For the past three and a half years, Crafty Wonderland (craftywonderland.com) has arguably
been Portland’s most consistent means to plug in to this town’s vibrant
craft scene. This week sees the annual Super Colossal Holiday Sale, an
event so immediately popular in these climes that it had to be moved to
the Oregon Convention Center after its home at the Norse Hall proved
insufficient to meet the demand from the public. It coincides with
another evolutionary move to condense Crafty Wonderland operations to
just two large-scale events per year (the next is scheduled for the
first weekend in May), drawing to a close the monthly installments at
the Doug Fir. I spoke to founders Cathy Pitters and Torie Nguyen about
the shift, and about what’s in store for Sunday’s sale.
MERCURY: Tell me more about your decision to
discontinue the monthly events.
CATHY PITTERS: I really want to stress that Crafty Wonderland is not
a victim of the bad economy! We saw that the big shows were more of a
destination event that brought in much more money for vendors, plus the
work on our end was more concentrated so we could have more
downtime.
Many of the people in the craft scene have been optimistic that the
economic crisis could have a beneficial impact on the craft world. Do
you still feel that way?
CP: I think Portlanders are diehard supporters of buying locally
made goods and that they are thinking even more about keeping their
dollars local now that the economy is suffering.
TORIE NGUYEN: It’s my observation that people are spending less, but
thinking more consciously about where they’re purchasing things. That
certainly helps the DIY movement gain more attention and encourages
people to either make something themselves or support someone else who
made it.
What can we expect from this year’s holiday sale?
CP: This year’s holiday sale is seriously our biggest and best sale
to date! We have an all-star lineup of over 200 super-talented artists
and crafters, 200 goodie bags, local authors doing demos and book
signings, a full bar, and this year we are proud to team up with the
Community Warehouse, a local nonprofit agency that collects and
redistributes donated household goods to individuals and families in
need.
With the monthly events ending, how will you use the extra time and
energy?
TN: The Super Colossal shows take months of preparation… but at
least with this year’s schedule we’ll have our summers off! We’re
excited about having more time to organize some new craft-related
events. (Crafty Wonderland’s Super Colossal Holiday Sale, Oregon
Convention Center, 777 NE MLK, Hall D, Sun Dec 13, 11 am-7 pm, free,
all ages)