Press/Testimonials
"Barbed-wire t-shirts, kimchee hotdogs, and a hand-painted portrait of your beloved ten-speed bike. When Deb Klein organizes a craft fair, she makes sure to mix it up. Klein, who’s been running the Food and Craft Market series at the Brooklyn Lyceum for the past two years, has quotas for popular items like jewelry and soap. This way, she makes room for more unique artisans–like Tianna Meilinger, who makes messenger bags out of recycled bike tubes and sail boat awnings, and Donna Block, whose cakes look like Converse sneakers...."
-DirtyHandsNY.com . Full article/pics/interviews HERE
"If the world ended today, I figured a) I might as well go strolling through a lovely market with James, and b) if I’m underneath a huge concrete archway tucked in a corner of Brooklyn, maybe all the fuss would simply pass us by. Fortunately, at least in my book, the world is still here. And happily, Brooklyn Craft Central’s Shop the Archway was a wonderful market in a groovy, airy, rain-proof location under the Manhattan Bridge.
I could tell you lots of stories of wonderful people we met, the beautiful birthday gifts we found for our sisters, and the delicious taco from Hermelinda Tacos that I had for lunch. However, this market was so visually unique, and the light was so remarkable, that I thought I’d just show you what it was like in this BKCC Shop the Archway Slide Show..."
View Slideshow here! - Markets of New York (MarketsofNewYork.com)
"This weekend’s Spring Food and Craft Market was fun—lots of innovative food vendors and new things to taste." - Newyorkivore
"Always a fabulous event, the Spring Food and Craft Market consistently draws in record crowds with incredible artisans and food vendors..." - [New New] New York ETSY Street Team
“I went to the Holiday Craft Market last Sunday to support local handmade artists. (I went there last year, too.) It feels so great to be a supporter — I understand how much time, effort and love goes into one product so much and I’d love to support them as much as I can!” - Heart Fish
"Today I ventured to *gasp* Park Slope, Brooklyn for the second time this year! I heard about the [Spring] Craft & Food Market from my artistic Brooklyn-ite friends. There was SO much talent and creativity under this one roof that I just had to share with the rest of you.." - unknown
-DirtyHandsNY.com . Full article/pics/interviews HERE
"If the world ended today, I figured a) I might as well go strolling through a lovely market with James, and b) if I’m underneath a huge concrete archway tucked in a corner of Brooklyn, maybe all the fuss would simply pass us by. Fortunately, at least in my book, the world is still here. And happily, Brooklyn Craft Central’s Shop the Archway was a wonderful market in a groovy, airy, rain-proof location under the Manhattan Bridge.
I could tell you lots of stories of wonderful people we met, the beautiful birthday gifts we found for our sisters, and the delicious taco from Hermelinda Tacos that I had for lunch. However, this market was so visually unique, and the light was so remarkable, that I thought I’d just show you what it was like in this BKCC Shop the Archway Slide Show..."
View Slideshow here! - Markets of New York (MarketsofNewYork.com)
"This weekend’s Spring Food and Craft Market was fun—lots of innovative food vendors and new things to taste." - Newyorkivore
"Always a fabulous event, the Spring Food and Craft Market consistently draws in record crowds with incredible artisans and food vendors..." - [New New] New York ETSY Street Team
“I went to the Holiday Craft Market last Sunday to support local handmade artists. (I went there last year, too.) It feels so great to be a supporter — I understand how much time, effort and love goes into one product so much and I’d love to support them as much as I can!” - Heart Fish
"Today I ventured to *gasp* Park Slope, Brooklyn for the second time this year! I heard about the [Spring] Craft & Food Market from my artistic Brooklyn-ite friends. There was SO much talent and creativity under this one roof that I just had to share with the rest of you.." - unknown
Vendor Testimonials
"Kudos on a job well done with the archway show! I had a phenomenal time and really enjoyed the venue. All the vendors were friendly, the traffic was good, and the weather really held out for us. I just wanted to send ya a big thanks and a link to my blog about the event:
http://twitchandwhiskers.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-road-bkccs-shop-archway.html " - via email
"Thank you for putting on a great show. As always you get a crowd in to the shows and vendors make money (always good). I was a bit hesitant that people would come down below 4th Ave but you got them down there. I had never heard of Littlefield but I guess many people know it. Great music (as usual for your shows) not too loud, not too obnoxious just right to get those people in and shopping. Thanks again for all your hard work!" - via email
"I have to commend you for the level of energy that you poured into the event, from magazine features to the chalk drawing sidewalk promotion. They all showcased the wonderful selection of talented vendors, and the promotion continued throughout. Thanks for pulling it all together!" - via email
"Thank you so much for all of your superb efforts and communications and such an incredible event this past weekend. It was so nice to see faces.. familiar and new! It is always so inspiring to see what everyone is up to .. and a guarantee to see things you've never seen or thought of before. AWESOME. It was a stellar event with excellent communication and a great number of attendees.... You deserve all props for the back end organization which i KNOW is three quarters of the battle. So superhighfives. You rocked it out" - via email
