I’m excited to announce that BikePortland will once again host BikeCraft. After a five-year hiatus for the event, the 16th edition of this bike-inspired holiday gift faire will happen at Migration Brewing from 2:00 to 8:00 pm.
Before I go any further, please indulge my need to reminisce…
It wasn’t long after I launched BikePortland in early 2005 that I realized our city was full of makers and artisans whose creations were inspired by bikes and the people who ride them. I was so inspired by the people I was meeting in the community and the websites I was finding (this was long before social media existing, so you would actually scour the Internet for things you liked and then create “blog rolls” of your favorites) that I wondered: What if we put all this amazing creative bicycling energy under one roof, for one night? Imagine what it would say about Portland’s bike culture if we could have our own holiday market!
So I found a large coffee shop in a central location willing to host us for free, and put out the call. I didn’t charge vendors and it was free to get in and I no idea if anyone would show up. And despite it being a very cold and icy night, hundreds came through the door. I recall being so happy to see all the bike people in one room. All kinds of cool products and crafts emerged that night — people sold things I’d never even seen before, some folks made new things just for the event, and others sold out of everything they brought. We had a poetry reading, a freakbike weapons demonstration by Dingo the Clown, and I talked so much for so long, my voice was hoarse by the end of the night.
I’m convinced there was no other city on the globe in 2005 that could have hosted such an event.
After that first magical night in 2005, I organized it the next five years and it grew a lot. We moved into bigger venues and it became a huge thing. The quality and variety of items was astounding. I’m talking really cool bags, hats, racks, artwork, jewelry, saddle covers, fenders, mud flaps, fashion, terrariums (!), sculptures, clocks, and so much more — and it was all either made out of bike parts or inspired by cycling. In 2011 I sold the event to some local guys who wanted to do even cooler things with it (including an e-commerce element that I had always dreamed about but never pulled off). Those new owners did it for five years. The event took a year off (2016) and then my friends Elly Blue and Joe Biel of Microcosm Publishing took it over in 2017 and ran the event for three years until its last run in 2019.
This year will be the 16th edition of BikeCraft and we’re bringing it back to the grassroots with a small list of vendors and a small venue to test the waters. If it goes well, we will consider changes next year.
Finally, I want to give credit to my friend Max “Lady Max” Nash for the BikeCraft rebirth. She’s the one who urged me to do it and convinced me over weeks of conversations at Bike Happy Hour — and has done all the organizing. Max is the maker behind Flat Tire Creations and she’s gathered a group of vendors that should make for a really fun night of shopping and socializing.
So mark your calendars for December 17th and stay tuned for the full list of vendors and more details in the coming days and weeks.
— Browse the BikeCraft story archive for photos and flavors from past events.
Thanks for reading.
BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.
Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.