What to Know
- "Shop Handmade From Home" via the new site
- Browse by category, including a Valentine's Guide, Springtime Finds, more
- From the team behind the Jackalope Arts fair
Strolling around a breezy and sun-dappled park, one that brims with booths that brim with all sorts of wondrous and well-made goods?
The sorts of scarves and soaps and toys and bowls and everything-under-the-sun finds that are handmade, gift-able and/or keep-able, and full of character?
It's an experience that anyone who has ever attended a Jackalope Arts happening knows well.
"An Indie Artisan Fair" is what the flair-filled festivals are billed as, and they more than live up to every part of that billing, from the Indie to the Artisan to the fair-like feeling of the in-person events.
But with in-person events on hold as 2021 begins, the team behind the fair, which has become a staple of Pasadena's Central Park in years gone by, decided to think in a different direction, one that would still give the spotlight to the hardworking artisans who are at the heart of the stylish and funky fest.
The delightful result?
Local Undercover, which officially launched on Monday, Feb. 1.
The fully virtual sphere is a vibrant "... place for small business to sell their wares, increasing the accessibility of shopping handmade" during a time when major artisan-focused fairs are lingering in the "postponed/TBD" category.
You can browse the marketplace by category, from Accessories to Family Goods, while seasonal and special groupings will pop up (indeed, there's a "Valentine's Guide," a perfect fit for the marketplace's February start).
The curated and creative goodies include foods (Pineapple Papaya Green Tea from Bespoke Provisions intrigues), green things (check out the Jellyfish Air Plant Terrarium from Mile High Urban Farming), and ceramics (Pottery Daily has a charming piece of "pie").
And while several Southern California makers are part of Local Undercover, you'll also be able to admire the wares of creators from beyond California, all talented thinker-uppers who are putting verve and vibrancy into a host of lovingly created treasures.
Take a spin now, handmade mavens, and see if you discover a new jewelry maker, knitter, ceramicist, or artist you adore.
