Etsy Fait au Quebec recap!

So, this year's EtsyFAQ has come and gone, it went in a bit of a blur, a happy blur. A weekend full of hard work but also lots, and lots of smiles and wonderful memories.

This experience left me so energized and well happy that I feel like running, like laughing, but specially I feel like thanking everyone who made it possible: vendors, visitors, customers, Etsy, the volunteers, family, awesome co-organizer Michelle Beausejour and our wonderful, wonderful organizing team from Les joailliers du dimanche and the Montreal Etsy team.

I could say a thousand things of how amazing it all went this past weekend, but I better post a few photos I took at the market to show you how Etsy Fait au Quebec was!

The Joaillier du dimanche collective, part of the organizing bunch, just missing Maxime here! Such resourceful, intelligent, hard working, enthusiastic women. I'm so proud to be part of them.

The whole organizing team! comprising Les joailliers du dimanche and the Montreal Etsy team! Etsy teams rock!

For more photos check out this FB album and to see all participant's work, check out the Shop the Market page!

Etsy: made in Canada Montreal

In this photo: Our main entrance at the Technopole Angus! Des Enfantillages, Anakiel, Lili Pop, Productions DCS.

I know it's two weeks later but better late than never to show you some of the photos I took at Etsy: Made in Canada last month! 

I'll start by saying this: WOW, it was such an amazing experience. Never in my life I imagined to be involved in something like this, I mean, as a seller yes, of course! I am a maker and craft shows are the cherry on top my Sundae! I love craft shows, I love to talk with my customers and be one on one with the people that support my work. But to be behind scenes, at the core of the organization at a big show, never thought of that until I received an email from Etsy Canada back at the beginning of the year asking if I'd like to apply to be part of the organization of this project they were planning for later on the year. I applied because the collective I'm part of loooove to make a good pop-up shop and I though they would be excited to collaborate with Etsy in case I got to be selected. It turned out I was selected and well, we got to do this and it was pretty amazing and rewarding! 

For Etsy: made in Canada, my team (Les Joailliers du dimanche) got to collaborate and work alongside the girls from the Montreal Etsy team (the other team Etsy picked to organize the event) in which Michelle Beausejour is their team captain (team leader for those of you not familiar with Etsy team terms ;)) . What I liked most about working alongside the other team was the chance to step out of our comfort zone and try new things, to mix up what we are as a collective and our ideas with ideas from different individuals and make something new, something that made all of us proud. We learnt so much and we grow so much as well! 

When we were selecting vendors a great responsibility overcame me: These were our vendors, these people were investing their time, efforts on doing this show and they were believing in this project. At that moment the task ahead was immediately defined: we weren't allowed to disappoint them! Of course that was a task I put to myself, it was my biggest motivation throughout the planning process. I was also worried, I guess is normal, I didn't quite know what to expect the weekend of, it was a big mystery to me! until the very last moment when, after seeing all the people that came, all the happy faces, all the great response the weekend of the event, I knew we were good, I knew we had done it. 

I'm never again will see craft shows as I used to see them: my already big admiration for the people that make those shows possible has grown a 100 times! 

Now, the pictures! For more info about the shops, check out the vendor line-up HERE! And if you want to check the rest of the photos I took, find them HERE, on my FB page!

In this photo: Hazel and Hunter, Nanoutriko, Orange and Coco, Ysabel LaRousse and Tanya from Etsy Canada.

Orange and Coco, Cara Carmina, Pops Art, Fannie Gregoire and Des Enfantillages.

In this photo: Rousskine, Cutiful Baby, Double Yellow Line, Vuela Vuela and Unik Printshop.

In this photo: Les Joailliers du Dimanche! Marilie Jacob, Pilar Agueci, Louise Koo, Sabine Pouquet, The Angry Weather (my husband at my table!) and Catrie. We also had a collective table but I didn't took photos of it!

In this photo: Terrarium Obsessarium, Zoe G Kocsis, Amanda Moss, Noir & Black, Cadeaute, Twill & Print, Grotesquely Beautiful Things, N/A, Raymond Besinger, Matelele and Les Charlatans!

And these last photos are from the night prior, during the decoration session!

Thank you so much Les joailliers du Dimanche and The Montreal Etsy team for your great work. Thank you vendors for believing in this project and thank you buyers for supporting the local community of artists and artisans. Thanks to our families for all your help and support during these crazy months! Thanks Etsy, for always finding ways to encouraging us to grow. And thank you to the girls from Etsy Canada (Erin, Nada, Melissa, Tanya, Jennifer) for all your help, support and for the the amazing opportunity!
Let me know in the comments bellow if you attended this or any of the Etsy: made in Canada markets across Canada and what was your experience? :)

Thank you!

Venue

Today Michelle (organizer) and  I went to take some photos of our venue for Etsy: Made in Canada. It's such a beautiful building and I hope vendors and visitors love and enjoy the space.

The venue is called Locoshop Angus, a 100 year-old industrial building that once was a manufacturing plant for railcars and the Valentine tanks for the Russian army during second world war. Now it houses tons of creative enterprises and on their beautiful atrium (where our show it's going to take place), seasonal fashion shows and markets. The atrium features amazing industrial details like steel columns, riveted steel beams, concrete floors and a super high ceilings.

Here are some of the photos I took! I hope you like this space as much as I do and don't forget to sign up for our mailing list to receive more details about Etsy: Made in Canada in Montreal! If you are an artist, maker or craft person in Montreal you must join our list as we'll be sending out the vendor call very soon! 

Outside of the building. The entrance is where those blue flags are.

Outside of the building, look at all those arches, steel beams and rivets! 

This is what you see when you enter the building.

I love the details of the steel columns. 

Looking up.

Thanks so much to Meli from the Montreal Etsy Team for scoring this beautiful venue for us and thanks so much to Technopole Angus for allowing us to plan and use your amazing atrium for our upcoming market! 

If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to let me know in the comments! And don't forget to sign up to our mailing list :) here!

Thanks!

Iveth