The buzz and excitement for Indie Craft Parade was apparent from the moment we arrived at the beautifully restored Huguenot Mill in downtown Greenville. While Theresa and I flexed our muscles and Ikea-assembling skills to construct a mirror for the dressing room and apply Hugo Peel and Stick wallpaper (he’s the Indie Craft Parade mascot!) to the door, the makers put finishing touches on lovely booth displays, caught up with friends met at markets past, and enjoyed well-deserved pizza and drinks before the opening VIP party.
Panels designed to personalize the event feature an illustration of downtown Greenville by Mary Mac Wilson of Color and the happy Confetti Spring print by A Joyful Riot. Chair upholstered in Hipster Ipsum by brainsarepretty.
Hugo wallpaper + bunting snipped from Confetti Rainbow Opal by Thistle and Fox
Once the sold-out VIP Gala kicked off the festival weekend, Indie Craft Parade kept the venue packed through Sunday afternoon with three floors of vendors specializing in every craft from fiber art, paintings and prints, handmade toys, air plants, pottery, and oh so much more. There was quite the line of eager shoppers wrapping the block for most of the weekend, with over 8,000 folks coming through during the event!
We were excited to meet the makers behind the incredible handmade goods on display, including Mary Mac Wilson, the architect behind Color, a line of mugs, tea towels, and, of course, coloring books(!!) featuring iconic scenes from locales across South Carolina (and beyond!). Mary Mac so kindly let us use her illustration of downtown Greenville, SC in the panels created for the dressing room, and she and her mom were all smiles all weekend at her busy booth! We even used one of her Greenville coloring books as a guide to help us navigate around the city (because an iPhone GPS is way less fun).
Prim Society, the oh so colorful line of design-forward and modern handmade baby and kid’s accessories certainly caught our eye! What can we say, we love a good color swatch! Elyse Wigen, the maker behind these bright and beautiful goods, has an incredible attention to detail and an eye for design so evident in her perfectly curated collections. I must say, I had to purchase a “Primtone” Color Swatch Teether Toy Set” without really having a baby in mind to gift it to they were so darn cute!
Sunday morning saw an excellent time to mix, mingle, and beat the lines to the photo booth with a delicious brunch for the makers, organizers and volunteers behind the event. Drawings were held for crafty sponsor prizes, and when the doors opened at 11am, it was time for the mad rush all over again!
While we’d love to post each and every maker in this post, we’ll stop our gushing here and encourage you to check out this event or a market in your area soon! There really isn’t anything quite like getting to have a conversation with the maker behind the perfect gift for a friend, loved one, or, of course, yours truly!
We had such a delightful whirlwind of a weekend meeting so many inspiring mover and shakers in our creative community at Indie Craft Parade, and we can’t wait to see many of you again! Be sure to check out the incredible Makers Collective for information about upcoming markets and events (the Makers Summit is just around the corner, after all!), and, if you went to this year’s Indie Craft Parade, please do let us know your favorite part (or your company name!) in the comments below!
Happy Saturday,
Becca
