Etsy’s Vancouver Adventure

Etsy.com handmade and vintage goods
nadaalic

Story by nadaalic

Published on May 11, 2012 in Community Stories

nadaalic

As a born-and-raised Torontonian, I often find myself pining for the west coast wilderness of Vancouver, B.C., so I was thrilled to head on out to the Make It! Handmade festival. Make It! is an annual festival held in Vancouver and Edmonton, boasting over 100 artisans, including many local Etsians. I prepared for weeks alongside Make It! organizer and fellow Etsian Jenna Herbut, whose tireless efforts and relentless positivity fuel the Make It! community.The three-day festival was a major success. We met so many like-minded people, swooned over our sellers’ gorgeous goods and snacked on an endless supply of candy provided by our friends at Yelp Canada. As my first proper introduction to Vancouver’s Etsy community, Make It! was the perfect opportunity to connect with sellers, showcase their items at the Etsy booth, and, of course, dine on nothing but sushi for a week. You do it right, Vancouver.

Jennifer Picard

Make It! brother and sister co-founders, Chandler and Jenna Herbut

Jennifer Picard

The Etsy booth!

Jennifer Picard

Track & Field Designs

Jennifer Picard

A Cagey Bee

Cheyne, the Teams Coordinator from Brooklyn HQ, joined me, and together we organized a post-festival community meet-up at Blim in Chinatown. Despite the rain, dozens of you showed up! We had so much fun chatting with Brandi of Kukubee, Mitmunk Design, Superfly Lullabies, Blue Brocade, Lana Betty, Tara Galuska, Camp + Quarry, Locomotive Clothing, Draw Me a Lion, and so many more. Our friend and unofficial Vancouver tour guide, Jeff Hamada (who runs one of my all-time favourite art blogs, BOOOOOOOM), also came to show his support. The Blim staff were gracious hosts, providing us with their amazing space (you can find out about more of their events here).

The Etsy Postcard Station

Blim folks sporting some Etsy tote bags!

The view from up here.

During my visit, I also got a chance to meet some of the folks at Emily Carr University,  one of Vancouver’s central artistic hubs. If the natural beauty of Granville Island weren’t enough, the first-year art show I walked through was awe-inspiring, to say the least.

Vancouver was such a blast, the enthusiasm was contagious and the sense of community served as a great example for aspiring Etsy communities everywhere. Where should we head next, Canada? Tell us in the comments below!

P.S. Did you know you can follow all things Etsy Canada at our very own EtsyCA Facebook and Twitter? Keep updated on exclusively Made-in-Canada products and local events and check out even more photos from Vancouver.

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