(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)
The eighth annual BikeCraft holiday gift bazaar opened today at Sandbox Studio in Northeast Portland (420 NE 9th). The crowds were solid, the vibe was very merry, and as always, there was a lot of great stuff to check out.
I ran into tons of old friends and spent a lot of my time catching up with various folks. I was also happy to meet three regular readers whom I’d only known by their commenter names (hi Brian, Bonnie and Alan!). I spent so much time chatting, that I think I saw only about half of the vendors… Fortunately I plan to return tomorrow for a second round.
If you missed today, take a quick little tour of the show below…
If you see these guys — BikeCraft organizers Aaron Kaffen (L) and Amos Hunter — tell them thanks for keeping the event alive and strong…
Check the sexy inner-tube wrist corset made by one of the Sprockettes…
Rhythmic Metal is a vendor I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t meet the man behind these items, Trent Stocking, but I loved his belt buckles and other metal art/objects…
Ayleen Crotty debuted the new poster for her annual Filmed by Bike festival. It’s hot. Illustrated by none other than local artist Matt Cardinal of Signal Cycles fame (and Bike Gallery before that)…
And then there was Curtis Williams of North St. Bags. What can be said about this guy? He has upped his game big time. His bags are fantastic, he is boosting production in his southeast Portland sewing shop, and he’s got a lot to smile about. Stop by tomorrow and he’ll make you a custom wallet or hip pouch while you wait!…
Becky Morton of the Bikeasaurus retail store on SE Hawthorne Blvd has a fun assortment of hard-to-find bikey gifts. Ask her about the button she’s wearing below. It lights up!
The Velo Gioiello bike jewelry booth was swamped! And it’s no surprise: Brian Echerer makes really very attractive things to adorn your home and/or your body with…
Amy Erickson of Firefly Gear shared these sweet little reflective flowers you can pin on your jacket or wear on your wrist or ankles…
Amy also offered stockings featuring the image of the patroness of cycling, the Madonna del Ghisallo…
How about a cozy wool beanie?
These Bates Crates (made in Olympia, WA) are very well made. I like the coffee cup holder and the leather straps up front…
Every year at BikeCraft there’s one vendor who makes an unexpected splash. So far this year (I have a lot more to see tomorrow!) that person is Adam Lazenby. Adam is an industrial designer by day, but his love of bikes (and his visual arts background) have led him to a new hobby. He said he made his first candleholder on a whim while working at a bike shop in college. When he heard about BikeCraft he figured he’d try to make a few more items, including lamps. With their recycled hub shells, disc brake rotors, spokes, and even a triple-clamp MTB suspension fork, Adam’s designs were a big hit. It was unexpected, even for him. “I guess I should have made business cards or something,” he said. Yep. I have a hunch we’ll be hearing more from this guy…
Truce Designs is a company to watch. Luke Mathers raised a lot of interested eyebrows when he debuted at BikeCraft 2010 and he continues to refine and improve his backpacks, messenger bags, and other, lightweight, waterproof, and super-durable carrying devices that are made out of recycled sail cloth. He proudly showed off a limited edition, US Army camo-print fabric…
Caroline of Little Package Cycling Caps had quite a day. She sold tons of her popular cycling caps — especially the ear-flap variety…
Illustrator Tomas Quinones was a huge surprise hit last year and he’s back with Volume Two of his popular coloring book for kids. This new edition includes a host of new, cute animal characters on bikes as well as fun activities. He’s also got very reasonably-priced framed prints that add a fun splash of color and whimsy to any home…
These cool woodcut prints are by Serena Van Vranken of Almost Monday…
Mark Allyn, the “Master of Light” showed up with his latest light jacket…
And last but not least is artist, sculptor and bike maker Johnnie Olivan of Rejuiced Bikes. He’s always up to something interesting. One of his new items are menorahs made from bike parts…
Come on out tomorrow and see all this great stuff and even more. Like I said, I’ve only seen about half the booths so far. In addition to the great gifts you’ll find, there’s also music, food, beer, and more. Come hang out and shop BikeCraft tomorrow from 11 am to 6 pm at 420 NE 9th. If you do, I promise you’ll be as happy as our friends Kirk Paulsen and Erinne Goodell look in the photo below…
— This just in…. For a hilarious look at BikeCraft, watch local bike filmmaker and reporter Dan Kaufman’s latest video…
