Wonder Fair

During an afternoon stroll on Mass St. Saturday my husband and I came across this really nice shop! We ended up purchasing some beautiful prints but our experience was ruined by us getting shushed while paying at cash register. If you want to have a private class without being disrupted on a Saturday close your business. We spent over $ 100 and were treated terribly. If I hadn’t fallen head over heals for the art I would have left without giving a penny to the business owner.

I really enjoyed perusing this local shop, and the staff was friendly as well.
I love that town pride is in, whether it’s team pride, KC shirts everywhere, Lawrence prints. It’s awesome, and we do have a lot of cool things to be proud of. Wonder Fair does a great job of encapsulating that, while also having a large collection of different things to check out.
The other reviews do a great job referencing all the different things they have — what I’d recommend to add some value here is to just pop in when you have at least 10 minutes to kill. Aimlessly walking down Mass St. is one of the best parts about being in Larry in general, right? May as well check these guys out.
My favorite thing in general were all the cool cards, both from Hammerpress in KC and other local artists. The struggle was real when picking out cards until spots like this came around.
Side note: There was some hand-​drawn, random E.T. illustrated book that just made me lose it. It was hilarious.

I’ve been meaning to update my Wonder Fair review since I’m more familiar with the place now. I love them even more. Still my favorite shop in Mass St, and maybe in all of Lawrence!
I stand my everything I said before, they sell mostly paper goods, with some other crafts. Some local artists, and some from farther away. One thing I really love about WF is that the owners really care about their artists. They only sell stuff by artists they feel strongly about and when I buy something (even just a birthday card), they usually can tell me all about that particular artist. Their artists are often new/​upcoming and the artists set their own prices I believe.
Speaking of cards, this is the ONLY place I will buy wedding cards for people. None of that awful cheesy «on your special day…» crap, they sell actual FUN wedding cards!
Wonder Fair really cares about the Lawrence community. They do fun Final Fridays and sometimes collaborate with other LFK businesses to do something bigger. In 2013, they set up a few Kickstarter-​funded letterboxes (kind of like old school geocaching) around Lawrence and KC.
Wonder Fair is so awesome and it’s worth the trip up the stairs if only to see their unique goods and whatever art is on display in their back gallery that month!

I love this tiny little gallery & store full of amazingness and fun! It’s an adventure every time you walk up those stairs.

Pretty dope, Wonder Fair. Pretty dope, indeed. Unique and unexpected, this teeny-​tiny upstairs gallery is pretty much a thesis statement on «why I love downtown Lawrence.»
I am a self-​proclaimed art fan, and judging by my apartment I am particularly fond of smaller works done on paper. In that regard, it was like Wonder Fair was made especially for me. The gallery is crammed full of varying works that share the medium but beyond that vary widely in style. They are displayed with minimal information about the artists, which in some light could be considered a negative, but I think it’s cool that the works have to speak for themselves. That gut instinct of whether you like something or not, you have to rely on it at Wonder Fair. Additionally, the prices are more than reasonable.
They also serve a great selection of small gifts that I believe to be locally produced. I was infatuated with a scarf that looked like a fox (though to be sure was made of yarn and not a fox) that is pretty fun and oh-​so-​hip. More hip than me, probably. Regardless, I found many things that I’d love to give to people I love.
In the back room was a special exhibit. I forget the name of it, but basically it was a commentary on the commodification of art, applying arbitrary values to works based on a formula considering factors such as what color was used, how messy it was produce and so forth. While the pieces didn’t blow me away, the entire experiment was quite thought provoking.
I will 100% be back on my next visit to Lawrence, and I look forward to seeing what they’re up to.

Wonder Fair is staffed and supported by local artists. You’ll see their chalkboards on Mass, inviting you up to the second floor. Climbing the stairs in curiosity, you’ll discover a charming gallery, full of local art and clever gifts.
Occasionally they hold small concerts and events, which I highly recommend — some of our favorite local shows we’ve been to have been here — very intimate, as there couldn’t have been more than a handful of people in the crowd.

So much fun stuff to look at. They have a nice selection of greeting cards. There staff is always nice and welcoming.
This place is one of the reasons I love Lawrence.

The long flight of stairs is a challenge but worth the climb. Beautiful hand crafted goods are for sale here. Darling earrings and broaches, cards and a wall of magazines. The tee-​shirts are very cool, one of a kind. The art in the back room is somewhat, odd. Maybe just not my style, but it changes out. Check out the website for current gallery shows and exhibitions.

I love looking around at Wonder Fair. They are one of the only reliable places I know of in this town to pick up zines. They sell prints, postcards and other stationary, screenprinted tees, gifts, etc. made by small designers. There are many other things that cannot be explained on this here review. The folk that run it are very friendly and they frequently change displays. Grab an organic apple on your way down the stairs and enjoy. Or not. But mostly do.