Portland’s BikeCraft fair is back for the 2017 holidays

BikeCraft 2012.
(Photo: J.Maus/BikePortland)

After a year on hiatus, Portland’s only bike-specific craft fair will ride again this December.

The simple idea, as phrased by co-producer Elly Blue of Microcosm Publishing: “Anyone who makes something bike-centric can pay a small tabling fee and come sell their stuff to a crowd of happy cyclists. It’s informal, fun, and all about building community and supporting the kitchen table and small business economy.”

This year’s event happens the weekend of Dec. 15-17 at the Bike Farm, 1810 NE 1st Ave. just north of Broadway. It’s free to attend Saturday and Sunday; this year there’ll also be a paid preview party on Friday night to benefit the Bike Farm’s mission (a cheap place to crank on your bike and/or learn how) and to let people “shop early in a festive but less busy setting,” Blue says.

Vendor applications are due Oct. 15. And there’s already a Facebook event.

Blue is creating this year’s event with Microcosm’s Joe Biel and Brian Echerer of local jewelry maker Velo Gioielli. All are longtime vendors. They’re taking the event over from its former producers, Amos Hunter and Aaron Kaffen.

Tickets to the Friday-night party (“with beer,” the flyer promises) will be sold at the door for $5 to $20, on a sliding scale.

BikePortland created BikeCraft in 2005 — the first one took place inside City Hall — and passed it to Hunter and Kaffen in 2011.

This year’s BikeCraft is sponsored by Berkshire Ginsberg, LLC, the Bike Farm, Velo Gioielli and Microcosm.

Want to help BikeCraft happen yourself? “Anyone who’d like to donate a bit of money, beer, or time to make this happen can email me,” Blue says. “Elly at microcosmpublishing.com.”

— Michael Andersen: (503) 333-7824, @andersem on Twitter and michael@portlandafoot.org

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