We've driven up to San Francisco a few times in the last year to participate in one of the premier design & craft markets of the area: West Coast Craft. The indoor shows are filled with a few hundred businesses from up and down the coast, and the energy is always buzzing. People come from all over the Bay Area to shop new businesses and long time favorites, stocked up with fresh products: from quirky, fun, bold, and maximalist, to the quiet, calm, and muted. Every booth is a different experience: some screaming color and texture, others confidently minimalist, and all shades in between.
Our booth has changed quite a bit from one event to the next. Our first show was September 2021: we brought a few large furniture pieces and two peg board stands. Our collection Entry Console and Writing Desk made quite the statement, with several visitors asking us, "Did you make that?!" Perhaps my favorite instance was of someone running down the aisle, clearly on a mission, who sped by, stopped, quickly turned around, and asked "Where did you get that?!"
This past June 11-12, we participated in our third indoor show. We really pared down our display to focus on two product types: our Allay Lamps and our Simple Stools & Plant Stands. The response was amazing! Lamps were carefully chosen for housewarming and personal gifts. The Stools caught many eyes, as did our new, informative box that they each fit into! We found it was so much easier for attendees to digest what the possibilities were for using a stool or two in their home. Some had several in mind, for dining tables, home studios, or at the office. Each person knew exactly where and how they were going to put their new purchase to use. For us, that was one of the most exciting and fulfilling parts of the whole experience.
This show, we popped one stool at the very front of the booth onto a small canvas backdrop. "Have a seat :)" the sign read. Would people heed the sign and give it a try? I was so glad to see many properly try it! They'd also lift it, run their hands along the smooth baltic birch edges, and turn it over to get a feel for the form and sturdiness. "That's a good seat," a few affirmed out loud. "Look at that," some whispered -- heartwarming things for us to hear.
It's brought us so much joy to meet tons of our community at these West Coast Craft fairs. The positivity, excitement, and interest in our work energizes us and inspires us to continue following this path, which we're excited to share with our team. We're now a team of 4 - Raja, Holly, Nicole, and Hannah!
If you live in the SF Bay Area or are ever visiting, look up if there will be a West Coast Craft event happening! We will be returning to our next show in just over two weeks, West Coast Craft's one-day outdoor market in San Francisco. Find us among the tents at Fort Mason Center. We'll have a mixed selection of products with us, including cutting boards, small geometric vases/air plant holders, trivets, and stools!
See you at the next one!
West Coast Craft Market - San Francisco
WHERE • Fort Mason Center
WHEN • Saturday July 16, 2022
TIME • 10am - 3pm
Learn more at westcoastcraft.com/wcc-market-sf-attend
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