Judging by the faces of the hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of shoppers at Renegade Craft Fair in Wicker Park on Saturday and Sunday, it was a great weekend. The sun came out, everyone brought their babies and pups (and at least one mini pig), some of us had quite a few brews from Half Acre, and we all spent a little more money than we probably anticipated. But it’s okay. When you’re taking home toys and screen-printed onesies for your friend’s baby shower or maybe, just maybe, splurging on a little handmade necklace for yourself, you can take solace in the fact that at least you’re shopping local. Of the many makers we loved at this season’s fair (including those who made all of the amazing goodies in this $1,600-plus giveaway), these are just some of our new favorite local artists and artisans.
Earth Cadets (pictured)
You’ve probably seen these prints before, and the tent at Renegade was buzzing with shoppers looking for adorable Chicago-themed onesies and throw pillows. Chicago’s Krissy Callahan designs and screen-prints each item using eco-friendly, water-based inks. Yes, we went back for more.
Allison Mooney Design
We also took home a couple of things from Allison Mooney this season, including some gold climber earrings. The Chicago jewelry designer focuses on creating pieces you can wear with anything, with clean, minimalist design.
Zerobird
We love the screen-printed pillows and prints from Zerobird, based in West Town and made by Jennifer Burak and Dan Spielman.
Taylor Street Soap
It’s never too early to start thinking about stocking stuffers, and we wanted to take home more than a few of these handcrafted soaps, scrubs and lip butters—all handmade in Little Italy.
Tree Hopper Toys
Wooden puzzles like a 3D log cabin and a narwhal ship (yes, a ship that’s half narwhal) are magical, whether you have kids in your life or not. A family-owned company just outside of Chicago makes all of the creative toys.
Tactile Craftworks
It’s no exaggeration to say that at least half of the people who came up to our booth over the weekend picked up this leather clutch and spent a solid minute ooooh-ing and aaaaah-ing. They're based in Milwaukee, but you can always find them online.
See you at the December fair in Bridgeport!
Photographs by Laura Rote and Elizabeth Atkinson
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