One of my favorite things about summer in the city is the plethora of craft fairs that take place in open-air marketplaces. Though the first weekend of August boasts three of the biggest–Uptown Art Fair, Loring Park Art Festival, and Powderhorn Art Fair–it’s this weekend’s Red Hot Art & Music Festival that has me the most excited. The annual event is in its 13th year and going strong. The community-oriented, grassroots event brings together 100 independent makers and craft artisans within the lush confines of Stevens Square Park in Minneapolis, plus live music from more than 20 acts, roving entertainment, hands-on demonstrations, interactive activities–like free screen-printing projects lead by Living Proof print group–and food trucks.
One of my favorite local potters, Fringe & Fettle Ceramics, is making an appearance at this year’s fest. The four-year-old company–which recently collaborated with Hackwith Design House–is the brainchild of Joanna Buyert, a lifelong artist and Minnesota native. Her handcrafted trays, dishes and bowls feature playful patterns, delicate textures, and elegant curves in soft hues like seafoam, mint, ivory, and grey. I especially love the lace-like patterns decorating her trays and her textural dots-covered dishes.
In addition to Red Hot Art, Fringe & Fettle will be popping up at the Powderhorn Art Fair on August 2-3, Mill City Farmers Market on August 23, September 27, and October 18, and the Hackwith Holiday Market on November 22. Her designs are stocked in-store at the Grand Hand, i like you, and Gallery 360, and online at fringeandfettle.com.
Additional artists at the Red Hot Art Fest include Kelly Loija (textural, colforful woven accessories), Pog Totes by Mary DesCombaz (hand-sewn totes, iPad and tablet case and overnight bags), and Sara Syverhus (whimsical, fantasy-based paintings).
11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. Free. Stevens Square Park, 1801 Stevens Av., Mpls., redhotart.org.
Noodle Bowl with Handle in Soft Seafoam Green, $34, fringeandfettle.com
Ceramic Appetizer Plate in Seafoam Green, $60, fringeandfettle.com
Noodle Bowl with Handle in Soft Gray Polka Dot, $34, fringeandfettle.com
Ceramic Honey Pot in Polka Dot Gray, $38, fringeandfettle.com
Citrus Juicer in Pale Blue, $40, fringeandfettle.com
More local shopping:
Through August 4: My Sister’s Closet Summer Clearance: Take half-off everything in store, including vintage and designer resale clothing and accessories, during My Sister’s Closet semi-annual clearance sale. (1136 Grand Ave., St. Paul, 612-222-2819 & 2741 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-886-2891, mysistersclosetmn.com.)
Beginning Tuesday: Askov Finlayson Summer Sale: North Loop’s Askov Finlayson is hosting a summer sale with 25 percent off all remaining seasonal items. (200 N. 1st St., Mpls., 612-206-3925, AskovFinlayson.com.)
Through Friday: Parc’s Summer Sale: Parc Boutique is offering an additional 25 percent off already-marked down items both in-store and online, for a total of up to 75 percent off original retail prices. Online code: “EXTRA25” (320 E. Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-353-4966, parcboutique.com.)
Through Sunday: UNOde50 Trunk Show: Designer boutique MINQ is hosting a trunk show for Spanish handcrafted jewelry line UNOde50, which specializes in eclectic, internationally-minded gems. (The Shops at West End, 1637 West End Blvd., St. Louis Park, 952-217-4933, shopminq.com & unode50.com.)
Wednesday: Spark Letterpress Open House: Eight years after leaving the Twin Cities, Spark Letterpress has returned to its hometown with a brand-new storefront. They celebrate with an open house, where you can take advantage of 20 percent off on custom orders now through November 31. (4-9 p.m. 1300 Quincy St. NE., Mpls. 866-594-7113, letterpresslove.com.)
Wednesday-Sunday: Mend Provisions Summer Sale: Hip outdoors store Mend Provisions is offering storewide deals on fly rods, clothing, fly tying and more, just in time for your next weekend up north. (2719 E. 42nd St., Mpls., 612-724-4272, facebook.com/mendprovisions.)
Friday-Saturday: Velvet Moon Studio + Shop: Following a successful month-long pop-up venture at 50th & France, locally-based e-retailer Velvet Moon is opening up its Northeast Minneapolis studio for a monthly series of weekend-long sales, where you can shop new arrivals and in-store exclusives. (Noon-5 p.m. Fri. & 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. Casket Arts Building, 681 17th Ave. SE., Suite 218, Mpls., shopvelvetmoon.com.)
