One of Tulsa’s most popular annual arts and crafts fairs is
gearing up for another successful run at the end of the month – and Owl &
Drum is proud to play a part in this year’s event.
The Indie Emporium – which was inspired by the
handmade crafts revolution and is
now its sixth successful year – will be staged on Friday and Saturday, Sept.
28-29, at Living Arts of Tulsa, located at 307 E. Brady Ave.
Visitors to the downtown Brady District event will find a
lot to enjoy. And many people will
find unique gifts for birthday, Christmas and holiday gifts. Others may also be
inspired to take up crafting themselves, which lots of people have found to be
gratifying, therapeutic and fun.
On tap will be many of the region’s hippest craft vendors, a
fashion show of handmade clothing and accessories, make-and-take crafting
stations, a fine arts gallery space, a silent auction, workshops and craft
demonstrations.
The event will kick-off from 7-11 p.m. Sept. 28 with a free
Indie Emporium “swag bag” (a special tote bag filled with goodies) for the
first 50 people through the door.
The early bird will catch the worm – the earliest attendees
will get the coveted “First 50” tickets at the door which will allow them to
get their prized “swag bag” from Indie Emporium’s many helpful volunteers.
In addition to shopping for pioneering, one-of-a-kind arts and crafts, visitors can browse the
art gallery, bid on silent auction items to help fund the Community Food Bank ofEastern Oklahoma, enjoy drinks at the cash bar, and savor locally-made cupcakes
and sweet treats.
Saturday’s full day of action will run for 10 hours,
starting at 12 noon.
“Make-and-take” crafting projects and workshops will be
staged from 12-4 p.m. and hourly crafts demos and project workshops will be
staged from 12-5 p.m., followed by live musical performances. The ongoing
silent auction will close at 6 p.m.
The much-anticipated “Indie Emporium Fashion Show” –
featuring original designs by talented local designers – will rock the catwalk
starting at 8 p.m.
Owl & Drum is happy to be one of the event sponsors of
this year’s Indie Emporium.
“I’m so looking forward to the 2012 Indie Emporium,” said Bianca
Howell, the co-owner of Owl & Drum, which is located at 2810 E. 15th
St., and a Tulsa native.
“I participated last year as a vendor with my UrbanCreatures jewelry made from repurposed T-shirts and loved being part of such an
exciting, happy event. Being around so many other Tulsans with the same
enthusiasm as me for homemade crafts was a real pleasure.
“Now that I have opened a store in my hometown, I’m really
happy to be both a sponsor and a vendor at this year’s Indie Emporium. I can’t
wait!”
Indie Emporium was first held in October 2007, attracting
hundreds of shoppers to the Mathews Warehouse in downtown Tulsa. Thirty-six
vendors, 10 gallery artists and five runway designers participated in the first
ground-breaking show.
But that was just the start for the well-received Indie
Emporium.
A year later, more than twice as many people attended to enjoy the creations of 40 vendors,
12 gallery artists and nine fashion designers .
The VFW Post No. 577 on Sixth Street hosted the event from
2008-10, but the growing event returned to the Living Arts building for its
2011 edition. And it seems it’s now found its home in the burgeoning Brady
District.
For the last three years, the Indie Emporium has served as a
canned food drive and fund-raiser for the Community Food Bank of EasternOklahoma.
“With your donations, we have been able to provide thousands
of our neighbors with meals through our partnership with the Food Bank,” said
Thom Crowe and Christine Sharp-Crowe, the founders and owners of Indie Emporium
.
“Our 2012 show will again serve as a canned food drive and
fund-raiser for the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. Please bring
canned goods to be donated and you will receive a $3 discount on your
at-the-door tickets.
“We’ll also have a silent auction, with proceeds benefiting
the food bank. Please see the schedule page for full details of the 2012 show.”
In addition to Owl & Drum – Tulsa’s new one-stop shop
for fabric, handmade gifts and craft supplies – the 2012 Indie Emporium is sponsored
by Fromex Photo Systems, made, the Indie Emporium Shop and Hatchcraft.com,
which is sponsoring the Instagram Art Gallery.
In 2011, Indie Emporium opened a one-month “Pop-Up Shop” in
downtown Tulsa, carrying handmade goods from a selection of the event’s
vendors.
The success of the temporary venture led to the opening of
made : The Indie Emporium Shop, which can be found at the corner of Fifth and
Boston in the heart of the Deco District.
Advance tickets can be bought at made for $5 each and the store
is also holding special giveaways.
Tickets will cost $8 at the door Sept. 28-29. Children age12 and under enter for free.
Attendees who bring at least two canned goods to be donated
to the Community Food
Bank of Eastern Oklahoma will get tickets for $5 each at the
door.
For more information about the 2012 Indie Emporium, visit www.indieemporium.com, send an email
to christine@indieemporium.com,
or send mail to 8086 S. Yale Ave., Unit 277, Tulsa, OK 74136.
Also, be sure to check out Indie Emporium’s flickr.com page
to see photos from all five years of the event, plus visit its Instagram page.
For more details about Owl & Drum, which carries more
than 100 fabrics made by seven designers, crafts supplies and tools, plus
numerous unique gifts, visit www.owlanddrum.com.
The 2810 E. 15th St. store also sells many other items made
by Tulsans, Oklahomans and artisans from Portland, Oregon, plus a variety of
craft books.
Owl & Drum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to
Saturday, and from 12-4 p.m. Sundays. The store is closed on Mondays, but it's open every day online.
For more information, call Bianca at 918-742-1404, send an
email to owlanddrum@gmail.com, or follow us on Facebook, Blogger.com, Twitter,
Pinterest, and Instagram.
