This Sunday, local artisans will be selling their one-of-a-kind designs at a pop-up shop in Binghamton’s West Side. Items available for sale include handmade jewelry, tote bags, costumes, clothing and paintings.
This is the second year that Binghamton residents Addie Ingalls-Deacon and Candace Phelan have decided to organize a pop-up shop in anticipation of the holiday gift-giving season. While they both run their shops primarily online, Ingalls-Deacon said they thought hosting a special one-day event would give them the unique opportunity to meet some of their customers.
“My friend Candace came up with the idea last year,” she said. “I think it’s kind of a trend in a variety of industries right now. It’s a nice way to hold a sale. It’s also a fairly low-overhead event and we can do them whenever it’s convenient for us.”
Ingalls-Deacon’s shop, Eclectic Art by Addie, sells jewelry, bags, wall art and more. Lately, the artist has been exploring ways she can give new life to things that people might normally discard.
“I’ve been experimenting with making reusable gift bags and gift tags from fabric and dog food bags,” Ingalls-Deacon said. “It’s a way to use scraps of fabric from leftover projects combined with materials that would normally go in the garbage.”
Phelan, of Dancing Candace Designs, and her daughter, Carrie Sue Davies, of Crzy Sqrl, specialize in fabric work, designing costumes and clothing. They typically work on commissioned projects, and Phelan said each one is unique.
“I sit with a person and they show me a photo of what they want,” Phelan said. “Then I take measurements and order the materials. Upon the client’s approval, I begin building the costume. I just completed a custom-built ‘Purple Rain’ coat similar to the one Prince wore. For materials, I used a satin-like fabric and pewter buttons. I also recently built an Evil-Lyn costume out of foam and athletic stretch fabrics.”
Phelan will have some of her personally designed clothing and costumes at Sunday’s event.
As Ingalls-Deacon explained on recent posts on her store’s Facebook page, craft-making plays multiple roles in her life. It’s her outlet for creative expression, and the activity also sets aside time for meditation and self-reflection, allowing her to slow down the fast rhythms of modern life and focus on what’s immediately present.
While Ingalls-Deacon said she finds the work rewarding in its own right, the products have helped turn her hobby into a small business.
“I enjoy creating things and I make more than I can use or give away as gifts, so it’s natural to try to sell the things I create,” she said. “It’s a way to get my creations into the hands of people who will love them, while being compensated for my time and talent as well.”
The sale will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 11 Crary Ave.