Who are you and what do you do?

I have been focusing on a series of sculptural vessels as a metaphor for personal, family and cultural memories as a Korean-born textile installation artist. These sculptural vessels are created out of diaphanous textiles, using a design originally inspired by Bojagi, one of the traditional Korean art forms. My work has been exhibited in solo shows nationally and internationally, including the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, MN, Conrad Wilde Gallery, Tucson, AZ, Nord Gallery, San Antonio, TX, Galerie sei-un-do, Zurich, Switzerland, Montreal Center for Contemporary Textiles, Montreal, Canada, and Barabas Villa Gallery, Budapest, Hungary. My textile work was published in Textiles: The Art of Mankind by Mary Schoeser Thames & Hudson, 2012 and I received the McKnight Fellowships for Fiber Artists in 2020.

Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?

As a Korea-boran artist, I launched a design company, Muee to create design products inspired by traditional Korean arts and crafts. Munee is a Korean word for pattern. It is my hope to contribute the diversity of my Korean heritage to local communities and beyond.

What motivates you to create?

I aim to develop and introduce home design products inspired by traditional Korean arts and crafts, but with a modern twist. I also like to promote the value of handicraft work in the era of mass production in factories. My long-term vision is to establish a platform that promotes Korean arts and culture by sharing various educational and informational resources. Therefore, those who purchase Munee’s products can have deep insight into the rich traditions and cultures of Korea

What do your customers love most about your product(s)?

Munee customers love a canvas bag with a twin crane pattern. This design is inspired by the insignia of officials' uniform during the Joseon Dynasty (1392~1910) in Korea. Royal robes and officials’ uniforms show highly refined craftsmanship and textile techniques. The insignia is a good example. The insignia refers to a decorative badge that was attached to the chest and back of robes and uniforms to identify the wearer’s status.

What are some inspirations for your work?

The set of coasters was inspired by a Korean rice cake stamp pattern. Rice cake molds or stamps made of wood or ceramic are used to create decorative patterns on rice cakes. Incised with motifs ranging from geometric and floral patterns to characters, the molds are pressed on the cake with long rectangular handles. These geometric, flora patterns are transferred on the Munee wooden coasters.

www.mu-nee.com
www.instagram.com/munee_official

Who are you and what do you do?
We are Moxie Malas and we make crystal energy and aromatherapy jewelry as a wearable affirmation of the energy within. Everything is hand made in MN with genuine stones and crystals. At Moxie Malas we also take you beyond the bracelet with workshops, retreats and events that help to educate on creating intention in your life and how stones and crystals can support you on your journey.

How did you get started in your business?
I started out as a yoga and meditation teacher who wanted to bring the message of self exploration, healing, transformation, and empowerment to people not only in the studio, but off of the yoga mat as well.

Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?
Moxie is a character trait of perseverance, cleverness, and playfulness all in one.

Is this a full-time business for you?
Yes, Moxie Malas has been full time for me for 7 years now.

What was your first memory of making something?
When I was a kid we would go on family vacations to the cabins with all of our cousins, aunts, uncles and Grandpa. I remember always bringing my bead box and creating jewelry with my cousin on the deck.

What motivates you to create?
Creating a piece that is going to remind someone of the power that already exists within them is what keeps me inspired and keeps me creating.

Why did you start working in this craft?
I love the beauty of stones and crystals. The combination of their beauty and energetic properties are perfect for creating talismans of powerful intention.

What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
Our customers really love and appreciate the care and intention that goes into each piece. Every bracelet and mala has a special intention you can connect with and use in your daily life.

What do you think sets your designs apart from others?
I have a deep love of color and appreciate the way the energies of the stones and crystals not only look good together, but how they can energetically support the wearer as well.

What are some tips or suggestions you would like to offer to fellow makers?
You can be successful doing what you love. Keep yourself inspired, well rested, and always growing.

Will you be featuring any special holiday items?
We will have 4 different Holiday Exclusive bracelet styles that we will be featuring including our "Home Coming" bracelet that features stones from Lake Superior.

www.moxiemalas.com 
www.instagram.com/MoxieMalas
www.facebook.com/MoxieMalas

Who are you and what do you do?
We are Guy Lively, a Minnesota-based, family-owned business. We create and sell men’s natural bar soap and skincare products.

Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?
Our co-founder, Jay, came up with the name of our business. We were looking for a masculine name that spoke to our target audience – active men who love to be outdoors! Guy Lively was born!

Is this a full-time business for you?
We just launched our business in January of 2022, so we are still getting started. Jay, one of our co-founders is a full-time elementary principal and oversees production and logistics in the evenings and weekends! Our other co-founder, Heidi, focuses on everything else in the business. In her spare time, she does some marketing consulting.

