GREENVILLE — More than 110 makers will convene in Greenville for the 15th annual Indie Craft Parade at Judson Mill. The weekend event on Aug. 16 and 17 will host well-known crafters from Greenville and the Southeast, where visitors can buy ceramics, jewelry, home goods, clothing, candles and pottery.
Some visiting businesses include Charleston Candle Co. ; Glad & Young Studio , a leather goods company in Atlanta; and Karen Schipper , who designs paper goods in Greenville. Email Sign Up! "(Indie crafts are) anything that's made by a maker or a small brand that's handmade, designed by them and it's going to bring beauty to your everyday life," event director Erin Godbey said.
It marks the 15th anniversary of the event, where they anticipate between 5,000 and 7,000 attendees. But this wasn't always the plan. After the 2008 recession, Godbey, a former recruiter, was in between jobs.
Out of the blue, her friend, Lib Ramos, sent her an email with the subject line: "Am I crazy?" "Have you heard about these craft fairs?" she asked. Ramos wondered if they could create the same thing in Greenville. Godbey hesitated.
"At the time, craft was not a buzzword," she said. "When you heard the word craft, you thought sweet old grandma crocheting things for church bazaar." But as she did more research, she saw an opportunity.
It was the beginning of the modern craft movement, she said, where the phrase was being redefined. It grew to encompass a wide range of art, from pottery makers to paint.