Looking forward

It's a sunny Sunday, and I am beat!  Vended all day yesterday at Assembled, and the evening prior, celebrated Afro-Brazilian music and dance with Uhuru Afrika, an amazing DJ/drummer collective that performed at Naga in Cambridge.  Lots of Carnival-style dancers in full regalia shaking everything, conga and dengue drums, strobe lights and Afro-Brazilian beats.  You know how I know I'm getting old?  Every muscle in my body was sore the next morning.  But that's a great sign that you've had a lot of fun, right?  Being sore the next morning!
I'm going to produce another Assembled market on September 7th.  I am really excited about it because many of the vendors whose products I absolutely love, like Kristilyn Stevenson of Zombie Romance, who couldn't join us for the May

Art by Kristilyn Stevenson of Zombie Romance

18th opening show of Assembled, will be there for September 7th!  YAY!  So, in a really selfish way the September 7th Assembled will somewhat be a live version of my Etsy favorites list or my Xmas shopping list, but, you're just going to have to trust my taste, folks!  These vendors really are exceptional, they're stars in their own right, and we really are lucky that they're going to be there!  Here's a preview of some of their fantastic wares!
  Maybe you have no idea what Assembled is or why you should care, so let me back up a little and explain; Assembled: A Handmade Arts Market at Assembly Row is a weekly outdoor arts market that takes place at the Assembly Row development at Assembly Square in Somerville.  Assembly Row is kind of the re-birth of an old, delapidated strip mall, which has been razed, and will be turned into a brand new, swanky destination, with a movie theater, a collection of restaurants (Legals' C-Bar, Papagayo, JP Licks, etc.) and outlet stores.  They're even building a T-stop (public transportation in the Greater Boston area) at Assembly Row, to increase access for the public.  It's major, because frankly, Assembly Square was a bit of a waste before.  There was, and will still be, an art supply store there that I shop at all of the time, but the area just wasn't well-kept, there was nothing of interest to do or see there, and it wasn't inviting. 

Fabric Bag by Moozydoo

I'd drive there to grab supplies, then high-tail it out of there as quick as I could.  Now there really will be a reason to visit Assembly Square and stay to hang out.  They've already put up a brand new Starbucks with a ton of outdoor seating, and Assembly Row actually has an oft-ignored waterfront which they're cleaning up beautifully.  At the first Assembled show on May 18th, a lot of people who live in the area came by to check things out and inquire, and the overwhelming commentary was that they were grateful for something cool to do in the area, and that the development was getting some much-needed attention.  The Assembled market is such a great way to draw folks to the area, AND support local artists, and allow us to connect with customers.  So I'm happy to be producing another Assembled show.  As the show approaches, I'll post more about the artists who'll be there and the things they make.  Assembled takes place at Assembly Row at Assembly Square, 145 Middlesex Avenue, Somerville, Mass, Saturdays, 11 AM to 4 PM.

And what's new is....

Everyone's out and about these days, enjoying the sunshine (which lasts about 5 minutes here in New England!), myself included; I spent last Saturday sweating it out at Assembled in Assembly Square, and so appreciate all the folks who came out to visit and shop!  I'll be back at Assembled this coming Saturday, July 27th from 11 AM to 4 PM, so if you're in the Greater Boston area, stop by!  There'll be food trucks (Bon Me and Frozen Hoagies, to name a couple!) and a live band and Hieropice in our new spiffed-up tent.  Think carnival-style bunting.

  If you haven't checked out Polyvore yet, you should.  It's a wonderful resource for fashion/style ideas; think a collection of crowd-sourced digital fashion collages.  But, with things you could actually buy.  Without mortgaging your house.  Polyvore users have been virtually-styling Hieropice jewelry in the coolest ways, and coming up with ways to wear our pieces that I'd never thought of!  You can now see some of the collections Polyvore users have put together in our Facebook album, "Hieropice Styled."  The image above is one of the many Polyvore collages featuring Hieropice.  Snap snap Polyvore.
  Citrine Yellow Maasai Beaded Earrings.  We want to make sure you can see our pieces in all their glory, even if it's only virtually!

We've also got some new photos up for Hieropice's Maasai beaded pieces, like our
  And, finally, Hieropice pieces will now be featured at Uni-T in the Natick Mall on an ongoing basis!  Two months were not enough, we just couldn't let go!  So now all of you brick-and-mortar shoppers in the Natick area can see Hieropice pieces in person, try them on....and then buy them.  Cause that last part is important.  :)  Happy days!
See you on Saturday!
Dara

Assembled: A Handmade Arts Market

  I've encountered an exciting new opportunity!

  Well, let me back-track a bit.  I've been out-of-the-loop for a little bit while I cared for a loved-one who was ill, but now I'm back, and embarking on something very exciting!

   I've wanted to do an all-Etsy-seller craft show forever now, but logistically, it seemed challenging. BUT, Aigner/Prensky Marketing has launched, with the backing of Federal Realty, a series of Summer craft shows to celebrate the redevelopment of the Assembly Square Mall area in Somerville.  You can read more about what they're hoping to do with the area here: http://www.assemblyrow.com/vision/, but they've got big plans for the it, including creating new housing, restaurants and shops, and it promises to be pretty cool.

  But that's not the big story.  I will be producing the premier show of the Assembled: The Handmade Arts Market at Assembly Row, for Aigner/Prensky Marketing on Saturday, May 18th.  AND it's going to be an all-Etsy show!  A show full of Etsy artisans sharing their unique, handmade wares, to kick off the Summer.  I am so excited.  Sometimes, vending online means you repeatedly interact with people who you never get to meet in person.  You may even talk to them every day, or perhaps they've purchased a number of your pieces, but you have no idea what they look like or who they are and could pass them on the street and never know it.  This show will be such a great opportunity for Etsy sellers to connect to eachother, to supporters of the Etsy marketplace, to chat and exchange ideas. 

 

Where the Assembled market will be held

The show will also feature a workshop on how to start an Etsy shop, tips and tricks for running a successful shop, etc.  So if you have an Etsy shop and feel you have something prurient to share, or you'd like to start and Etsy shop but aren't sure where to begin, or you're already running a shop but could use some help getting it where you want it, come to the workshop!

  Applications for the May 18th, Etsy-themed Assembled show are now being accepted.  Please apply!  Or, if you know of an artist in New England whose work you love, please forward the link along to them: http://www.assemblyrow.com/wp-content/aruploads/2013/03/Application_for_artists-fillable-form.pdf.  I want this show to be spectacular, and with your help, it will be!

Cheers! 
Dara