How does the city you live in influence your work?
Originally based in Minneapolis, our brand is all about the urban, Minneapolis active guy who loves to be outdoors, is concerned about the environment and wants to bring the outdoors in using natural products on his skin.

What is your favorite item that you sell?
Our favorite Guy Lively product is the shave cream. It’s rich and buttery, always leaving the skin cleanly shaven, hydrated, and smooth.

What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
Our customers love that our products are natural, effective and contain no harsh chemicals – meaning they are good for your skin and the environment!

www.guylively.com

www.instagram.com/guylivelyskincare

www.facebook.com/guylivelyskincare

 Who are you and what do you do?   

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/marilynevans032517/ 

Who are you and what do you do?:
My name is Beth and I run bluetiedesigns. I sew a ton of things for the home and for dogs! I also like baking when I'm not busy sewing or spending time with friends.    

 

 

Why did you start working in this craft?:
I used to make costumes as a hobby, and decided to start vending at the events I wore costumes to. Eventually, I did more vending than costuming!  

 

 

Have you always been passionate about art and design?:
Yes, I went to school for Graphic Design/Art, drew a ton as a kid, have built award-winning costumes, and love to lay out and create things...my Grandparents and my Mom were/are crafty people in different ways. So it was just a matter of time.  

 

 

 

What do you think sets your designs apart from others?:
I just have a bit of everything, and everything I make has a purpose. I also just like making things, so hopefully that reflects in the variety of things I make!  

 

 

 

 

What are some inspirations for your work?:
The fun fabric I buy, figuring out ways to use it to make things that people will find helpful to have in their homes.  Also being a dog mom and former dog foster means I get to figure out new dog items too.

 

 

What motivates you to create?:
I like making things for people to enjoy and that makes them happy.  The accomplishment of finishing something, and then having someone have their day made by it existing.

 

 

What is your favorite item that you sell?:
Weirdly enough, probably the dog waste bag roll holders. It came out of a want to use up more scraps instead of tossing them away. They're a more fun option than the plastic carriers.  

 

 

What do your customers love most about your product(s)?:
They're something different and fun, while being able to be used in their everyday life. Or, it's something fun to gift to that friend or family member that can be hard to shop for.   

 

 

What is the latest thing you have been working on?:
Trying to use up more of my scrap material and keep upcycling items as much as possible. Being more eco-friendly has been a long-term goal of mine. 

 

 

Will you be featuring any special holiday items?:
Yes. I will have some dog holiday bandanas, winter/Christmas potholders, and whatever else I have the time to squeak in!  

 

 

 

Blue Tie Designs

 

https://linktr.ee/bluetiedesigns

 

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Jesse Gerhard, and I make canoes, paddles, nets, lures, and other various items, from lumber I find around the metro area. I usually like to use floor joists, beams, and fencing as they usually require the least amount of nail pulling. I design all the items, mill and cut all the lumber, as well as assemble and finish each item by myself in my shop in the Oak Grove MN. Usually when my kids are on summer break, they will take a few days to help me package all the items prior to the art fairs.

What was your first memory of making something?

The first thing I remember making was a bike. I remember my father tossing my brothers and myself up into the dumpsters behind the apartments in order to find broken bikes. From there we could strip the good parts and make ourselves a working bike. They were usually still pretty crappy and always pretty dangerous. In the end we learned, you don't need money to make something cool, just a willingness to get dirty.

How did you get started in your business?

My career was changed overnight, in the middle of the night actually around 2 am. I was working as a Police officer in downtown Minneapolis when I assisted in the arrest of a prostitute who began fighting us. The next day I had some trouble moving my leg and arm. After some X rays and such, turns out 9 yrs carrying a machine gun is tough on your spine. I failed my physical to return to work and the VA helped me to pursue what I did as a hobby, and turn it into a career.

Why did you start working in this craft?

Growing up I helped my father doing construction, so much so, he was charged a few times with the child labor laws. So, from about 12 or 13 I did woodworking, lots of doors, windows, and wood flooring. I was always considered the artistic kid in the family and was always drawing as well. When I joined the military I painted murals, drew lots of tattoos, designed defensive perimeters, built gun emplacements, basically did what needed to be done and used what I had, to keep us alive and pass the time. I do "woodworking" right now, but not exclusively and have big, different, plans for the future, in addition to what I do now.

What are some inspirations for your work?

My Grandfather. He loved to canoe, and he loved to fish. He was a big part of our entire family and many other people as well. When I design something, I consider whether he would think it was cool? Would he display it in his home? So, I try to make things he would have enjoyed and love to display, things that would have stood the test of time.

