Craftin' Outlaws

Let me start by saying, I don't know whose fault this is but someone. SOMEONE needs to hear this. Let us begin with finding the event. Yelp told me that the Columbus Axe Throwing place, where the event was being held, was next to The Continent. What is The Continent you ask? Well it's an appropriately named apartment complex, or quite possibly a small village, the size of a medium continent. We drove around this multi-neon-colored buildings for a solid 38 minutes looking for this place. Weaving around multiple (multiple!) nightclubs, the french quarter (WTAF), and what appeared to be an abandoned theater ...I was determined to browse overpriced homemade soaps, tiny pop tart pins, sarcastic baby onesies and handmade cards. DETERMINED. Yelp failed to mention that the only way to find this place was to drive through a tunnel into the depths of The Continent where you quite possibly only have a 97% chance of returning alive. But alas we found it ...and the postcard sized sign on the door. Once inside we wandered around looking for the craft fair, passing abandoned furniture, squeezing between the nets behind the batting cages, carefully passing under falling ceiling tiles until we finally reached the Craftin Outlaws sign. It was practically glowing, we made it ! It was all worth it!Spoiler Alert: Nope. There were literally 6 tiny booths of crafts. There were no other customers. Likely because no one else was willing to risk their lives or spend 45 minutes in pursuit of crafts of the outlaw variety. I browsed the crafts for 90 seconds. I haven't been this disappointed since the 2016 World Series and the 2016 election, in that order. Everything about this event was wrong with the exception of the blue slushy I got in the way out the door. Although I'm still drinking it and wouldn't be surprised if the lid fell off, spilling electric blue sludge all over my lap. The LITERAL (blue) cherry on top of the worst 46 minutes of my life.

I happened to come across CO's tent, while at ID Fest 2015. Perfect time to check out the many independent sellers (besides, it started to rain, and I was without a trusty umbrella). This organization of locally made and sourced arts/design products takes on independent artists from allowed central Ohio and puts on "crafting bizarres" so these fantastic and unique owners can showcase (and sell) their items. Tons of great homemade jewelry, screen printed tshirts, greeting cards, soaps and perfumes, etc. I have to find her card, but a lady was selling her leather band watches. The bands where in a few different bold, bright colors - what caught my eye. Simple square watch face. Reasonable price. A great present for someone else or gift for yourself!

Leading up to the craft fair their twitter account highlights vendors ahead of time. Most of them have web sites so you can peruse what's available and make a shopping list ahead of time. This was my first time at the event and I was impressed. It wasn't so crowded that you got lost or forgot where you saw something you liked. Nice variety of items were for sale. Items included recycled/upcycled glass goods, recycled/upcycled hair clips, bead/metal/leather jewelry, clothing (cowls, t-shirts, scarfs), drawings/prints, soaps/lotions and animal/hero masks.Afterwards, Craftin' Outlaws sent out a survey via Twitter to get feedback and follow-up on the event.

I thought this event was - cute. Space was a little crowded, although a good idea. I guess I'm just not into craft fairs? I like handmade stuff, I LOVE ETSY, but I just felt like I was surrounded by knickknacks at this fair. Not very useful, not terribly unique, although obviously made with care.However, if you like cute knickknacks to put on your shelves or to decorate yourself with - Go for it! I'm sure you'd love this event!

The alt-craft fair, Craftin' Outlaws, hit Columbus Aug. 16. This annual event draws alternative crafters peddling their wares and the folks who snatch them up. This isn't your grandmother's craft fair -- they even say that on their website. There's nary a frilly doily or ugly knitted scarf in site. This year brought a venue change for the event. It was held in the large-ish location of BoMA, which only helped the bohemian vibe of the fair. Over 60 vendors offered up their homemade goods -- everything from pottery to screen-printed items to handbags to paper crafts and even jewelry. The event showcased entrepreneurs from around town and around the country. High street hot-spots like What the Rock, Wholly Craft and Sew to Speak all had booths. You could even grab some treats from Paddycake Vegan Bakery or Benevolence Cafe.Though it was pretty crowded, we still managed to make it to all of the awesome tables. It exceeded any expectations I had going in. It's a fun, unique event right here in Columbus. Too bad it only happens once a year.