Have it ‘Made’ at big QC market
You can get crafty and have it made this weekend, at the annual spring Made Market QC.
The sprawling handmade/vintage market (presented by Crafted Quad Cities) will be Friday, April 12, from 5-8 p.m., and Saturday April 13, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bend XPO, East Moline.
They always have about 175 vendors, most from the QC area (over 85%), but some come from as far as Indiana and Nebraska. There are 25 kid vendors (up to age 18), including event organizer Rachelle Buckwalter’s own 4-year-old son, Baylor.
He makes slime and bracelets, she said recently. “They really enjoy it, all the kids. They just work really hard. They’re so excited about making new things.”
Attendance-wise, Made Market attracts between 3,800 and 4,200. She hopes to hit 5,000 this weekend.
“There’s nowhere else really that you can find all these people in one place to shop,” Buckwalter said. “It’s like the best weekend. It’s like 175 different small businesses with different things. I love it.”
There will be spring-inspired cocktails, live music performances, photo-op spots, kid makers, workshops and more. The first 50 people to arrive each day will get a swag bag filled with goodies from several of the makers.
Tickets are $5 in advance HERE (only available through Wednesday, April 10) and $7 at the door. Buckwalter owns Crafted QC (5015 Competition Drive, Bettendorf), and Made Market is in its third full year. The biggest markets are April and December. They are also in August.
This year’s theme is Vintage Western and the market’s specialty drink is called Cowboy Killer, Buckwalter said.
There are many new vendors each time, since a lot of new applicants come in each time, Buckwalter said. Other similar markets are Good Makers Market in Tipton, Iowa (twice a year), and State Street Market in Geneseo (in October). There’s a Main Street Market in Chicago.
Made Market QC was originally named OMG BeckyFest. This makers faire was created in 2017 as a platform for local and regional artists, creators, makers, and entrepreneurs to come together and share the love of their craft with the community.
Some QC makers
A few of this year’s local vendors are:
Maharah Jones of Geneseo
She paints and makes art with acrylics, oil pastel, felt markers, pencil, and printmaking. She calls her business miniVanGo and carry a few items from other artists as well.
Jones sells small and large original canvas, drawings, and fine quality Giclee prints are available. She has done Made’s Spring Market, Holiday Market, and Indie Markets before. “I highly recommend all of them,” she said by email.
“There are so many aspects I enjoy! Meeting other artists/crafters and small business vendors,” Jones said. “Getting to see the people that art has connected me with, meeting new people and hearing their stories. Being able to support small, but in a large venue all at once is rare!”
Jones is a stay-at-home wife and mother, and an educator through homeschooling and tutoring.
Savannah Marx of Davenport and her husband Sean
They own Making Our Marx, and make unique wooden home decor signs, and porch signs.
“Crafted has a good supply of some of our best-selling signs,” Savannah said of the retail gift shop at the TBK Bank Sports Complex in Bettendorf. They have done many Made Markets.
“I love the friendships we make with other vendors, and shoppers!” Savannah said by email. “This event has such a welcoming atmosphere, and you feel that the entire time.”
Savannah is a stay-at-home mom, and Sean (who fabricates all the signs) works full time for the Iowa National Guard.
K&K Custom Woodworking from Prophetstown, Ill.
Owned by Kyle Turner and his wife Katie, they make handmade cutting boards, cheese slicing boards, charcuterie trays, live edge walnut serving trays, ash trays, deviled egg serving board, trivets, lunch box cutting boards, quilting ruler holders, and extra large brisket carving boards.
They make everything from locally sourced, rough sawed wood and this weekend will be their seventh Made Market show.
“We enjoy having a show of this size and magnitude close to home,” Kyle Turner said by email. “The people we get to meet at every show who come out to look at all the handmade things that the vendors sell are always amazing. The Bend XPO Center is amazing for its size, its layout makes it easy for a bunch of vendors showing up in a few-hour period to get in and there booths assembled.
“The lighting inside really makes our product stand out,” he said. “Working with Rachelle is always very easy and makes the show run smooth and that helps make the show even more enjoyable.”
Katie is an operations manager at a local facility and Kyle is a farm hand on a local grain and livestock farm.
Cassie Hall of East Moline
She makes stickers, prints, cards, notepads, mugs, beanies, tie-dye scrunchies, and baby onesies.
Hall sells her stickers at Crafted QC. “I’ve done Made Market before and had record sales,” she said.
“I love the variety of items and makers. I enjoy the positive energy of the market — it’s a great place to vend at or attend,” Hall said. “Rachelle does such a great job curating and organizing this event.”
She also works at Crafted QC, Zero Waste Reserve, and RAYGUN. For more information on Made Market, click HERE.
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