This is what crafty people do in Detroit

Motown celebrated it’s 50th Gala on Saturday, November 21. I read that it was a star-studded event and the attendees had a good time, but I wasn’t there, so I can’t tell you anything about it. I was in Detroit, but I was at The Majestic Theater, taking part in the Detroit Urban Craft Fair, which is organized by Handmade Detroit. I can tell you a few things about that…

It was a very good time. I had planned on taking pictures during the event and did manage to take some during set-up the night before and very early on Saturday morning. But after the ball started rolling, that plan ended. I had an Indie Biz Chicks table set up in the lobby, a separate area. I did manage to take some quick trips onto the sales floor throughout the day, but didn’t end up doing any filming.  Thankfully, the DVX team had set up a live blog and participants were able to post pictures, video, and on-the-moment reports.

If you have never been to a large indie craft fair, definitely go back and look at the blog. It is hard to imagine what one of these events looks like until you see one! Thousands of people came out for the event – the sales floor was literally packed all day, from 10am – 7pm.

It was great to see so many people buying local, and supporting indie businesses. i3Detroit, Provo Craft, and Mariah from Yelp Michigan had make and takes set up, allowing people to get their craft on while they shopped and socialized with friends (and there was a cupcake car).

Trust me, when it comes to putting on a craft fair, Handmade Detroit knows how to bring it. The vendors who came in from out of state were amazed at the turn-out. But as Michiganders know, our state embodies the DIY spirit. We have been a pioneering, innovative bunch for a long time. As you can see from pictures and posts from the DUCF live blog, Michigan is still home to many awesome, creative entrepreneurs. Yay, us!