DIY Craft Fair Returns This Weekend

By Betsy Mikel in Arts & Entertainment on Sep 9, 2010 6:00PM

Are you a fan of Old Style screen prints, mustaches riding bicycles or clocks made from old Scrabble boards? Then this weekend’s Renegade Craft Fair is just for you. It’s essentially a giant Etsy fair, but instead of buying items online based on a picture, you can purchase them in person from the artist. Over 300 DIY artists and designers will be present selling their handmade clothing, housewares, posters, prints, jewelry, stationery and such. There’s also food, music, craft workshops and kids events, so it sounds like you could make a whole day (or weekend) out of it. According to the Renegade Craft Fair website, they receive many more applicants each year than they can possibly admit, so they allow entry to only the best of the best.

Renegade started in Wicker Park in 2003 with a group of artsy indie people who realized there wasn’t really an off-line place for them to gather and participate in arts and crafts shows. It’s since expanded to other cities. This year, it’s passed through Austin, Brooklyn, Los Angeles and San Francisco and will return to Chicago in December for its holiday season (if you’d like to be a vendor for the Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale, applications open next week). The fairs have been so successful that there’s a boutique in Chicago now, too. Renegade Handmade, at 1924 W. Division St., carries work of over 400 independent artists from all over the world.

If you plan to head to the fair this weekend, here are some things to note: It’s free, parking is limited to what you can find in the neighborhood, and pets are allowed as long as they’re leashed.

Renegade Craft Fair, September 11 and 12, Division Street between Paulina and Damen, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.