Hovercraft

Mom: «why is it called hovercraft?»
Me: «you know, cuz its a craft fair.»
Mom: «but the hover part… whats that about.»
Me: «I think its just supposed to be catchy.»
In theory I love the concept. Local crafts with local food drink and an (awesome) DJ all conveniently located in one spot just before the holidays.
In practice… Meh, sometimes I’m not feeling $ 75 earrings and cross-stitched…things.
Mind you, there are some great deals here. There was a guy selling teas, oils, and $ 6 hand salve that made me regret my $ 8.99 purchase of Burt’s bees hand salve earlier in the day. We also scored some great $ 10 soy candles and $ 6 artisan jam. But a lot of the stuff… I don’t know, I think these are the sort of gifts that need the right buyer to come along (like «there’s someone out there for everyone» romantically… yea, like that.) They moved to a different venue this year (pritzlaff building) but it was still a little hot and crowded in there. There’s a $ 5 admission which seemed reasonable.
The «dry good items» are handmade and unique, so if that’s your jam, you’ll probably like this place and should check it out. Me personally, I’m going to stick with just the Jam, and maybe some tea.
Happy holidays!

I loved this event! Relatively new to Milwaukee so seeing all of the crafters and excitement at this event was uplifting. The weekend is perfect timing for holiday gifts, I found a one of a kind present and crafting supplies I’ll use for gifts including fabric with a Milwaukee print. Obviously it was packed, but hopefully that will inspire them to expand to two days next year.

I think that HoverCraft should take a page out of «Empty Bowls“s book for this event.
I LOVE the sentiment, I LOVE the local, I LOVE that the bar was open, I LOVE that they utilized the space well, but I couldn’t stand not being able to see a single thing after paying to even enter.
The craft fair was in Turner Hall this year, and there were some people congregating around the entrance, leading me to believe it was busy. Yep.
Who seriously bring STROLLERS to an event like this? There were HUNDREDS of people crammed in here, which is bad enough for a concert — but add tables and tons of tiny intricate crafts? Not conducive. I was getting stepped on, pushed and sneezed on the entire time, and could barely even get a glimpse of what people were offering. Up on the stage, you got stuck as there was only one stairwell. Some people accepted cards, some didn’t.
I got one cool thing, and saw a few other neat items, but it was absolutely nuts. Empty Bowls controls their crowd by letting more in once more have left. DO THIS. DO not allow strollers! It’s too crowded for that. Control the crowd. Until then, I just can’t handle it.

If you A) like buying local, B) appreciate adorable things, C) aren’t afraid of massive crowds, and D) have ever said «you know what I hate about shopping? Not enough booze!» — well, Hovercraft is for you!
The craftsters of Milwaukee took over Turner Hall for a wall to wall homemade extravaganza (craftstravaganza?). So much good stuff! From handprinted T-​shirts to upcycled hoodies, original art and prints, profane pottery, natural beauty products, and more fabulous jewelry than you could possibly ever wear… I’m lucky I got out of there with enough money to make it through the month. Plus one of my favorite local artists was doing custom sketches/​paintings!
Gifts for all price ranges, full bar available, and snacks and coffee were peddled as well. The cover was only $ 3, and the first 50 people got gift bags (hence the crazy line before opening). I’m not gonna lie, it was a mad house up in there; but with a little patience I was still able to view all the goods and pick up some nice things.
Highly recommended! Parking was $ 5 in the Turner lot, but was full by noon!