American Craftsmen

www.US-Craftsmen.com

www.instagram.com/american.craftsmen

www.facebook.com/AmericanCraftsmen

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Ellie Maureen. I’m a YA and MG fiction author. As far as story ideas that I have, my genres have no bounds, but I’m currently writing a YA adventure series called Every Shadow Lifted. It’s set in a cave beneath the Amazon Rainforest where everyone living there has no idea the surface world exists!

How did you get started in your business?

I went through an extreme period of loneliness in my teen years. But I had all these wonderful friends in my head. As alone as I was, my stories were literally bursting at the seems. I didn’t always want to be a writer as a kid, but one day the stories came for me and I had to write them down. My stories are my constant companions and the way I process life, the good, the bad, the triumphs and the heartbreaks.

What was your first memory of making something?

I used to “copy” books as kid (as well as make my own.) I would trace the pictures in encyclopedias and such and write the words in, stapling pieces of paper together to make a book. Before I even wanted to write, I loved the thought of making books.

What is the latest thing you have been working on?

The sequel to my first novel, Forbidden. Book two is called Forsaken and should be released by the time of the Expo!

What do you love most about craft show vending?

I love being able to meet people face to face. I love signing a copy and actually knowing who is buying my book. There’s something very personable and special about being able to hand my story to a reader myself.

What are some inspirations for your work? 

Nature is a huge inspiration to me. I am so filled up by the beauty of God’s creation. I never feel more inspired than when I’m on a walk through the woods. Also, music. Whether it be a character or an entire plot idea, a single song can inspire me to write so much.

www.elliemaureen.com/story-room 

www.instagram.com/ellie__Maureen/ 

Who are you and what do you do?
I am a Mom of 2 who is a self-taught fashion designer. I sell my own styles as well as styles from other brands. I sell clothing, accessories and am starting to get into home items as well.

Where did your business name come from? Is there an interesting story behind it?
My business name is Ali Madi and it’s named after my name Allyson and my daughter’s name Madison.

How did you get started in your business?
I started designing clothes a few years ago and then started buying other brands as well. I didn’t go to school for fashion design, so I learned everything on my own.

What has been your favorite moment since creating your business?
I won a contest through Poshmark that landed my 2nd collection of my own designs in Macy’s!

What motivates you to create?
I have always loved clothes and love putting styles and outfits with accessories together.

What do your customers love most about your product(s)?
They are fun, casual, and really can go from day to night. Women are so busy these days that the clothing and accessories have to work with whatever will come their way that day.

What do you love most about craft show vending?
I love talking with the people and hearing what they are ultimately looking for whether it’s for themselves or someone else. I also love the moment when they find something they love!

What are some tips or suggestions you would like to offer to fellow makers?
Make sure you take time to rest and reflect on what you’ve accomplished. It’s also usually during that time that your mind will open up and allow more creativity to enter. Whatever you do, don’t stop working on your craft!

www.alimadi.com

www.facebook.com/alimadifashion

www.instagram.com/alimadi_boutique

Who are you and what do you do?
We are Summer Lakes Beverage, and we make all-natural, fresh cocktail mixes. Our mixes are easy to use at home to make fresh tasting, hand-crafted cocktails in a matter of seconds.

How did you get started in your business?
The story began in early 2000’s when Joe Zimmerley was a chef. Joe applied his passion for scratch cooking to making fresh drinks for friends and family and developed his first cocktail mix recipes using only fresh, natural ingredients and no preservatives. After years of perfecting and sharing small batches of his mixes, Summer Lakes Beverage was founded to share these same mixes with others. Summer Lakes Beverage is a small, family owned and operated business, and we are proud to be a local, Minnesota company.

Why did you start working in this craft?
Initially, this was just a hobby investment that we thought could be something fun we do in our spare time. We like entertaining others and making fun drinks so why not start up a small side-gig and share our hand-crafted mixes with others? Right? 4 years later and we are selling our mixes at over 100 liquor stores across the state. It has been a lot of fun but definitely not just a side-gig anymore.

What motivates you to create?
Our motivation is quality, with no exceptions and we want to make mixes that are truly special. When customers taste the quality of our mixes, we are thrilled to hear their feedback every time.

What valuable experience/knowledge did you have before starting your business?
Everyone at Summer Lakes Beverage has experience and a strong desire to work together as a team. We are also good at building relationships, and we thrive in this engaging network of creative, unique, and passionate small business owners.

www.summerlakesbeverage.com

www.instagram.com/summerlakesbeverage

www.facebook.com/SummerLakesBeverage