Index of Indie: Craft-Buying Resource

I am a huge supporter of independent crafters & artists, and have been since I made my first bar of soap and my first pillow cover, and got an idea of what kind of effort, time and commitment goes into crafting. Since then, my appreciation for handmade goods and the people who make them has grown, and my dislike for “big box stores” grows right along with it.

In the interest of supporting crafters, I’ve begun compiling a guide to shopping Indie. A caveat: “indie” can mean lots of things – handmade items, independent artist or designers who don’t make their stuff, independent artists or designers who do make their own stuff, craft sellers and/or designers online, in shops and at craft fairs, folks otherwise unsponsored by corporations, and various other things I can’t think of right now. I’ve tried to indicate which I mean in my brief descriptions.

Would you like to be included?  I’m happy to put you in the list so long as your items are independently designed and usually, handmade.  Drop me an email at crafterbynight -at- gmail.com and I’m happy to see what you’re all about!

MarketPlaces, Places to Buy Stuff

1. Blissen: website selling the handmade goods of Jill Blissen w/ friends & partners
2. Buy Olympia – these folks run an e-store featuring handmade goods out of Olympia, WA and also provide online stores for music labels & events!
3. Crafters for Critters: selling handmade goods – proceeds of sales benefit animal rescue organizations
4. Curiosity Shoppe: I think not all is crafts, but a good bit is handmade, and they clearly support crafting & indie businesses.
5. Cutique: a portal w/ links to handmade goods. Created by a group of independent sellers.
6. DaWanda – “products with love” – a store selling “handmade and hard-to-find items” in three languages – German, French & English. They’re a portal like many indie sites – you’re buying direct from the sellers.
7. Etsy: all handmade goods + vintage goods + patterns. A monster marketplace well and truly patronised by the online crafting community
8. HomeGrown Market: “unique, hand-crafted products from American Small and Home-Based Businesses”
9. I Shop Indie: a collaborative of artist, crafters, etc. to promote buying online indie.
10. Lov.li: “a community of people who love art, crafts and handmade products.” Oh, and you can buy stuff, too.
11. Mintd: independent marketplace for handmade goods only – a down-under site.
12. Mod Cloth: bills itself as indie designer lines, vintage clothing “and more.”
13. Modishoppe: Jena Coray’s e-boutique a handmade goods from independent designers.
14. My My Art + Craft: offering handmade goods by independent artists on consignment since 2004.
15. Poppytalk Handmade – launching October 2007. They call themselves a monthly “online street market” for handmade goods to showcase indie/new artisans.
16. Trunkt: “the buyer’s guide to independent art + design”

Directories

1. Indie Designer Labels – listing of indie (handmade/crafty/indie design) shops
   
2. Free Craft Fair Directory and Auction (mostly handmade, crafts)

Craft Shows & Show Directories

1. Indie Craft Shows – a database of just that, featuring shows all over the place
2. Maker Faire – 2008 as yet undecided, but the San Mateo and Austin Faires were great.  Hosted by the editors of Craftzine and Makezine.
3. My My Art + Craft Directory of Craft Fairs

Blogs, Magazines, Social Media Sites, Forums, Etc. that Promote Crafting

1. Craftster – inimitable forum for indie crafts. “No tea cozies without irony.”
2. Craftzine – the well-known crafter’s ‘zine.
3. CrochetMe – the recently-reconfigured crocheters Heaven, the brainchild of Kim Werker, crocheter extraordinaire & editor of Interweave Crochet.
4. Get Crafty – forum and blog. “Home of the craftistas.” The project of Jean Railla, author of Get Crafty: Hip Home Ec and craft promoter, and definitely well worth a read on her ideas about third-gen feminist crafting.
5. Indie Fixx – a blog about indie finds and tips. Also see their seasonal indie shopping/gift and jewelry guides. Rumored to be starting a shopping site soon.
6. Indiepublic – independent art and design community for those who do, blog about or just love indie art/design.
7. Poppytalk – “a canadian design blog collecting inspiration and promoting emerging design talent.” -Also see their “online street market,” above.
8. Ravelry – a knit and design community currently in beta & I think still invitation only (Find me there as “mostlymouse.”)
9. Sk*rt – a social media ranking platform for cool finds. Try the Design and Craft section.
10. Stylehive – not all craft, but there are “hives” by Craftzine, Etsy, etc., and you can try tags like craft, do-it-yourself, handmade, etc.

Austin-Themed:  Independent Sellers I Like

1. Austin Craft Mafia – actually 10 sellers. The original craft mafia.
2. Austin Soap Company – with names for the locals like Barton Springs Eternal,78704, Hippie Hollow and Texas Bluebonnet.
3. Happy Tails Cafe – pet stuff from South Austin.  My Yorkie, Audrey, loves the Barkin’ Bacon treats.