(Photos by J. Maus/BikePortland)
The ninth annual BikeCraft holiday gift fair is set for next weekend, November 30th – December 1st, and we’re excited to announce Velo Cult (1969 NE 42nd Ave) as the new venue! Event organizers Aaron Kaffen and Amos Hunter have once again brought together a stellar line-up of local gift-makers that will entice you (and your pocketbook) with their bike-inspired wares.
To make room for all the great vendors (34 of them so far, see list below) and general holiday merriment, Sky Boyer and the Velo Cult crew will transform their entire, 5,000 square foot bar and bike shop into BikeCraft central. A relative newcomer to Portland, Velo Cult has established itself as the cultural hub of Portland’s diverse and vibrant bicycle scene. Their open floor-plan, the renown bike collection that hangs from the ceiling and rafters, and their welcoming bar and seating areas should make for one of the best BikeCraft venues ever.
To sweeten the pot even further, this year’s event opens on Small Business Saturday, which is a fledgling national effort to support local businesses. Speaking of local businesses, below is the current list of artists, makers, designers, and sellers of fine goods who plan to share their work with us next weekend…
- Almost Monday – fine art printmaker
- Amain Bikes – lamps and lights made from recycled bike parts
- Bicycle Kitty
- Bike Mitts
- Bike n Chain – Custom bike-themed wool beanies
- Bikeasaurus – Huge selection of bike-themed gifts
- Black Star Bags – Messenger bags, backpacks, and other accessories
- Blaq Designs – Messenger bags, backpacks, and other accessories
- Bundle and Stow – Tool rolls and other useful items
- Cagoule Fleece – Hats, scarves and gloves
- Cycle Time
- Double Darn Clothing – Cycling caps
- Fillettante – Jewelry from upcycled bike parts
- Gigi’s Handywork – Helmuffs ear muffs for your helmet.
- Hopscotch Town
- Microcosm Publishing – Stickers, patches, zines and books
- North St. Bags – Backpacks, panniers, and more
- Philosophy Bags – Backpacks and panniers
- Piggy Flowers
- Portland Buckle
- Rebicyclist – Bike tire belts and buckles from recycled materials
- Red Bat Press – Letterpress cards, calendars and more
- Rejuiced Bikes – Sculptural bike art
- Rhythmic Metal – Belt buckles, earrings, and wall hangings
- SaltyandSweet Design – Laser-cut mobiles, flasks, and jewelry
- Sellwood Designs – Bike buckets (panniers)
- Skadokeys
- Solarcycle
- Tailgate Industries, LLC
- Taking the Lane Media – Books and stickers
- Two Guitars – Screenprinted and letterpress cards
- Velo Gioielli – Bike-themed jewelry
- Walnut Studiolo – Wood and leather accessories for your bike
And here are a few photos from BikeCrafts past to whet your appetite…
As always, admission to BikeCraft is free; but bring some cash for food, drinks and other purchases. Here’s the schedule:
Saturday, November 30th
- Event hours: 11:00am to 6:00pm @ Velo Cult
After-party: 7:00p at Velo Cult
Sunday, December 1st
Event hours: 11:00am to 6:00pm
— Stay tuned to the Front Page for more BikeCraft coverage, follow the #bikecraft hashtag on Twitter for updates, and check out the BikeCraft website and Facebook page to learn more.
Thanks for reading.
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This will be fun. Great venue for the show.
Do they have any plans for overflow bike parking? There are two (or three?) corrals right there, but my experience of BikeCraft in the past suggests that that won’t be anywhere near enough.
You bet! We’re working on getting some extra racks in the back parking lot for the event.
This is going to be fun. Party’s, heat, good lighting, and awesome vendors. Very exciting.
Awesome. I heart Velo Cult. I shop there preferentially because of their support for Portland bike culture.
We’ve put up a Facebook event for this year’s BikeCraft. https://www.facebook.com/events/561709843897280/
RSVP and we’ll be sure you get all the details about special events, parties, etc..
If you’re sharing on FB, Twitter, G+, etc., you can use #BikeCraft to keep everyone in the loop.
Thanks all! See you there 🙂
stoked!
I am really looking forward to this – though I have a nagging question. While it is great to see art made out of bike parts, some of those components seem to be perfectly serviceable and possibly new rather than reclaimed (esp. the chainrings and disc brakes). Wouldn’t it be better to actually be putting those parts to use on a bike rather than cutting them up? We should really be making jewelry and interior decor from car parts, as those are the parts that we want off the road . Ride on.
many of the chain rings etc that they use for jewelry are being repurposed because they have outlived their bike life. Either they are cut down to portion slices because of missing teeth, are shark toothed, etc. Same with the chains – very stretchy. Old spokes, tubes, etc.
As someone that has worked a diy bike shops where we did reuse old bike parts and have bargain bins, we did try to get as many discount parts back on the bike as possible – but sometimes used parts are just that. Used.
So sad I have to miss it this year – especially at this venue. I’ll be driving back from SoCal for Thanksgiving festivities. In fact my wife (Gigi’s Handywork) has to fly back on Friday just to make the show in time, leaving poor me to drive the two day driving trip by myself (and a 10 year old in tow). 😉
It works best when someone buys the products . . . Perhaps not enough people desire to furnish their homes from the auto wrecker yard.