Day 81: Hands On

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March 21, 2012 by Alex Hoekstra

I love handmade.  Homemade, handmade, individually-crafted stuff – from scarves to brownies to hand-written letters – always end up becoming so much more than the mere sum of their parts.  There’s a story, a person, a whole life behind every handmade object and it makes whatever’s being produced far more human.  No matter if you’re doing it for yourself or for others, the act of making things is just downright rewarding.  It’s a transformative, experiential act of creating and learning how to create.  It’s fun.  And it can be profitable.  Today’s project wants to help connect the two.

The Makery is building a platform for hand-makers to connect with their community, turning neighbors into admirers, supporters and patrons.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1077765545/the-makery

Each week, members will receive curated deals on a selection of limited edition art, apparel, and homewares, all lovingly handmade by one of that week’s featured local artists.  When you purchase an item from The Makery, you will pay less than you would at a craft fair or on an artist’s Etsy site, and will also be exposed to new artists and pieces that have been carefully chosen as Makery Picks.

It’s online, it’s local, it’s on sale, and there’s love in every stitch of it.  For small-time crafters, this is a tool to step into the spotlight and strut.  For the community, it’s a chance to see what talented neighbors they’ve got, and to support their local craftsmen and craftswomen while scoring a good deal on unique goodies.  I like the local aspect of this – it, along with the limited-time boutique sale style, is something that separates it from existing platforms craft sale sites where artists and crafters are lost in a sea of distant soap-smiths and painters.  So if you’ve got a neighbor with a lathe in his garage and have always wondered what he does with it, maybe you’ll find out after he makes a splash on The Makery.  Join me in helping The Makery make something for the makers by making this project on Kickstarter before March 31.