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17 in 2017 // Seattle Renegade Craft Fair



Ani and I sharing some paletas outside after the heat set in

One of my 17 in 2017 items was heading to Seattle for the summer Renegade Craft Fair, a huge handmade show that I've been wanting to go to for more than five years since I first heard about it online. It did not disappoint! It was in an area of Seattle I hadn't been to yet, and a really pretty area right by the water that the boys could drop us off and then enjoy with the dog. This was, really, an entire day devoted to driving and taking me where I wanted to go just because, and I am thankful I got to do it, even though we were all really tired by the end of the day.

There was only one area (shown below) where all the vendors set up, and a few food trucks outside. I was surprised at how seemingly small it was since most of the vendors I talked to were not local. The term 'craft fair' is almost a bit too colloquial for this show, as every single vendor produced high-end, beautiful and trendy items, with very reasonable prices! This was not your aunty's local farmer's market craft fair, which I appreciated since we took 5 hours total to drive that day just for it. Everything was beautiful, even the branding that the vendors put into their pop-up shops. I bought a long necklace from Custom Peace Jewelry and Ani bought a couple pens from Oh Hello Friend!

large shot of the hangar full of craft vendors!

I went with the intention to get a few Christmas gifts done, but I never found that perfect item that I loved for x, y, or z people and that I could also package it so it wouldn't break for long distance shipment. Ani and I really enjoyed our time, and we went around to see each shop three times-once to just go through everything to nail down where we want to spend our time (we had just under 2 hours), a second time to go back to all the vendors we wanted to look at in-depth, and then finally a third time around to make sure we hadn't missed anything. Because Seattle is such a mild climate year-round, the hangar was open-air without air conditioning. The day we went was gorgeously sunny with clear skies, but it made the hangar oppressively hot. We were only inside about 75 minutes before standing in line for a paleta and sitting in the shade until we were picked up! I felt sorry for those vendors, the place was so hot and humid inside. 

All said, I'm really glad we made the trip, since this isn't a normal thing one can casually go to. Of the 12 cities, most are only 1-2 weekends per year, with Chicago being the exception of one per season. I had this craft fair on my calendar for literally 18 months before I actually got to one. If you're big into independent art, handmade items, or just have an aesthetic eye for beauty, you won't be disappointed!

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