"I think it was one of the most well organized events I have ever had my lucky stars to be involved in. Well publicized, well organized, lots of foot traffic, and the free massages were an excellent touch." - via email
"Just wanted to thank you for putting on the Holiday Market. It was a wonderful first experience. It was so well organized and put together. We loved our spot and enjoyed meeting the other vendors. Hope to participate again next year. The music was great and we really enjoyed it. Glad to not have to listen to cheesy commercial christmas music during the weekend. ; )" - via email
"Thanks again for everything this past weekend - a success on all accounts" - via email
"Thanks for pulling together another great event, we had a great time and were happy with our spot and our sales. Like always, the music was great, and specifically perfect for a shopping event.." - via email
"The show was a really positive experience for us, and a great launching board for further projects...." - via email
"I had good day and also good sales as well. Thank you for your hard work for promoting because I met some customers who checked my website before coming and planning to purchase. This means that show's website and all promotions worked well. We really appreciate it and are so excited to see you next year!!" - via email
"I want to thank you for including me with so many talented artists. I was impressed with the turnout-constant traffic through out the day. I know that to get that kind of attendance to anything takes a lot of work and smarts, so kudos for making that happen." - via email
"Thanks Deb for all your hard work to pull together another great event. You always do a fantastic job!" - via email
"It was very successful for us Deb, so once again thanks for including us and great job organizing the events!"
"Thanks again deb! This was our best show with you to date and was so organized! The massage was a great treat and music was awesome.." - via email
"... everyone had good things to say about the venue and the sales. In my personal experience, you know that kind of sale is a success when you see all the crafters spending their hard earned dough on the OTHER crafters! You picked a lovely bunch with talent and great personalities and it showed. I also believe that the people of Brooklyn are the best buyers and the sweetest ones! Keep at it and if you're thinking of doing a Spring show, I think it would
be a huge success. As long as the [ Hermalinda] tacos are there." - via email
"We had a great time and a super positive response!! I thought everything was fabulous and low stress. We priced our pieces between $50 and $60 and sold half of what we brought and gave out a gazillion cards!" - via email
"Thanks so much for another great show! I was so happy to be a part of it, and the crowds came out!! It seemed a lot of shoppers were taking in both locations. I thought Littlefield with the added bonus of a bar worked out really well." - via email
"Thanks for everything! We had a blast! Happy holidays. Catch you on the flipside of some eggnog..." - via email
"The event was a great success for me. I got some good information and tips from a neighboring vendor, met contacts interested in wholesale, and made some good money! I also came with 600 business cards, and went home with ZERO!" - via email
"I thought that it was really smooth and I was very happy with how the weekend turned out. I got to meet a lot of good people and connect with the other vendors. I was happy there was a good DJ playing music on our floor because music is very important in invisibly lifting the mood of the room. Other than that, you did a great job in curating and spacing cause no one seemed to be stepping on any other vendors toes..." - via email
"The event was really fantastic! thanks so much again for putting it together! Traffic was great and everyone was really receptive" - via email
"Thank you so much for all of your hard work putting together a great fair. We had a terrific experience... The floor layout was really impressive. We really appreciated the way you organized the vendor tables.. we felt we were in the right place and we had enough room to move about in our space. We were so happy to have music, but not too loud--perfect for mingling and shopping... the perfect volume, seriously!" - via email
"We're so happy to have been included and pretty much enjoyed everything about your event - great vendors, great space, great atmosphere. The show treated us well and was definitely worth the trip! It was also nice to see such a variety of shoppers. Maybe that's par for the course in NYC but, regardless, it didn't feel like the show was catering to any specific demographic of people and was very inclusive of all types and interests." - via email
"I had a really great experience and had good sales too, so that's wonderful. I thought the show was really well curated - I also really appreciated not being next to artists/designers selling similar items and everything else around me was also very diverse, which I think makes for a great shopping experience" - via email
"...a great variety of vendors and all high quality. Checking in was smooth, communication with you both before and during the show was great... I don't know how you did it - but every vendor I met at the show was just so friendly (did you have a "niceness" screening question on the app?) :) Thank you again for making us "out-of-towners" feel so welcome" -via email
"Had a great time! And what a terrific turnout!! There was a good mix of young couples and families, and the overall vibe was great. People were well fed and so many delightful things to look through." -via email
