The Premier Marketplace for Handmade-Only Artisan Goods in Boulder & The Front Range. Support Local and Shop Small!
BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO
Making the quick drive to Boulder has been a favorite pastime of ours for years. As soon as the Flatirons come into view, you pat yourself on the back for the great idea to get out of town for a change of scenery. When we discovered the Firefly Handmade Market, we were instantly in love. It strikes a chord with us as big supporters of shopping small and supporting local. Founded in 2010, and a woman-owned business, Firefly Handmade Markets celebrate a return to the values of artisan craft. The luxury of simplicity, evidence of a human hand at work, and the artful imperfections found in the handmade movement are antidotes to a commoditized world. We had the opportunity to sit down with owner Beth Pomerantz to discuss market life and catch a glimpse of the many details that go on behind the scenes.
How did you decide you wanted to run the wildly popular handmade artisan market Firefly Handmade?
Firefly was a market that had been operating in Boulder for a couple of years and had established a very good reputation. I had the good fortune to meet the owners and unexpectedly be offered the chance to acquire the business. My career has been in marketing, promotions, advertising, and events. I’m also an artist. So with both the business and creative skills and understanding, it was an exciting opportunity. I believed I could build on Firefly’s reputation and maximize the potential from the growing interest in the maker movement and artisan handmade goods. The ultimate goal was to create more opportunities for artisans to market and sell their goods to the Front Range communities and is the most rewarding aspect of Firefly.
Being an artist yourself, it must be amazing to get to work closely with local artisans and support them directly. What has been your favorite part about running this market?
It’s exciting, inspiring and fulfilling to work in our incredible creative community! I continuously meet fascinating people. I love their stories and appreciate the opportunity to introduce makers and their craft to our audience. It’s an honor to learn how they started doing what they do artistically, why, who they learned from, what they do day-to-day to keep going, and so much more. It feeds me with pride and I know how lucky I am to work with these makers, and I’m committed to do my best to help them grow their businesses.
What goes on behind the scenes that your artisans and patrons might not realize?
So much, in so many areas, goes into operating a well-organized, large event. I feel that one thing that really sets Firefly apart, and what perhaps many people aren’t aware of, is the hard work and number of hours we put into curating our markets. Taking a large pool of applicants and evaluating the products and presentation of artisans in order to get the right mix is an enormous task. Our jury members carefully look at every applicant, product offerings, website, etsy shop, social media, booth presentation, and more, to reach a consensus on accepted applicants. Add to that our objective of having at 20% of each market consist of new artisans, market curation is extremely important and takes a great deal of work. To keep shoppers coming back, we have to keep our markets exciting and interesting with returning artisans who people love and always a strong group of new artisans. That’s one of the reasons we have such a strong following.
Marketing and community relations are also major parts of the business. Building and maintaining relationships with community members – retailers, arts organizations and galleries, as well as industry organizations, members of the media and so many more. These ties are critical to getting folks to come to our events, not only our wonderful shoppers, but also retailers and galleries that are looking for local artisan goods and members of the media, blogs, websites who are looking for new stories to cover. Maintaining and growing awareness of Firefly is a job in itself. There is an awful lot going on behind the scenes!
Give us a glimpse into the market life. What is your mission with Firefly and how do you see it evolving in the future?
Firefly and the market industry is constantly evolving and we continuously monitor the strength of our venues for artisans and shoppers, timing of markets, attendance, marketing, what changes are occurring and why, what can we do better, how can we better support our artisans, increase traffic and awareness, create new opportunities and understanding of what we do and why it’s important. I think Colorado offers the perfect landscape for local art markets, because we understand the importance of supporting local makers and what this ultimately means to our community.
What markets do you have scheduled so we can mark our calendars?
We have at least three more markets this year. Coming up next is Summer Market which is Aug. 4 & 5 at a great new location…the Boulder Main Library parking lot. We’ll be just two blocks from the fabulous Boulder Farmers Market and adjacent to the beautifully renovated Civic Park and Boulder Creek. Fall Market is super exciting as we’ll again be on Pearl Street Mall as part of the Downtown Boulder Fall Fest on Sept. 15 & 16. Holiday Market will happen Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 24 & 25, back at Embassy Suites Boulder. And we’re constantly searching for new and unexpected opportunities, so who knows…maybe we’ll add some new events yet this year!
Can you tell us a favorite memory from your years with Firefly?
I have many favorite memories! I’d say some of the best ones are when our artisans share great news with me – having a great market, meeting a new retailer or gallery owner who came to Firefly to find new artisans to carry, securing a big commission or after-market order, making wonderful new contacts with other artisans, retailers, media, galleries, and shoppers. We have an amazing community of artisans, shoppers and others who support and are a part of this incredible creative world. I feel very lucky to be a part of it and hope I’m making a positive impact.
We can assure you, Beth, that you are making a positive impact. Buzzfeed.com didn’t name your market one of the “35 Indie Craft Fairs Every Creative Person Needs to Visit” for nothin’! Thank you for introducing us to some of the best makers and artisans in the state and surrounding states. You continue to open our eyes to women-owned businesses and the art of lovingly hand-crafted pieces. So if you are part of the movement of supporting local and ultimately improving the strength of our community and economy, we will see you at the upcoming Firefly Handmade Summer Market!