Patchwork Show Oakland Fall 2018

Last weekend we ushered in the fall 2018 season of our Patchwork Show: Modern Makers Festival at Jack London Square, our Oakland, California location. Although this is our newest location (we celebrated our 7^th anniversary of Patchwork Show Oakland on Saturday!) it’s finally starting to feel like a permanent member of our sisterhood of Patchwork Show cities. And, I love that each of the cities where we hold Patchwork Show has a unique sense of place that is reflected in the venue as well as the vendors.

In Oakland, our host venue Jack London Square is home to some my favorite restaurants and bars, plus it’s right on the water. It has all the benefits of being in an urban setting but you also can escape for a moment and watch the sunset fall over the water.

Weather is often an issue for outdoor craft fairs (we’ve braved our fair share of both rain and heat waves) but Saturday’s weather could not have been more perfect! All afternoon, steady crowds shopped from over 150 vendors and kids stamped holiday cards at our DIY card making booth while our friends from VAMP (Vintage. Art. Music. For the People.) spun classic vinyl records. We also premiered our new line of products, which include tees, pins and pouches.

Big thanks for our venue Jack London Square (+ Nick, our liaison there who makes it possible for us to have Patchwork Show in Oakland), our staff, vendors, partners and guests for an awesome beginning to our fall 2018 season! See you all in Oakland in the spring.

We’re gearing up for our Southern California fall shows in Santa Ana and Long Beach! Hope to see you there!

P.S. – On a personal note, this was one of the hardest shows I’ve ever had to do because I had several broken ribs (one of which I re-fractured the day before the show while measuring out the vendor spaces). The morning of the show, I woke up after only four hours of sleep (because I was in too much pain to sleep) and I cried. I was exhausted, in incredible pain and the day hadn’t even begun. I wondered how I would make it through a day that even in the best of health with a full night’s sleep was a LOT OF WORK. I seriously didn’t think I’d be able to do it BUT with lots of help from my parents (who came up early to help me prepare for the show) and our staff (love you Lindsey and Spaulding) I did it! One of the other things that helped get me through the day was the kindness of our vendors and guests. I can’t tell you how many of them (both regulars and newbies) asked if there was anything they could do to help when they found out I was injured. Bearing witness (once again) to the incredible love, support and kindness in this community of makers was incredible. Thank you!

-Nicole S.