Renegade Craft Fair, 2010
We were over at Renegade right when things started (circa 11AM). In fact, we were up way early and hit the gym and had breakfast at Lula’s, all before then… so it seemed like a full day even before the day began.
At Damen and Division, looking east.
Sadly, the weather wasn’t so great. It was definitely better than 2008, as there was only a slight drizzle. Things eventually cleared up maybe an hour or so after this shot.
This year, the fair seemed to extend even further than before. This is a small section that spilled over onto Wolcott, just south of Division. Back in 2006, Liz’s old place was right here on the corner. Going to Renegade would have meant just going out the front door.
Some artwork from Marwen, a program that helps under-served youth through the visual arts. All of the cards and designs they were selling were made by the students of the program.
First purchase at Renegade was this card.
Fuzzy Ink t-shirts.
A few shirts from Fuzzy. I didn’t notice the moustache/face in the shirt on the right, until just now.
Bit of a moustache theme.
The second from the left strikes me as a very Chicago shirt.
Liz picked up one or two items from ceramics artist Janet McPherson. Her web site is forthcoming, but I believe this is her info.
A shot of the booths, but really just an excuse for me to get a picture of the robot.
One of the vendors had on this pretty rockin’ Masters of the Universe coat. Her name was Meredith, and she was kind enough to allow me a quick photo.
So you’re warned, the next few images are all kinda NSFW. They’re not terrible, but since you’d have some explaining to do if someone saw this on your screen, I’m labelling them as such.
The Prick Cushion (link NSFW too) was a bit of a surprise encounter.
A plethora of colors.
A little something for Valentine’s Day.
I love the fact that the company’s tagline is “It’s just a little prick.”
We ran into an Intelligentsia booth and stopped by to get a little coffee.
We were happy to find that my friend Matt (aka Tha.Riddla) was manning the booth that morning. For those who may not remember, Matt competed in the 2006 US Barista Championships… and WON the freaking thing, later placing 3rd in the world competition.
Though he wasn’t personally making coffee for people this time, it was still great to see an old friend.
Note: he looks pretty grumpy in the photo above, but he’s an incredibly nice guy. I just wanted to get the woman with the double pour action, and this was the best photo I had.
Outside the Renegade store, there were some women from Crowd Gate working on a t-shirt loom. They were even giving out small instruction manuals for anyone interested.
Detail shot of some of the materials.
One of our last stops was maryink.
Liz ended up getting this shirt, and I think it’s fast on its way to becoming her favorite. Who doesn’t love alpacas?
Sadly, no sign of The Postcard Machine this year.
While the entire Renegade event was way bigger than it’s ever been, this was our quickest walk-through it seemed. There weren’t a ton of shops we lingered at, and were back at the car after an hour and a half. Liz and I ran into Leslie the next day, and she had asked us if Renegade was any good. Our answer was a little hesitant and a little lukewarm.
There were still neat vendors and interesting things to see, but it just didn’t seem like there were as many this year. Part of me feels weird for thinking this, like I’m some old senior citizen complaining about the kids today. But Liz felt the same.
I wonder if my “meh” reaction had anything to do with the fact that Liz has been making a lot more stuff, these past few years. I’m sure we’ll still attend next year’s fair, but for some reason… this year’s event felt a little off.
Related:
Renegade Craft Fair, 2008
The Postcard Machine
Renegade Holiday Craft Fair, 2007
Renegade Craft Fair, 2007
Renega
de Craft Fair, 2006
Renegade Craft Fair, 2005
Renegade Craft Fair, 2005
My word! I wish I would have taken the kids on saturday. We went on sunday and there were about a megazillion more people there. Great pictures – i missed the prick cushion thing!
Ben (September 13, 2010 at 10:02 am)