Bloomingfoods has been a sponsor for BHM from the start, and always has some yummy treats to help us keep our artists going through the day! We love that our local co-op is such a supporter of handmade, both in sponsoring BHM and in selling products from local artists and farmers in their stores. 

We couldn't believe what a different music made at our last event! We loved having WIUX along at the Holiday 2011 market and are thrilled to announce that they are joining us once again for our spring market coming up this Saturday. Check out their blog if you have a minute - they've got music and movie reviews, sports news, and an events calendar as well.

Are you sick of us telling you how great Friends of Art is yet? Hopefully not, because you know for yourself what a great resource FOA is for both IU and the community of Bloomington! FOA is a nonprofit organization created to raise funds for scholarships in IU's School of Fine Arts, with a lot of great benefits to the community including their incredible book shop full of the best art books, magazines, stationery and lots of cool jewelry and other accessories. Check out their facebook page to find out what's going on and what kinds of cool events they're sponsoring. We are proud to have Friends of Art as a sponsor of the Bloomington Handmade Market and as a resource for artists and art-lovers in the community!

Our spring event will be Saturday, April 7 at the Convention Center, located at 3rd and College. We have 46 amazing artists from all over the Midwest! This will be our last ever spring event, and future BHMs will be held annually in November. As always, the market is free to attend and a family friendly event. We hope you can make it!
A very special thank you to Bloomington artist Katie Vernon for doing the fantastic poster design. View more of her work at www.katievernon.com.
Please visit our Vendor page to see all of the amazing artists you will see on April 7!

Here at BHM, we're primarily artists, not businesspeople. So when our event started getting bigger and bigger, we were a little bit unsure as to how to proceed. Luckily for us we stumbled upon Valerie Cox from Anderson & Cox while looking for help, and we are SO GLAD we did. Valerie has been a huge supporter both of BHM and our other venture, Paper Crane Studio & Gallery in all senses of the word. Making the transition from being a rinky dink little craft fair to a real, legitimate institution would be a lot more difficult without her, and we're so glad to have her help.

Anderson & Cox is dedicated to helping grow small, local businesses and assisting them with their accounting and tax needs. We have found Valerie to be quick to respond and help with any problem big or small. (She's even volunteering at BHM!) If you are starting or growing a small business, they are a great resource to help you get on your financial feet.

Friends of Art has been with us since the very beginning - we couldn't be more thankful for their support! Located on IU's campus in the Fine Arts building, it's not just for students ... they have a fantastic selection of art and craft books, magazines and more, as well as handmade jewelry, journals and other goodies.

Profits from the Bookshop are used to fund scholarships and provide travel and research monies for students in Indiana University’s Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts. Additionally, Friends of Art members receive a generous 10% discount on almost everything in the Bookshop for an entire year - including jewelry, gifts, and, of course, their wide array of art-related books.

We at BHM are huge fans of The Atlas Bar, and not just because they are major sponsors of BHM twice in a row. Where to begin? They already had great drink specials, awesome bartenders, and skee ball. Then they went and got a photo booth. Now I hear rumors that they're going to be featuring a Sunday WAFFLE BRUNCH with help from The Happy Pig (don't worry, there I heard there will be vegan options too.)

This is seriously one of the best places to hang out in town - unpretentious and definitely NOT just another college bar. The Atlas proudly supports local art and artists in other ways, too - look on the walls! It is also entirely likely that you'll find one of your very own BHM artists or organizers hanging out there, so come say hi and support this great local business.

WIUX Pure Student Radio is Indiana University's largest student organization, and a major sponsor of this year's Bloomington Handmade Market! They will be providing music at the event for us this year and we couldn't be happier to have them on board. The station is owned and managed entirely by students and broadcasts both online and on the radio at 99.1 FM.

WIUX is a community-oriented organization dedicated to providing an alternative to commercial and ratings-driven radio. Additionally, it allows students to learn practical, hands-on skills not just in the studio but by partnering with other community organizations all around Bloomington - such as the Handmade Market! We're really looking forward to having music for the first time this year thanks to WIUX!

Bloomingfoods is Bloomington's own local co-op promoting healthy, sustainable, environmentally sound products at a fair price. Bloomingfoods makes every effort to support local farmers and they extend that commitment into the arts by showcasing artists in their cafe areas at the East Side and West Side stores, and by making available handmade soaps, cards and other work by local artists and craftspeople. 

Bloomingfoods has actually been with BHM from the beginning, behind the scenes - they donate yummy, healthy food for our artists to enjoy for breakfast on the day of the event. We are thrilled to have their continued support as event sponsors for the Holiday 2011 market! Please stop in and support this Bloomington institution!

Shiisa Quilts is Bloomington's own locally-owned quilter's supply shop, and it's well worth a visit for gorgeous fabrics the like of which you can't find anywhere else in town, not to mention almost any other sewing supply you could possibly want. They also have a great calendar of events with fun things happening for pretty much any skill level!

Shiisa is near and dear to our hearts because they have sponsored BHM from day one. Yes, back when no one knew who we were or if we were even actually going to follow through with our little craft fair idea, Janet at Shiisa was there for us. In that time we've both grown a lot, and we've seen Shiisa evolve into a full-fledged community sewing center with classes, workshops, fun events and a great studio/workshop space where you can learn the basics or get help with tougher projects. They're off route 37 and Vernal Pike - please stop in and supporting your local quilt shop!