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SE CityHD Craft Walk takes giant step; Chinatown event part of growing support for locally-produced gifts

BY Ilana Belfer

CR Ottawa CitizenWC 574 wordsPD 10 December 2012SN Ottawa CitizenSC OTCTED FinalPG C3LA EnglishCY Copyright © 2012 Ottawa Citizen

LPGetting home for Christmas is a fixture on many wish lists each holiday season. This year, Ottawa residentsare taking it a step further: getting their gifts close to home, too, in support of the local craft circuit.

Moving room was scarce Sunday in three venues that hosted the Chinatown Craft Walk: the Raw SugarCafe, The Daily Grind Art Cafe and the Shanghai Restaurant, all within a few blocks of one another onSomerset Street West.

TD"A couple of people literally said they weren't going to buy Christmas presents this year, but because this islocal, they decided to," said Chris Anderson, who sold handcrafted rings carved from broken skateboarddecks.

Local is an understatement when used to describe some of the vendors. Artist Samuel Jan sometimesbrings his pencils and charcoal to Raw Sugar and creates his artwork in-shop, said the cafe's owner, NadiaKharyati. She said she started the craft sale four years ago, with the other two locations joining later inresponse to the event's success.

The Ottawa Locavore Artisan Food Fair and Craftalicious, two more Ottawa-centric craft markets, also tookplace over the weekend. So did the Originals Ottawa Christmas Craft Sale, which features goods fromacross Canada and will continue until Dec. 16.

"A lot of businesses ... help advertise for each other. It's not about competition, it's about community," saidJennifer Stone, who founded her own craft sale called Idle Hands.

In the Centretown community, it was also about buying repurposed materials, shoppers noted.

"Everybody is very much about recycling and reusing," Stone said. The images on her hand-cut clocks comefrom old books she found in the garbage or at the Salvation Army.

But going green wasn't the sole appeal recycled materials provided for customers.

"It makes your gift unique," said Stephanie Amos, who's in her 50s and came from Stittsville to do someholiday shopping.

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Three years ago, someone like Amos might not have known about the craft scene.

"It's spreading out now (to) people in Orléans and Kanata, whereas it used to just be young hipsters orcreative types downtown," said Sterling Prentice of Winged Beast Outfitters, which sells sweatshop-freeclothing adorned with his own illustrations. "Young people have become an interesting market compared tothe older idea of craft being old ladies knitting."

Thanks to the "shop local" boom and reoccurring, out-of-season craft shows such as the monthly UrbanCraft in West Wellington, there's more variety and awareness, Prentice said. It gives small-business ownerslike himself the freedom to make the job full-time, although he's still a librarian by day.

"People are going to us instead of the mall," said Prentice, "because it's nice to be able to know the personwho made it."

ART Pat Mcgrath, Ottawa Citizen / The Chinatown Craft Walk had three venues with local craft vendors sellinglocal Christmas treats and gifts. Vanessa Madely and Katie Swinwood at the Raw Sugar Cafe braved thecold to sell wreaths.; Pat Mcgrath, Ottawa Citizen / The Chinatown Craft Walk had three venues with localcraft vendors selling local Christmas treats and gifts. Vanessa Madely and Katie Swinwood at the RawSugar Cafe braved the cold to sell wreaths. [OTCT_20121210_Final_C3_84275_I001.jpg];

RE caon : Ontario | ottaw : Ottawa | cana : Canada | namz : North America

PUB Ottawa Citizen

AN Document OTCT000020121210e8ca0001p

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