“The craft hand-made, artisan American made movement is exploding right now,” said Christie Thompson, member of Richmond Craft Mafia.
“The craft hand-made, artisan American made movement is exploding right now,” said Christie Thompson, member of Richmond Craft Mafia.
The Richmond Craft Mafia is currently made up of seven core members, each of which has their own handmade business. Each of them volunteers their time planning and putting on two craft shows each year.
Handmade Holiday is hosted in the winter and Spring Bada-Bing in the spring.
Their mission is to support the local handmade design and DIY movement in Richmond.
Thompson’s business is Richmond Thread Lab focusing on menswear accessories: ties, bowties, and pocket-squares.
The other members and their businesses are:
Phil & Meghan Barbato, Phil Barbato
Maryellen Kim, TwistStyle
Nicole Lee, Nicole Lee Designs
Jason Frank & Brianna Bevan, Itty Bitty Press
Sarah Turner, Turnerbots
Laura Fisher, PrayerMonkey
This past December, their Handmade Holiday was held at Hardywood and it happened to be on the same day as the release of Hardywood’s Bourbon Barrel Gingerbread Stout.
People had traveled from out of state just for beer release. Others came just because it was a Saturday and they wanted to hang out. And there were those that came specifically for the craft show.
All of those elements combined and made for one of their most successful events – if not the most successful – in RVA Craft Mafia’s history.
“There were thousands of people there,” said Thompson. “Our vendors reported that it was the best sales they’ve ever done in Richmond.”
The Richmond Craft Mafia started 10 years ago and has been hosting these two events since those early days. On Saturday April 11th, their 10th annual Spring Bada Bing show will be held at Hardywood. It was held there last year for the first time and proved to be a great location because of its huge space and people are able to be inside and outside.
“A brewery is the perfect place because people will stay and hang out all day,” said Thompson, who said the.
Almost 50 different vendors from several different categories of handmade products will be set-up at the event. There will be 30 vendors inside the brewery building. A big tent will be set-up in the parking lot with 15-20 bigger booths under the tent. The categories are jewelry; 2D art prints, stationery, and greeting cards; house-wear; pottery; kids apparel; scarves, bags, accessories; and a few more.
The craft mafia gets around 100 craft vendor applications for every show. The members of the craft mafia have to judge the applicant based on the category of product they’re in. It’s narrowed down to around 40 to 50 vendors for each show. They try to keep to from 3 to 4 of the same category so like 3 pottery vendors, 3 kid’s apparel, etc. The jewelry since they get such a high volume of jewelry applicants, there is usually 6 to 8 jewelry vendors.
At least 50% of the vendors are local and many of the other vendors are coming from DC, Maryland and North Carolina.
“We have someone traveling from Chicago to come sell at our show which is awesome,” said Thompson. “It’s really exciting that people are seeing Richmond as a place where they can come and be profitable.”
The event will be from 11-5pm and is free to the public. There will be at least 3 to 4 food trucks and beer because well… it is at a brewery.
Due to the overwhelming crowd at the Handmade Holiday event, the folks at Richmond Craft Mafia decided to give shoppers who want to shop in peace a little something special. They will be offering an Early-Bird hour from 10-11am where shoppers can come avoid the crowd and pay a $5 cash donation to their nonprofit partner Art 180.
“Our nonprofit partner for the spring is Art180. They’re a great supporter of arts and art education locally,” said Thompson. “Part of our mission is not only to elevate what vendors are doing but to elevate things in the community. Partnering with nonprofits has helped fit that mission.”
Richmond Craft Mafia also hosts some other events throughout the year. They host a craft swap where anybody can pay $5 to bring leftover art and craft supplies and are able to pick-up supplies that other people have left.
They just had one last month which was in partnership with Art180 as well. There are also some crafty-drink nights which craft-makers and anyone who is interested that sees it through Facebook or their newsletter. People can come and talk about what they’re doing with their business, ask others questions, to help build a stronger community of crafters.
All of these crafters are doing something out-of-the ordinary and of high-quality. Most of them just have their own online site, sell at craft shows and maybe have some of their products at a retail store. For many, they are at the point where they can’t do it full-time but are working hard to grow. This show will have many items you can’t find just anywhere.
Here’s the full list of vendors, and check out the screen cap below for a look at a few specifics:
Go and support crafters from near and far. Hang out, drink some delicious Hardywood beers, grab a bite to eat and enjoy the ‘Spring Bada-Bing’ air.
April 11, 2015 at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
10 – 11 am — shop early with no crowds with a $5 cash donation to our nonprofit partner Art 180
11 am – 5pm – Spring Bada-Bing craft show, free and open to the public
List of vendors & sponsors online here and Facebook event page here