"The booth spaces were great and there was plenty of room for the crowds to flow through. The vendors were all especially nice and supportive of each other. I felt like there was consistent traffic throughout the day. In fact, if the space was larger I felt like people would potentially linger a bit longer. It almost seems like your show is popular enough to be at an outside venue..." - via email
"...I overheard a woman say something along the lines of "this is one of the best craft fairs I've ever been to." There was a nice variety of products and I loved the involvement of food, beer, etc. It was nice to have more than just crafts happening and I think that attracted a lot more variety of customers." -via email
"... thank you very much for hosting such an amazing event. Personally, I don't have that much experience doing New York shows as this one was my second one. So I didn't know quite what to expect, but I have heard that your shows are always stellar with vendors leaving at the end of a show very happy!" - via email
"Thank you for all of the work that you obviously put into this show! I thought it was beautifully curated and I so appreciated being included with so many talented artisans. I also loved having all of the handmade food vendors there! It was really nice to mix that in with the crafts...a real celebration of handmade! I thought the unloading process went very smoothly. You did a fantastic job of getting foot traffic in there, which must be due to your advertising efforts. I also really appreciated the music...it was both upbeat AND at the perfect volume!" - via email
"I had a absolutely great day ... I TRIPLED my sales from the whole weekend last year!! I thought there was much more traffic and that the consumer base was more diversified--I saw such a variety of customers. I thought you also drew a customer that was specifically looking for handmade crafts--I had a lot of discussions about techniques & materials and it seemed like people were really interested in hearing about the process. I loved the added food--all very yummy. I thought there was a great mix of crafts and that it was a really exciting fair. From start to finish the whole experience was awesome... You've done an amazing job builiding up this event!" - via email
"Kudos on a job well done with the archway show! I had a phenomenal time and really enjoyed the venue. All the vendors were friendly, the traffic was good, and the weather really held out for us. I just wanted to send ya a big thanks and a link to my blog about the event:
http://twitchandwhiskers.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-road-bkccs-shop-archway.html " - via email
"Thank you for putting on a great show. As always you get a crowd in to the shows and vendors make money (always good). I was a bit hesitant that people would come down below 4th Ave but you got them down there. I had never heard of Littlefield but I guess many people know it. Great music (as usual for your shows) not too loud, not too obnoxious just right to get those people in and shopping. Thanks again for all your hard work!" - via email
"I have to commend you for the level of energy that you poured into the event, from magazine features to the chalk drawing sidewalk promotion. They all showcased the wonderful selection of talented vendors, and the promotion continued throughout. Thanks for pulling it all together!" - via email
"Thank you so much for all of your superb efforts and communications and such an incredible event this past weekend. It was so nice to see faces.. familiar and new! It is always so inspiring to see what everyone is up to .. and a guarantee to see things you've never seen or thought of before. AWESOME. It was a stellar event with excellent communication and a great number of attendees.... You deserve all props for the back end organization which i KNOW is three quarters of the battle. So superhighfives. You rocked it out" - via email
"I think it was one of the most well organized events I have ever had my lucky stars to be involved in. Well publicized, well organized, lots of foot traffic, and the free massages were an excellent touch." - via email
"Just wanted to thank you for putting on the Holiday Market. It was a wonderful first experience. It was so well organized and put together. We loved our spot and enjoyed meeting the other vendors. Hope to participate again next year. The music was great and we really enjoyed it. Glad to not have to listen to cheesy commercial christmas music during the weekend. ; )" - via email
"Thanks again for everything this past weekend - a success on all accounts" - via email
"Thanks for pulling together another great event, we had a great time and were happy with our spot and our sales. Like always, the music was great, and specifically perfect for a shopping event.." - via email
"The show was a really positive experience for us, and a great launching board for further projects...." - via email
"I had good day and also good sales as well. Thank you for your hard work for promoting because I met some customers who checked my website before coming and planning to purchase. This means that show's website and all promotions worked well. We really appreciate it and are so excited to see you next year!!" - via email
"I want to thank you for including me with so many talented artists. I was impressed with the turnout-constant traffic through out the day. I know that to get that kind of attendance to anything takes a lot of work and smarts, so kudos for making that happen." - via email
"Thanks Deb for all your hard work to pull together another great event. You always do a fantastic job!" - via email
"It was very successful for us Deb, so once again thanks for including us and great job organizing the events!"
