With an overflowing heart....

....we say thank you.

Wow. This year's show was a success in so many ways that are impossible to define. Old friends reconnected, new friends made, much laughter and warmth. Even coverage from 3 TV stations! Plus, a lovely article about us over at Hello Craft. Thanks, Claire!

As much as we put into these events, we would be nothing without the steady arms of our friends and volunteers. We'd likely not have our sanity intact if it wasn't for all the help we get each year. Upon walking in the doors, one of the first sights our shoppers get to see is the smiling faces of our friends Jake and Jen. Thank you both for being so incredibly awesome! Setting up the tables, decorations, raffle, and all the million other tiny details, would not have been possible without the help of dedicated volunteers and friends Kirsten Tyler and Caitlin. Thank you so much for your willingness to help in the craziness that is Friday night! To all of you who hung a few posters, talked about us, came out to visit, invited your friends, we thank you. Your help gives us a wider reach.

So much hard work, heart and soul go into pulling this show together every year. But when we walk in the doors on Saturday morning to see the room full of streamers and see our fabulous vendors bustling away with their displays.... well, it just makes it all worth it and then some.

To everyone: our friends, volunteers, family, vendors: thank you from the bottom of our very full hearts. We love you all! Here are some of the best photos we took this year. You can find some more here, here, here, here, here, and here. Did you takes some great photos? Join our Flickr group and share them with us. We'd love to see them!

Thank you!

No time to say much more than thank you. For coming out to support handmade. For making another event warm and friendly. For showing our out-of-town vendors just how great Rochester is!

Pictures and more to come soon!!

JoAnn

2010 Vendor Spotlight: French Press

Today we are talking with Shelly Kuzniarek of French Press. Shelly has been a favorite vendor of ours since our very first show in 2007. She always brings a very bold, typography-based design, and quirky sense of humor, to her letterpress cards and notes.

Where are you and your studio located?
Buffalo, New York. I'm very fortunate to have space in a revived industrial building (once was used to build airplanes!) The Tri-Main Center is home to a mixture of fine artists, professional services and manufacturers.

What made you want to work in letterpress?

While in graduate school I rekindled their dormant letterpress studio. Starting out I made a lot of mistakes, but have refined my skills through practice, interning with Jim Sherridan of Hatch Show Print and taking a Vandercook workshop with Paul Moxon.

What are your current influences?

Nature
Cooking (specifically breaking recipe rules)
my students
Designers/Illustrators: Paul Rand, Leo Leonni, David Plunkert, James Victore.

What is your favorite part about the craft?

Each piece is a work of art. From selecting the paper and colors to adjusting the level of impression, I am always amazed at the beauty a sheet of paper can project.

French Press will be launching new winter stationery line on Nov. 1, which will include both hand generated illustrations and vintage printer blocks. They are also hoping to have their online store up by Nov. 1 so keep your eyes open! In the meantime, you can get your French Press goodies in their Etsy shop. And you can keep up with all things French Press by checking out their blog.

2010 Vendor Spotlight: Kala Stein

Happy Monday to you all!

Today, we are excited to resume our Vendor Spotlight series. We'll be introducing our fabulous artists one by one over the next few weeks. They've been gracious enough to answer a few questions so that you can get to know not only their work, but a little bit about what makes them tick. We begin our series with clay artist, and Second Storie veteran, Kala Stein.


Where are you and your studio located?
Canadice, NY about 1 hr. south of Rochester. On the ridge between Honeoye and Canadice Lake.

Tell us how you came to work with this medium.
I Started working with clay 10 years ago when I was an undergrad at SUNY New Paltz. I started in graphic design but was more attracted to the community atmosphere of the clay studio. At a certain point I was hooked and there was no looking back. You can find the graphic influence in my work still, especially in my tile work and sliced vases.

What are your current influences?
Historical Persian and Asian vessels, contemporary design, architecture, flora and fauna, and local community and economies.

What is your favorite part about working with clay?

I love the labor that is undeniable when working with clay, from mixing powdered earth with water to create the clay itself, making glazes, forming, firing kilns- the medium is very elemental in that I have to be attentive and coax the forces of earth, clay, water, and fire into an object.

I love the medium because it is so versatile. Anything can be made with ceramic materials from architectural tile, to insulators, to table ware, to jewelry. It is also the oldest known creative medium on earth and is known to have been the women's work. Its a cross-cultural medium and the link that clay has with food is ancient tradition but still very common today.

You can find Kala at the newly opened Coach Street Clay studio in Canandaigua, NY where she'll be teaching classes in wheel throwing, tile making and hand-built pottery.

She'll also be hosting a Rural Holiday Sale and Clearing House, December 4 & 11 at the Mill Creek Cafe in Honeoye.

Go to Kala's site to see more of her beautiful work. And be sure to stop in and say hello to her in person at our show in November!

A little peek

It's a busy week for us here. We're getting our little vendor packages all ready to send out, and that means we are ready to kick preparations into high gear!

In the upcoming weeks we'll be spotlighting our vendors so you can get to know them, and get excited about what they'll be bringing to second storie. We can't wait to introduce them to you properly!

In the meantime, here's a little peek at what we're up to.

Hooray!

Here they are! Our 2010 vendors! We were, like always, humbled by the talent of all of our applicants. The group of artists and crafters we have joining us this year will have some familiar faces, and some brand new. All will bring a wealth of awesome to Rochester come Thanksgiving. We thought we were excited before, but now we really can't wait!

clicking on the images will take you to their maker.