Made in Chicago: Off Beet Boutique
By Jess D'Amico in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 5, 2008 8:26PM
Hope the new year is treating you well so far. Here's the first Made in Chicago of the year to help you spend the rest of your Christmas monies from estranged family members.
Off Beet Boutique is run by 24-year-old Bekki Hrabacka, a native of Chicagoland. She makes cute, quirky jewelry and handbags, like this inappropriately-timed but still adorable Halloween clutch, pictured right.
Bekki was kind enough to fill us in on her artistic plans for 2008:
Chicagoist: How do you make your art stand out from everything else on Etsy?
Bekki: I try to find unique fabrics and I make my own patterns from scratch for my purses and before I make anything I check out other stores on Etsy to see if anyone else has my idea so i can change it up a bit and be original.
C: Where do you want to go with your art? Where do you see yourself in
five years?
B: I have always wanted to open my own store front, I think it's reasonable to say that I can make that happen within the next five years. Etsy is just a jumping off point where I can finally say that I have my own shop.
C: How did you first get into DIY?
B: When I was little my parents used to own their own business and work craft shows throughout the city. My grandmother taught me to sew when I was 9 and I have been making my own things ever since. Whenever I have had an idea in my head or have been inspired by something I have just gone and tried to make it everything to slipdresses with layers of lace to bracelets made from plastic toothbrushes and knitting needles. I have also been working in fabric stores for the past 8 years so that made it easy to jump into the DIY scene. My arts change and evolve as the years go on.
C: What's your artistic process look like?
B: I try to be organized but it's hard when I have so much supplies. I end up having fabric and trims in piles on my floors and tables when I'm coming up with new ideas for bags and purses. When I'm creating jewelry I'm slightly more organized laying out different beads, chains and findings with my tools off to the side. My bedroom is like my warehouse.
C: What's the Chicago DIY scene look like?
B: The Chicago scene is very diverse. You can find that just about everything handmade in the city from jewelry and clothing to pottery and stained glass. Everyone seems to have their own little niche in DIY.
C: Where do you see DIY culture going?
B: DIY is spreading at a fast pace. There are tons of people getting into DIY all of the time and you don't necessarily have to be "crafty" to do so. It can start with a bottle of glue and some paper. I'm inspired by all sorts of people and objects and I see tons of people jumping in on almost a daily basis.
C: Lastly, do you have any advice for other crafty people wanting to
start selling their goods?
B: You have to just dive in. I started by selling jewelry and clothing in parking lots at concerts and then moved to selling my things on consignment at local shops and now have my own shop on Etsy. If there is something that you want to make there is someone out there that will enjoy it.
Know somebody who should be here? MadeinChicago@chicagoist.com