craftygal travels - One-of-a-Kind Spring Show and Sale 2001 in Toronto, ON

One-of-a-Kind Show

Go Ahead, Show Off!

by Taryn

As you may already know, we craftygals are quite fond of our Canadian neighbors. Perhaps you even read about our screamin’ fun trip to Toronto’s One-of-a-Kind Christmas 2000 Show and Sale (saga the first part and saga the second). So it won’t surprise you in the least to find out that we made a reprise trip to the Spring 2001 Craft Show. This time, Jan and Christy and I were joined by dearest Amie on more adventures in that great city.

And when I say adventures, kiddies, I mean adventures. There were driving incidents (numerous u-turns taken, red-lights run, curbs ridden over), hotel incidents (overflowing toilets, blown fuses, horrific wall-hangings), and nightlife incidents (eardrums blasted, cover charges returned, etc.); however, this time we’ll spare you some of our own drama and get to the business of the show itself.

The Spring Show included 450 booths, whereas the Christmas Show boasts 750, but that was certainly enough to keep the craftygals drooling ‘round every corner. According to the One-of-a-Kind website, the Spring event attracts 55,000 visitors over the course of 5 days--a great way for up-and-coming Canadian artisans to gain exposure.

Determined to take it all in, the craftygals started off at aisle A and traveled together for most of the show. This served a two-fold purpose: one, the social aspect, and two, the navigational. For the life of me I can never remember which end of the aisle I’m on and inevitably need someone to grab me by the sleeve and explain that if I keep turning left I won’t see much of the show! Fortunately, my trusty mates kept us on track, and we were able to make it through the whole exhibit. Now we’ll just highlight a few of our favorites from the show.

Worn Beadies

Imagine walking into a well-lit booth with trays and trays of colorful glass beads to adore. Some are brightly colored with nubs; some are deep and swirly. According to the Worn Beadies site, a gal named Amber is the one-woman-army behind this venture; her titles include Chief of Staff, Chief Beadmaker, Silversmith, Designer, and Executive in Charge of Sales. The girl does it all! She imports Moretti glass from Italy to make her beads, and gives each one special attention while creating it. Her process can take anywhere from one hour to two-and-a-half.

Handmade glass beads by Worn Beadies

Me & My Shadow

When I saw this booth, my breath was taken away by the simplicity and versatility of this idea. Shadow boxes of all sizes and colors; there were themed boxes, corner boxes, and boxes divided into sections--just rows of intricate, uniquely painted frames filled with whimsical objects of every kind. Karen Pinnell and Lesley Heaslip, from LK Design in Elmsvale, ON, are responsible for these works.

Shadow box entitled "The Root Of It"

Sadie

Jewellery (as they spell it in Canada) was definitely the craftygals’ favorite medium this season, and Sadie’s unique resin jewellery had us hooked right away. Each distinctive bracelet, ring, and necklace charm was filled with tiny beads, gears, and other small objects waiting to be discovered. We were also pleased to overhear that singer Nelly Furtada was spotted wearing one of Sadie’s necklaces on her Conan O’Brien appearance. How exciting to know that work of this caliber is being appreciated and given even more exposure by celebrities. Yay for Sadie!

Resin bracelet by Sadie

Peach Berserk/Fresh Baked Goods

Meet Kingi and Laura-Jean. These women are our absolute heroes. Kingi is the owner and designer of Peach Berserk. Her clothes are hand-dyed and silk-screened with patterns she draws herself, making them completely unique. (I challenge you to find a Naked Lady or Eiffel Tower printed dress anywhere else!) And Laura-Jean is the Knitting Queen responsible for Fresh Baked Goods. Her sweaters are fabulously funky and soooo soft. The buttons are hand-made as well, in funky shapes like lipsticks and flowers. Together, Kingi and Laura-Jean have a store called Peachy Fresh--but by far the coolest thing about both of their lines of clothing is that they take custom orders! You can choose the color, print, and cut of any dress and Kingi will make a dress especially for you; same goes for a sweater by Laura-Jean. This calls for a loud hoorah from girls in all sizes!

A Fresh Baked Good: technofur tank with beaded straps

Peach Berserk: silk-screened to perfection

So now that you’ve heard about the types of fun folks who comprise the One-of-a-Kind Craft Show, perhaps you’re interested in learning what it takes to exhibit your own wares. As you suspected, getting set up does require some up-front capital. The application deposit for the Spring 2001 Show was $300 CA, and a standard 5’x 10’ booth cost $1,545.00 CA (~$990 US). The show does, however, offer scholarships to eligible newcomers, which could reduce booth fees by 50%, so be sure to look into that.

By now Americans may be wishing there was an equivalent event available in the States, and for them there is good news! A One-of-a-Kind Christmas 2001 Show will be held in Chicago, IL for the first time from December 6th to December 9th. Prices for booths start at $750 US for 50 square feet, and $1,500 US for 100+ square feet. The other good news is that there’s no application or jury fee this year. (But hurry, because applications were being accepted starting 04/01 and continue until the show is filled!)