that kinda blows my mind. Go Robot always has really interesting jewelry. Paste t-shirts is coming from Brooklyn which I think is pretty awesome. Oh man, I could go on and on so I will just stop now.
Are there any workshops or demos that we should know about?
We do have demos each hour, which include making projects such as zipper jewelry, embroidery and felting. We also have Kari Chapin, author of The Handmade Marketplace, coming to sign her book both days from 12-4pm.
Where is a good place to shop for crafts? Are there any groups open for craft-seeking people? Are there any other events going on that would interest do-it-yourself (DIY) people?
I think Seattle has a great DIY community! One of the great things about Seattle is not only are there events such as Urban Craft Uprising but that our community supports these artists. People spend money at UCU and are excited about it! Without the fans, there would be no UCU. Some noteworthy groups on the top of my head are Etsy Rain which is a community for Seattle seller's on Etsy. They have meetups, craft events, etc, each month. Grassroots Business Association mainly caters to artists, crafters and designers to help them manage their small businesses with monthly classes. There is also a conference coming up in August, Conference of Creative Entrepreneurs, which will be like GBA on overdrive. There is the Punk Rock Flea Market twice a year which is also bad ass. As for good places to shop for crafts, for actual supplies; Stitches is always a favorite. If you feel like taking a ferry ride, Esther's Fabrics is wonderful. Pacific Fabrics is huge and full of good crafting supplies.
Seattle Center Exhibition Hall // July 10 & 11 // 11am-5pm // Free Admission
To learn more, visit www.urbancraftuprising.com