Thursday: Litany Jewelry Trunk Show: Local jewelry artist Jen Westmoreland Bouchard designs “historical adornments with cosmopolitan influences.” Her latest collection made from internationally-sourced antique and vintage metals, gemstones, Czech glass beads, tassels and chains pops up for a one-night trunk show at Kisa Boutique. (5-8 p.m. Kisa Boutique, 722 W. Lake St., Mpls., 612-823-5192, kisaboutique.com & litanyjewelrydesigns.com.)
Thursday: Accessories Workshop with Sally McGraw: Bella Boutique hosts a girls’ night out party with styling tips from style blogger Sally McGraw of Already Pretty, plus enjoy bubbly and 15 percent off all accessories. (5:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Bella Boutique, 3100 50th St. W., Mpls., 651-454-4322, bellaboutique.com.)
Thursday: Ladies Night Out: Danc’n in the Street: Excelsior’s Ladies Night Out series gets a special twist with a flashmob-style tap-off in the middle of Water Street. It’s inspired by the 1979 event in which 1,801 female tap dancers descended upon Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis to set the Guinness Book of World Records. The evening also includes late-night shopping from 5 to 9 p.m. and a Farmer’s Market from 2 to 6 p.m. (6:30-9 p.m. Free. Water St. between 2nd & 3rd Sts., Excelsior, excelsior-lakeminnetonkachamber.com.)
Saturday: RedGreen Rivers at Little Mekong Night Market: St. Paul-based company RedGreen Rivers works with artisan makers from the Mekong region of Southeast Asia to create handcrafted goods, including home products, jewelry and accessories, that supports their communities. They’re participating in this weekend’s Little Mekong Night Market, a night of traditional Asian entertainment, food and crafts. (5-10 p.m. Free. 400 block of University Ave., St. Paul, littlemekong.com/night-market & facebook.com/RedGreenRivers.)
Now through July 31: Corset Styling & Fashion Boutique Clearance Sale: 50th & France retailer Corset Styling & Fashion Boutique is hosting their semi-annual clearance sale. It includes 50 to 75 percent off spring/summer and fall/winter clothing, shoes and accessories, with extended days and hours. (10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. & noon-5 p.m. Sun. 5400 France Av. S., Edina, 952-224-2495, corsetstyling.com.)
Now through Aug. 3: Nordstrom Anniversary Sale: Nordstrom’s biggest sale of the year after Black Friday features pre-releases from dozens of designers’ fall collections–occasionally exclusives–marked down by 33 percent for two weeks only before they go back to regular price on August 4. A great chance to stock up for fall. Check out my picks from the Anniversary Sale catalog. (Nordstrom, Mall of America, 1000 Northwest Ct., Bloomington, 952-883-2121, nordstrom.com.)
Now available: Hackwith Design House x Indigo & Snow: Local fashion line Hackwith Design House recently joined forces with designer Annabella Sardelis of Indigo & Snow for a collaborative capsule collection. The four-piece line features hand-dyed, one-of-a-kind pieces featuring Indigo & Snow’s signature shibori dye technique coupled with Hackwith’s minimalist silhouettes. Tanks and tops range from $130 to $145, with a dress priced at $180. [Read more: In the Studio with Hackwith Design House] (hackwithdesignhouse.com.)
Ongoing: Kindred Summer Sale: D.NOLO store-within-a-store Kindred is hosting its summer sale, offering 50 percent off spring and summer apparel, handbags, scarves and shoes. (D.NOLO, 219 N. 2nd St., Mpls., 612-584-3244, dnolo.com.)
Through July 31: Gus Modern Furniture Sale: Modern furniture and design store ROAM Interiors kicks off a month-long sale on Canadian-based furniture vendor Gus Modern, which designs contemporary and mid-century-inspired pieces. (ROAM Interiors, 2914 Hennepin Av., Mpls., 612-377-6465, roaminteriors.com & gusmodern.com.)
Ongoing: Mille Summer Sale: Mille, which features a thoughtfully-curated selection of small designers and U.S.-made goods, is hosting its summer sale, with spring and summer merchandise marked 50 percent off online and in store, plus take 10 percent off all online orders this week when you enter “BLUESKY” at checkout. (Now. 316 W. 48th St., Mpls., 612-209-7364 & shopmille.com.)
Ongoing: Ampersand Summer Sale: Galleria home goods boutique Ampersand is hosting its summer sale, offering 25 to 50 percent off selected styles of dinnerware, glassware, table linens and more summer entertaining goods. (3445 Galleria, 952-920-2118, ampersandshops.com.)
