Making the Best of the Times

[11th Annual Unglued: Craft Fest]

Story by: Ashley Morken
Photography by: M. Schleif Photography

If you would have told us at our (February) 2020 10th Annual Unglued: Craft Fest that in early 2021 we’d be hosting the 11th Fest in a spaced out, half-the-vendors, face-masked, sanitizing pandemic world we would have dropped our hot glue guns right into our naive early-2020 morning coffees in shock and awe. But now we are here for it! And look at how beautiful it turned out, thanks to West Acres Mall and M. Schleif Photography pivoting right along with us to make the 11th Fest one for the (sanitized) books! ​

Ready...Set...Fest!

On March 12-13, 2021, the 11th Annual Unglued: Craft Fest took place at West Acres Mall, following COVID safety guidelines, with 45 makers and a huge pile of all-virtual workshops and demos. A full Virtual Fest day followed on March 14 with 55 makers!

Makers were spread out throughout four main mall hallways with plenty of space between each, and showcased their handcrafted wares Friday and Saturday. This year brought about makers who started their business while quarantining, to makers who had really grown into all kinds of new products while stuck at home! From hand-dipped beeswax candles and glass-dipped pen art to dry domed floral arrangements and your new favorite ceramic mug, the creativity was bursting at the seams to be discovered by (masked and distanced) shoppers.

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