Meet the Organizer: Megan Green

The organizers of Midwest Craft Con have been involved in the indie craft scene for years, and chances are you’ve seen them around Ohio! This week we meet organizer Megan Green.

So who are you?

I am the owner of Stinkybomb Soap, now in its seventh year, and I am also the organizer of Craftin’ Outlaws. My production space is housed within Tacocat Co-Operative, where we house a gallery space. In my “free” time, I am a mom to a preschooler and a second grader. While I have many jobs, my task of mother always comes first, and everything I do is done around school schedules. The youngest starts kindergarten next year, and I am looking forward to doing all the things.

How’d you get involved in the craft world?

I have always been a dabbler and had an interest in the arts. Being unable to draw or paint well, I found myself flocking towards photography, soap- and candle-making and fiber arts. In 2006 my husband and I hosted a Halloween party and for prizes we crafted creepy little dolls that we hand-stitched.

It was so much fun and they were so well received that I started making more of them. Which turned into an Etsy store, which turned into my first craft show and then several shows. It was after the birth of our daughter that I stumbled onto the idea for Stinkybomb. My husband, also a creative entrepreneur,  crafts rubber bayonets and hand grenades which he sells to WWII re-enactors, collectors and prop makers. He left one of his grenade molds on our dining room table, and having made soaps as one of my tinkering hobbies back in the day, I knew the basics of what was needed. So after a quick trip to the craft store, I had made my first Stinkybomb Soap.

I started switching over from stuffed creatures to soap in 2009. My husband helps in mold production, while I handle all the manufacturing and everything else involved with running my stinky empire.

Around the same time, the founder of Craftin’ Outlaws, Liz Rosino, was leaving Columbus to head off to grad school in Seattle. She looked around for local crafters interested in taking over the reins. A few of stepped up to help, and I reached out for the leadership role. She was extremely gracious in handing everything over. I now organize it mostly on my own. I have an assistant who helps out with the big holiday show and a jury that helps with choosing vendors. Craftin’ Outlaws is now in its 10th year, with a spring show and holiday show. This year we joined forces with Independents’ Day by bringing our makers to their existing two-day outdoor festival.

What’s the first crafty thing you ever remember selling?

One of my many creative ventures consisted of me preserving bridal bouquets. I worked at a picture framing shop and befriended a women in her 70s who dried bouquets. She taught me everything she knew, and I gave it a go for while. In the end I put it to bed because the fear of ruining someone’s bridal bouquet was too much to deal with.

Before that I remember discussing with my father buying a drive thru and turning it into a flower shop. I used to sketch the floor plan and create visual displays in my head.

Who in the craft business world would you love to get a drink with?

I am fortunate to grab monthly beers with the Columbus Crafty Cotillion. They are the coolest crafters I know. But I would love to meet Diane of Crafty Pod.

What books would you recommend most to creative business people?

Sadly, I do not read as much as I would like, and while I love podcasts I don’t have a great deal of free time for those, either. The last books that had staying power for me were the Tipping Point and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. And the E-Myth series by Michael Gerber is always worth picking up. You can just read sections when you have a moment to remind you to get your ass back in gear.

One day there will be time to read again. I am currently re-reading all the Harry Potter books as bedtime stories for the kids. If there are any creative business books that make great nighttime stories that won’t bore a 5-year-old and 7-year-old, please pass them my way!