Hello Friends (and Martha Stewart Magazine readers!),
We are so excited for the upcoming 2012 Bazaar Bizarre Boston. So. Excited. Each time we are planning our December event we say “this BBB is going to be the best on record!” and this year is no different. Our meetings are full of breathless exclamations about our vendors and our venue, excited tellings of stories from years past, and the spilling of last minute ideas.
We wanted to take a tiny break from vendor profiles (don’t you LOVE them? we do!) and tell you a little more about ourselves and this year’s BBB…
The Bazaar Bizarre Boston is presented by Small Craft Advisory, a small group of crafters who also host the outdoor summer market Union Made in Somerville. Supporting and promoting local craftspeople, artists and designers is the sole purpose of Small Craft Advisory.
Our Historic Start…
Bazaar Bizarre began in 2001 in the Boston-area as a hodge-podge of friends and acquaintances cobbling together their handcrafted DIY wares to sell and staging an offbeat entertainment extravaganza. In 2004 the Bazaar Bizarre spread to Los Angeles and Cleveland and in 2006 Make took us under their wing to include the Bazaar Bizarre as part of the Maker Faire in the San Francisco-area every spring. The Bazaars in Boston, Cleveland, and San Francisco still happen every year during peak holiday shopping season in December.
What to Expect…
At the Bazaar Bizarre you will find art and products with everything from cartoon doodles to elegant designs, narrative illustrations to wry and witty slogans. Printed goods include note cards, fine art prints, hand bound journals and calendars. Clothing and apparel vary from haute couture fashion and accessories to streetwear tees. Toys and sculptures ranging from scary to cute to elaborate and fantastical are sure to delight kids and adults alike. Jewelry and accessories of all styles and materials are represented, with high-end precious metals at one booth to simple and sweet plastic charms and upcycled materials at the next. Housewares, knitwear, bath and beauty products, art and craft supplies, fine art paintings, photography, ceramics, pet products, and anything else you can think of will be ready to go to new homes.
The Bazaar Bizarre has items for every taste and every budget!
The 2012 BBB will also feature a select group of interactive booths and tables. Here, shoppers can get their portrait drawn by the Boston Comics Roundtable, or enjoy a fiber workshop and sign up for classes with our favorite craft teachers from Gather Here in Cambridge.
Where it happens…
The Bazaar Bizarre’s annual one-day home is the Cyclorama, a beautiful structure first opened in 1865. The Cyclorama hosts art events, fashion shows, weddings, seminars and galas! On our day in December, its 23,000-square foot space is filled in the morning with our talented group of artists and crafters and their wares. When the doors open at noon the line of shoppers outside files inside and the fun begins!
(Full disclosure, every year doesn’t bring us mild weather and a bright blue sky over the Cyclorama, but we have our fingers crossed for 2012! If you show up and you see the queue snaking along the building, fear not! The line moves fast and we will take your $1 and get you inside before you have time to triple-check your shopping list!)
Are you an Early Bird?…
Each year we sell 100 Early Bird tickets. With one of these coveted spots you can get into the BBB one hour before everyone else! You can get first-crack at all of the vendor tables and the activity booths. It is an unique experience since one hour before doors open the venue is quiet and aisles wide open. Vendors may be a little sleepy and still sipping their coffee but everyone is so happy to see the Early Birds!
The 2012 Early Bird tickets will be released on November 16th, one month before the BBB. Fifty tickets will go be available at 10am and fifty more will be available at 10pm. Please join our mailing list and keep an eye on Twitter for up to the minute reports.
Or maybe you’re a Night Owl…
This year we are trying something new! A special shopping incentive for our later-arriving patrons. More details on this VERY SOON!
Vital Stats…
Bazaar Bizarre Boston
Sunday December 16th, 2012
Noon – 6pm (Early Bird admission at 11am)
80+ vendors and activity booths
BCA Cyclorama in the South End
539 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02116
So that’s the run-down. Any questions?
With all that said, I think we can easily post that THIS Bazaar Bizarre Boston is going to be BEST ON RECORD.
We LOVE running the BBB and with months and months of prep beforehand you would think we would be exhausted and ready to hibernate as soon as we finish packing up after the event. That’s actually pretty spot-on but we are also filled with that special feeling you get at the end of summer camp. That feeling of instantly missing our vendors and counting the days until we get to all gather again under the big dome skylight of the Cyclorama and have the best day ever!
We can’t wait to see you there!
All the best,
Alison, Amy, Elise, Jen, Marissa, Megan, Ryan, & Sarah