"Thanks again deb! This was our best show with you to date and was so organized! The massage was a great treat and music was awesome.." - via email
"... everyone had good things to say about the venue and the sales. In my personal experience, you know that kind of sale is a success when you see all the crafters spending their hard earned dough on the OTHER crafters! You picked a lovely bunch with talent and great personalities and it showed. I also believe that the people of Brooklyn are the best buyers and the sweetest ones! Keep at it and if you're thinking of doing a Spring show, I think it would
be a huge success. As long as the [ Hermalinda] tacos are there." - via email
"We had a great time and a super positive response!! I thought everything was fabulous and low stress. We priced our pieces between $50 and $60 and sold half of what we brought and gave out a gazillion cards!" - via email
"Thanks so much for another great show! I was so happy to be a part of it, and the crowds came out!! It seemed a lot of shoppers were taking in both locations. I thought Littlefield with the added bonus of a bar worked out really well." - via email
"Thanks for everything! We had a blast! Happy holidays. Catch you on the flipside of some eggnog..." - via email
"The event was a great success for me. I got some good information and tips from a neighboring vendor, met contacts interested in wholesale, and made some good money! I also came with 600 business cards, and went home with ZERO!" - via email
"I thought that it was really smooth and I was very happy with how the weekend turned out. I got to meet a lot of good people and connect with the other vendors. I was happy there was a good DJ playing music on our floor because music is very important in invisibly lifting the mood of the room. Other than that, you did a great job in curating and spacing cause no one seemed to be stepping on any other vendors toes..." - via email
"The event was really fantastic! thanks so much again for putting it together! Traffic was great and everyone was really receptive" - via email
"Thank you so much for all of your hard work putting together a great fair. We had a terrific experience... The floor layout was really impressive. We really appreciated the way you organized the vendor tables.. we felt we were in the right place and we had enough room to move about in our space. We were so happy to have music, but not too loud--perfect for mingling and shopping... the perfect volume, seriously!" - via email
"We're so happy to have been included and pretty much enjoyed everything about your event - great vendors, great space, great atmosphere. The show treated us well and was definitely worth the trip! It was also nice to see such a variety of shoppers. Maybe that's par for the course in NYC but, regardless, it didn't feel like the show was catering to any specific demographic of people and was very inclusive of all types and interests." - via email
"I had a really great experience and had good sales too, so that's wonderful. I thought the show was really well curated - I also really appreciated not being next to artists/designers selling similar items and everything else around me was also very diverse, which I think makes for a great shopping experience" - via email
"...a great variety of vendors and all high quality. Checking in was smooth, communication with you both before and during the show was great... I don't know how you did it - but every vendor I met at the show was just so friendly (did you have a "niceness" screening question on the app?) :) Thank you again for making us "out-of-towners" feel so welcome" -via email
"Had a great time! And what a terrific turnout!! There was a good mix of young couples and families, and the overall vibe was great. People were well fed and so many delightful things to look through." -via email
"The booth spaces were great and there was plenty of room for the crowds to flow through. The vendors were all especially nice and supportive of each other. I felt like there was consistent traffic throughout the day. In fact, if the space was larger I felt like people would potentially linger a bit longer. It almost seems like your show is popular enough to be at an outside venue..." - via email
