If you’d rather forgo Black Friday, you can still get a jump on your holiday shopping while supporting the surplus of local creative talent right here in Milwaukee. Check out one (or all!) of the fun events taking place over the next few weeks.
Art vs. Craft – Saturday, Nov. 24, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Harley-Davidson Museum (400 W. Canal St.)
Now in its eighth year, Art vs. Craft has become a Thanksgiving weekend tradition. Buy handmade goods from both emerging and established artists who create unique clothing, jewelry, ceramics, household items, toys, stationary, soaps, handbags, stuffed animals, paintings, prints, ornaments and more.
Handmade
monsters at Art vs. Craft 2011. Photo courtesy of Faythe Levine.
Since 2004, this juried show has drawn more than 13,000 shoppers and hosted more than 450 different vendors from Wisconsin, Chicago and beyond. Admission is $4 and kids under 13 are free. There are limited edition tote bags designed by Milwaukee’s own Little Friends of Printmaking available for the first 300 shoppers through the doors.
This year, the event moves to the Harley-Davidson Museum, filling up two rooms with 85 vendors. Get there early, as there is usually a line around the block an hour before doors open. It is worth the wait.
Fair Trade Holiday Bazaar – Sunday, Nov. 25, 9:30 a.m-1:30 p.m., at the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee (1342 N. Astor St.)
Need a gift for the globe-trotting, do-gooder on your list? Find elephant-grass baskets woven by hand in Ghanan villages, all-season scarves loomed in Nepal, and hand-beaded and hand-woven jewelry strung together by women in Guatemala along with Fair Trade chocolate and coffee.
“Because items are bought from artists on consignment, purchases go a long way to provide a living wage to economically suppressed regions around the world where they are made.” says event founder Susan Kessler-Scholl.
Admission is free and most items are under $15. For more information, click here.
Hover Craft – Saturday, Dec. 1, 12-6 p.m. at Sweet Water Organics (2151 S. Robinson Ave.)
Hover Craft supports both the established and emerging artists in Milwaukee and allows them to connect with their community by showcasing and selling to customers directly.
“When curating the event, we tend to focus on makers of all sorts whose passion might outweigh their experience. We find that rotating our cast of vendors each year ensures that shoppers will always find fresh designs and interesting objects that you can’t find anywhere else,” says event organizer Cortney Heimerl.
She suggests checking out new designer Robert J. Vester, who is a firefighter by trade, but decided to try his hand at making a line of lamps for Hover Craft. And, Tina Schinabeck, who has created a collection of painted plates.
Admission is $2.
Stop, Shop & Restore – Saturday, Dec. 8, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Oakland in Shorewood
Stop by Shorewood to enjoy a traditional horse and carriage ride along a shopping route filled with complimentary services like hand, foot and chair massages, seasonal nutrition and stress-relieving tips, complimentary salon services, tea sampling, cooking demonstrations, and beer and wine tastings – [breathe] now that’s my kind of shopping!
A
free massage being offered at Thief Wine in Shorewood last year. Photo courtesy
of Shorewood BID.
Santa will be there to visit with kids at this family-friendly event that also offers free homemade holiday cookies, hot cocoa and cider, a free gift-wrapping station and strolling carolers. The first 100 shoppers who turn in $150 in receipts from participating Shorewood business on Saturday will receive a $25 gift certificate redeemable anywhere in the Shorewood business district.
The Stop, Shop & Restore holiday shopping event is hosted by the Shorewood Business Improvement District (BID). For more information, click here.
Local First Milwaukee’s Buy Local Gift Fair – Sunday, Dec. 9, 12-4 p.m. at Lakefront Brewery Palm Garden (1872 N. Commerce St.)
There is no reason not to buy local when you can visit 40 local vendors under one roof – and enjoy a free brewery tour. The Buy Local Gift Fair will feature food artisans Indulgence Chocolatiers and Bolzano Artisan Meats along with jewelry, kids gifts, City Tins and more. View a complete vendor list here.
Nancy Quinn is the Managing Director of Local First Milwaukee, a membership alliance that supports local businesses. She said the event attracted over 1,200 people last year. “The turn out, the fun atmosphere – and let’s not forget the beer! – help make this a real community event.” Free admission and free brewery tours at 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.
Let the holiday festivities begin!
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