After taking a break in the spring, the popular West Philly event celebrating local artists and crafters, is set to return this Saturday (Sept. 30). West Craft Fest’s Fall edition will be held at The Woodlands (40th and Woodland) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and feature dozens of vendors offering unique handmade items for sale, such as jewelry, ceramics, art prints, stationery, clothing, candles, soaps, skin care, home wares, baby gifts, and much more. The full vendor list is available here.

The event also features live music performances, food trucks, crafts to make and take, and favorite aerial performances by Tangle Movement Arts.

Here’s the entertainment schedule:

11:30 a.m.: Sing Slavic

1 p.m.: Ash Phillips (solo singer/songwriter/guitarist)

2:30 p.m.: Tangle Movement Arts

4 p.m.: Mad Beatz Philly

The event is free and open to the public. The Woodlands will be accepting donations ($1-$5) at the entrance that will help them host events like this and also maintain the historic grounds open daily all year round.

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The 63rd Annual Spruce Hill May Fair is taking place virtually this year due to COVID restrictions. But it doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun! The Spruce Hill Community Association volunteers have built a simulation of Clark Park (where the physical event usually takes place), which you can check out right away on GatherSpace. The real-time interactive portion of the event will take place on Saturday, May 8, 4-8 p.m. when you can chat, play and shop with your neighbors!

A large number of neighborhood artisans, vendors, and organizations have signed up to participate in the Virtual Fair, and new family friendly games and other features are being added every day. Continue Reading

The West Craft Fest held in spring and fall at The Woodlands will again take place virtually due to the ongoing pandemic. This Saturday, Sept. 26, work by West Craft Fest’s past vendors will be featured on its Instagram page (anyone who participated in the craft fest’s 2019 events is welcome to tag their IG posts with #virtualwestcraftfest).

Shoppers are invited to follow the Fest Instagram page and the #virtualwestcraftfest hashtag to find out what vendors have been creating, including some special one-day-only discounts. This is a great opportunity to shop for holiday gifts early and support local makers during these difficult times.

The December Fest, which was held at The Rotunda before the pandemic, will most likely be online-only also. The organizers hope that they will be able to return to the Woodlands in April 2021.

(Photo courtesy of West Craft Fest)

Cedar Park based gift shop, VIX Emporium, has recently gotten its own product line, just in time for holiday gift shopping! Made by a local black-owned business, Urban Essence, exclusively for VIX the Cedar Park Soap line features vegan, all-natural body products. The collection includes three scents of handmade lotion and detergent-free liquid soap, and 10 types of bar soap. The products are unisex and make a great gift for just about anyone.

If you want to check it out, stop by the store located at 5009 Baltimore Ave. For information on their holiday hours, go to: www.vixemporium.com.

DTLR, a fast-growing lifestyle retailer with over 245 stores in 19 states, has opened a new flagship store on South 52nd Street. The store is located at 4 S. 52nd St., in the space previously occupied by VILLA, which was acquired by DTLR in 2017.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on Thursday. During the ceremony, DTLR President Scott Collins, along with Councilwoman-elect Jamie Gauthier, provided remarks to commemorate the brand-new, three-story, 8,600-square-foot store.  Continue Reading

West Craft Fest, featuring over 100 local crafters and artists, will return for the 15th time to The Woodlands (40th and Woodland) on Saturday, April 27, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The spring edition of this popular bi-annual event is a great opportunity to shop for unique, handmade Mother’s Day gifts, such as artisan jewelry, handmade ceramics, clothing, accessories, prints, stationery, soaps, candles, children’s items, home wares and more.

Guests can also enjoy live music, food trucks, children’s activities and acrobatic performances by Tangle Movement Arts, plus learn some Philadelphia history while you stroll The Woodlands’ 54 acres of historic cemetery monuments, gardens, and flowering trees and bushes.  Continue Reading