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Shop the Midwest Craft Con Trade Show

midwest craft con, author book signing, trade show

The Midwest has SO many great independent craft stores and boutiques. One of our many goals at Midwest Craft Con is to help connect these store owners with our  talented attendees.

Whether you’re looking to take a creative keepsake for a loved one, or pick up some books and products from our speakers for yourself, Midwest Craft Con’s trade show is a perfect place shop. You can stop by the trade show to shop from Friday 2 to 7 p.m., Saturday 12 to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

These are the shops you’ll be able to shop with during this year’s conference:

And there’s even more fun to be had:

  • Office Hours: Some of our speakers are open to sharing their knowledge with you one-on-one with office hours you can sign up for at the Con. The hours and experts participating will be posted in the Trade Show.
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Craft Caravan: 3 Tours of Columbus!

Craft Caravans, personal tours of the crafty hot spots of Columbus, Ohio, have become a beloved feature of Midwest Craft Con. Passengers get a behind-the-scenes tour of the shops from the owners — and have plenty of time to shop! You are welcome and encouraged bring drinks and snacks on the bus as we chauffeur you around the city.

Our Craft Caravans are presented with generous support by Greater Columbus Arts Council!

Kick-off Craft Caravan
$10 per seat • Thursday, Feb. 15, 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Start the conference off right! You can shop for party supplies at Surprise Modern Party, screen-print a drink cozie with Alison Rose at Blockfort and get your tiki on with drinks and dinner at Grass Skirt Tiki. (FYI: Food and drink are not included in the ticket price.)

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#1 Crafty Tour of Columbus: Sponsored by Sew to Speak!
$10 per seat • Friday, Feb. 16, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Shop some of the longest-running craft shops in town! You’ll visit Wholly Craft, Igloo Letterpress and Sew to Speak. The caravan departs Friday morning from the conference hotel and gets you back in time for the opening session. Bringing your lunch on board the bus is encouraged!

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#2 Crafty Tour of Columbus
$10 per seat • Friday, Feb. 16, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
We will shuttle you to beloved modern craft shops The Smithery, Yarn It & Haberdashery, and Dabble and Stitch. The caravan departs Friday morning from the conference hotel and gets you back in time for the opening session. Bringing your lunch on board the bus is encouraged!

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Still need your ticket to Midwest Craft Con? Get it here!

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Inside Our Trade Show

Midwest Craft Con attendees get to take in sessions and workshops that will build their handmade business tools, but they also can make connections with independent stores while they’re at the con!

At our Trade Show you’ll find a variety of independent retailers offering up their knowledge and inventory to conners. Whether you are looking to take home a crafty souvenir, dabble your way into a new medium or add to your existing stash, our trade show exhibitors will be set up ready to take sales and talk shop. Speakers Lesley Ware and Nicole A. Taylor will also be selling and signing their books on Saturday and Sunday! The Trade Show is open to conners during the following times:

  • Friday: 2 to 4 p.m.
  • Saturday: 12:30 to 2 p.m.
  • Sunday: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Yarn lovers will swoon over the brightly spun selection of fibers from Yarn It & Haberdashery

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Stock up with modern fabrics and independent patterns with Dabble & Stitch.

Homespun: Modern Handmade will be offering a selection of contemporary handmade items from their Indianapolis shop.

Learn about screenprinting from Alison Rose, who will once again live print our Craft Con shirts and also have apparel for purchase.

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Igloo Letterpress will be back sharing century old techniques and showcase the many ways letterpress has made a comeback.

Scour through gently used fabrics, notions and craft knicknacks with The Supply Closet. You also get to name your own price for what you want to buy!

Stock up on modern supplies for cross-stitch and embroidery from The Hoop & Needle.

Wholly Craft will showcase their Midwest-made artisanal goods.

Create your own party with supplies, tools  and barware for every crafty occasional with Surprise Modern Party.

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DIY & RIDE: Take a tour of Columbus!

Kicking off Midwest Craft Con on Friday, Feb. 10, is the return of our crafty party bus tour of Columbus! Book a seat on this bus, and you’ll be led to the craftiest shops in Ohio’s capital city.