Ongoing: Pumpz & Co. Summer Sale: Take up to 70 percent off select shoes, handbags and accessories, plus $25 and $50 surprises, at the Galleria designer haven. (Now. 3335 Galleria, Edina, 952-926-2252, pumpzco.com.)
Through July 31: Stephanie’s Progressive Summer Sale: Through the month of July, Highland Park store Stephanie’s is hosting its annual progressive summer sale: Take 20 percent off one item, 30 percent off two items and 40 percent off three or more items, plus an extra ten percent off if you mention Minnesota Monthly. (Excludes jewelry and select accessories.) (Stephanie’s, 758 Cleveland Ave. S., St. Paul., 651-690-3802, stephaniesshop.com.)
Through July 27: MartinPatrick3 Summer Tag Sale: North Loop men’s and design shop MartinPatrick3 is in the midst of a summer tag sale with markdowns of 30 to 60 percent on select furniture, including Mitchell Gold, Bob Williams floor samples and stock, plus 20 percent off special order upholstery. (MartinPatrick3, 212 3rd Ave. N. #106, Mpls., 612-317-0045, martinpatrick3.com.)
Now open: OOTN Lifestyle: New boutique OOTN Lifestyle is an offshoot of OOTN Magazine, an online look book of crowd-sourced fashion in which the brand’s Instagram followers can share their “outfit of the day/night” through the hashtag #ootnmagazine. The shop carries an appropriately-eclectic mix that’s equally rock ‘n roll, multi-cultural, and feminine. [Read more: First Look: Crowd-sourced boutique OOTN Lifestyle opens] (Now open. 99 S. 10th St., Mpls. 612-338-3437, ootnmagazine.com.)
Now available: Jesse Draxler’s hand-painted t-shirts: Minneapolis artist Jesse Draxler’s darkly beautiful, hand-cut collage work and illustrations have been commissioned by everything from the New York Times, Target and clothing line Oak NYC. This month, he debuted a new line of hand-painted and -dyed t-shirts, commissioned by new L.A. skateboarding company SOVRN. Draxler now has additional t-shirts available on a made-to-order, customizable basis via Big Cartel. Available in unisex sizes small to XXL, the hand-painted, stained and dyed shirts are all one-of-a-kind. (And at $45, a total steal.) [Read more: Jesse Draxler debuts hand-painted t-shirt line] (Available now at jessedraxler.bigcartel.com.)
Now available: Minnesota Nice Clothing: Established in 2007, the Minnesota Nice Clothing label was revamped this month with all-new selection–and the return of some old favorites. Score the darkly humorous, Minnesota-themed designs at minnesotaniceclothing.com. [Read more: Streetwear line Minnesota Nice relaunches]
Now open: Lily Stan Studio: This week saw the launch of new clothing line Lily Stan Studio by Minneapolis designer Lily Harris. The handmade, limited-edition line is meant to be layered, seasonless and classic closet staples. [Read more: “First Look: Lily Stan Studio”] (Now available. lilystanstudio.com.)
Now open: Shinola & Filson: Shinola’s first Minneapolis shop (its third brick-and-mortar) carries much of what you’d expect if you’re a fan of the e-store, or visited any of the company’s other locations: Shinola’s beautifully-crafted bicycles, leather-bound journals and leather accessories, watches galore, and quirky-cool giftables like a brass coaster set and bottle opener. A doorway connects Shinola to Filson, which carries reclaimed waxed-canvas bags, outfitted with new leather straps and hardware, as well as new bags, sturdy wool and flannel shirts, jackets and other essentials that are both timeless and au courant. [Read more: “First Look: Shinola’s and Filson”] (Now open. 228 Washington Ave. N., Mpls., 612-338-5493, shinola.com & filson.com.)
Now open: Idun: St. Paul’s Cathedral Hill neighborhood is the site of internationally-minded, high-design boutique Idun. The shop carries a mix of goods that reflect the shop’s minimalist aesthetic, with activewear-inspired detailing, luxe fabrics and clean silhouettes, including quintessentially-French line Bérangère Claire; minimalist Danish label Won Hundred; sporty, streetwear-influenced NYC line Nomia and Toronto-based contemporary sportswear line Priority of Ten. [Read more: “New Shop Alert: Idun”] (Open noon-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Idun, 495 Selby Ave., St. Paul, 610-745-7681, shopidun.com.)
