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Sunday, October 30, 2005 |
Craft-acular: Creative hobbies
on the rise
By Linda Laban
Sunday, October 30, 2005
The Back Bay has been getting very crafty
lately, as in arts and crafts, not duplicity. Paper
Source, the latest hobby and crafts store on Boylston
Street, is buzzing with people stocking up and attending
classes on scrapbooking, bookbinding, calligraphy and
other creative hobbies.
Nearby, the gorgeous selection of vintage and
contemporary beads at Beadworks on Newbury Street
inspires novice and veteran jewelry makers. The store
also offers twice-weekly classes on stringing, wirework
and knotting with silk, as well as occasional special
project classes. Alison Schmidt, communications manager
for the local Beadworks stores, says these days, every
class is booked solid.
“Our classes have always been well-attended, but over
the past year, all of our classes have been full, or
even had waiting lists,” said Schmidt.
Boston University MBA graduates
Jan Stephenson and Amy Appleyard launched
Spark Craft Studios in Davis Square last January. Stephenson asserts that the
crafting market has gone upscale. The chic supply store
and studio space provides a growing well-heeled
clientele with knick-knacks and know-how.
“We wanted a stylish environment where cosmopolitan,
professional women could do something creative while
socializing,” said Stephenson.
The boutique-style studio offers lounges, workspace,
classes and retail supplies for all levels of crafters,
with a focus on beginners. You can even rent a room with
your friends for a private art party.
“We love showing people how easy and fun it can be
to create something with their own two hands,” said
Stephenson. “All you need is the right guidance, the
right tools and the right motivation.”
Suburban craft supply store Fabric Place now numbers
two offshoot stores, Design by Fabric Place, in Newton
and on Boylston Street in Boston. These stores offer a
service somewhere between do-it-yourself and a
professional interior designer.
“Our suburban stores have a little bit of everything
and cater to people who want to make things, or people
with hobbies. But our Boston store is a little bit
different. We concentrate on home decor for people who
don’t have a lot of time to make their own furnishings,
but who want to get in on the creative side, and choose
colors and fabrics,” said Kerri Anastas, manager at the
Boylston Street location.
The rise in supply stores and arty
places such as Spark and
paint-your-own-pottery studios Clayroom
in Brookline and Naked Clay Cafe on
Massachusetts Avenue in Boston is
tapping into a burgeoning trend.
“In the ’90s, interest in arts and
crafts dropped off. But over the past
few years we have seen a tremendous
increase across the board,” said Jackie
Ralston. For more than 25 years, Ralston
and Florence Flynn’s Artisan Promotions
Inc. has organized arts and crafts
fairs. Their biggest, the 19th Annual
Christmas Festival, runs Friday to Nov.
6 at Boston’s World Trade Center.
“It’s a tremendously supportive
environment. Hobbyists come along for
ideas and inspiration to take their
crafting more seriously,” said Flynn.
“Eventually some take it to a
professional level and quit their day
jobs. But those are people creating
something innovative or remarkable that
people want to buy.” |
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