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While the con is centered in the Hyatt downtown for the weekend, we wanted to give folks the opportunity to explore to our host city of Columbus and its handmade community.

A few of these fine folks are joining us as speakers, exhibitors and sponsors, and we know from experience that nothing compares to walking into a handmade boutique and being greeted by the proprietor, who can show you around and help you find exactly what you need.

This year we have two generous sponsors, 614 Knit Studio and Sew to Speak, who are powering the bus and buying everyone lunch! This year we have two new shops on the tour and one that will offer riders a chance to create their own felted bar of soap.

The full lineup for the Friday bus tour includes:

614 Knit Studio

Sew to Speak

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The Smithery

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Wholly Craft

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Yarn It & Haberdashery

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Igloo Letterpress

igloo letterpress, columbus

Surprise Modern Party and Cocktails

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Reserve your seat on the bus right here!

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Holiday Gift Guide for Creatives

Crafters are amazing gift givers. We spend the whole year creating new products and designs so when the holiday season comes around our shoppers and loyal customers can give handmade trinkets and treasures to their loved ones.

But shopping for a creative-minded person can be tricky. We’re often perfectionists, and we’re always just as likely to make something ourselves as we are to buy something nice for ourselves. We’ve compiled our personal gift guide of must-haves and must-gives, one practical and one just for fun, so you can steal some gift ideas for crafters.

Megan’s Picks

Dapper pomade: As a soap maker, I have no shortage of bath and beauty products available to me. But even if you work at McDonalds, sometimes you just want some Burger King. The personal care soaps and stuff from Orange Fuzz, crafty friends from Cincinnati, are a must-buy on my own shopping list. Their soaps are finely crafted with great scents, and their Dapper pomade comes in three sizes ($7 to $25). It is like my version of crack. I can’t wear enough of it.

orange fuzz dapper pomade

Trunk with wheels: I am a sucker for practical things in my life. While not very glamorous, this is a highly useful storage container with wheels for products, electrical cords and tools and everything else a crafter needs on the go. It can also double as a seat! This trunk ($52) is available at The Container Store.

container store trunk with wheels

Grace’s Picks

MT washi tape: I’ve got a serious problem when it comes to this pretty Japanese paper tape, and MT brand is the only one that I collect obsessively, parceling out tiny strips so it lasts longer. The number of rolls on my desk is somewhere around 30, and I may or may not have just bought another batch online this week. But it’s so pretty! And you can use it for everything! I do use it on all my official craft correspondence so I’m calling this washi tape (about $4 per roll) a business expense.

washi tape

Smartphone camera lenses: I discovered the Olloclip clip-on smartphone lenses last year when I was assigned to write a story about the company’s founder. I was immediately sold on the concept: The four-in-one lens snaps onto your smartphone (with accompanying case, of course), letting you take fisheye, wide-angle and macro pictures on the front or rear camera with the clarity of a much more expensive DSLR. The rose-gold Olloclip ($79) even matches my iPhone!

olloclip lenses

Brit’s Picks

Coffee gift set: As if I wasn’t caffeinating enough during craft show season, after my show is over I love to treat myself to great coffee. I would love to get or gift this box set of coffee varietals ($24) from my favorite local source, Akron Coffee Roasters!

akron-coffee

Field Notes notebooks: These pocket size notebooks are the ultimate tool for any maker. Field Notes comes out with limited edition sets all the time, and this Expedition set ($9.95 for three) is even waterproof! If you’re buying some for me, make sure they have graph paper inside. 🙂

Field notes expedition notebooks

What do Midwest Craft Con attendees want? 

We asked the lovely people in our Facebook group what they’d like as a gift this year, and the biggest wish is downtime. So if you’re looking to surprise a crafter you care about, consider booking a massage appointment or buying them a gift card to their favorite coffee house.

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For example: a ticket to Midwest Craft ConGive the creative in your life a ticket to our craft conference, and they can enjoy the down time before spring craft show season starts up while recharging their energy and making new business connections. The ticket includes access to all three days of our conference, plus access to our private Facebook group, and social activities at the con. We’ll see you there!