"...I overheard a woman say something along the lines of "this is one of the best craft fairs I've ever been to." There was a nice variety of products and I loved the involvement of food, beer, etc. It was nice to have more than just crafts happening and I think that attracted a lot more variety of customers." -via email
"... thank you very much for hosting such an amazing event. Personally, I don't have that much experience doing New York shows as this one was my second one. So I didn't know quite what to expect, but I have heard that your shows are always stellar with vendors leaving at the end of a show very happy!" - via email
"Thank you for all of the work that you obviously put into this show! I thought it was beautifully curated and I so appreciated being included with so many talented artisans. I also loved having all of the handmade food vendors there! It was really nice to mix that in with the crafts...a real celebration of handmade! I thought the unloading process went very smoothly. You did a fantastic job of getting foot traffic in there, which must be due to your advertising efforts. I also really appreciated the music...it was both upbeat AND at the perfect volume!" - via email
"I had a absolutely great day ... I TRIPLED my sales from the whole weekend last year!! I thought there was much more traffic and that the consumer base was more diversified--I saw such a variety of customers. I thought you also drew a customer that was specifically looking for handmade crafts--I had a lot of discussions about techniques & materials and it seemed like people were really interested in hearing about the process. I loved the added food--all very yummy. I thought there was a great mix of crafts and that it was a really exciting fair. From start to finish the whole experience was awesome... You've done an amazing job builiding up this event!" - via email
Testimonial Tweets!
stenro
@BKcraftcentral Great job lining up an awesome mix of goods, food and drink, services and amazing vendors. Made my weekend! (Came both days)
@zanniej
Enjoyed my time at the @BKcraftcentral with @melissa_sue - Some lovely vendors there!
@lmacchia
the @BKcraftcentral holiday market was super fun yesterday, thanks to all who stopped by!
RT:Got Mom a beautiful tee @ Miss Witt, lower level. So much cool stuff & creative #bklyn energy! @bkcraftcentral
BrooklynExposed
I had such a BLAST at the @bkcraftcentral Mkt. So many amazing people. Nice meeting you @MissWit
BRogersRE
Also super to see @BrooklynExposed, who has some big plans! Now to find a Mothers Day present - this is the place! @bkcraftcentral
BRogersRE
Having a great time @bkcraftcentral and amazing food - Mrs. Oh's Kim Chi, Macaron Parlor (bacon/maple cream cheese!!), @robicellis cupcakes!
irenecstudio
Popped by the Lyceum @bkcraftcentral yesterday for some more handmade action. So much awesome creativity in one space. Nicely done!
virginia___
Hello, lovelies! Had a fab time at the @BKcraftcentral Brooklyn Lyceum this weekend! Thanks to all who stopped by and said hello!
@BKcraftcentral Great job lining up an awesome mix of goods, food and drink, services and amazing vendors. Made my weekend! (Came both days)
@zanniej
Enjoyed my time at the @BKcraftcentral with @melissa_sue - Some lovely vendors there!
@lmacchia
the @BKcraftcentral holiday market was super fun yesterday, thanks to all who stopped by!
RT:Got Mom a beautiful tee @ Miss Witt, lower level. So much cool stuff & creative #bklyn energy! @bkcraftcentral
BrooklynExposed
I had such a BLAST at the @bkcraftcentral Mkt. So many amazing people. Nice meeting you @MissWit
BRogersRE
Also super to see @BrooklynExposed, who has some big plans! Now to find a Mothers Day present - this is the place! @bkcraftcentral
BRogersRE
Having a great time @bkcraftcentral and amazing food - Mrs. Oh's Kim Chi, Macaron Parlor (bacon/maple cream cheese!!), @robicellis cupcakes!
irenecstudio
Popped by the Lyceum @bkcraftcentral yesterday for some more handmade action. So much awesome creativity in one space. Nicely done!
virginia___
Hello, lovelies! Had a fab time at the @BKcraftcentral Brooklyn Lyceum this weekend! Thanks to all who stopped by and said hello!
