Small Business Saturday 2013

Our favorite day of the year is here! Small Business Saturday is November 30 and we can't wait to hit up some of our favorite local spots. Of course we all should be patronizing these businesses all year round, but something about having a day dedicated to them makes it special.

If you don't know where to start or where to go, Crooked River Couture is here for you! Below is our list of special events going on Saturday as well as details on some of our favorite Cleveland area small businesses!

These are obviously not even near all of CLE's small businesses so feel free to comment with your favorite place you think people should hit up this weekend or send us a message on Facebook or Twitter!

Winterfest Holiday Pop-Up Shop
Saturday, November 30, 2-7pm
Public Square

Be a part of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance's annual Winterfest bash! Browse the locally made goodies and stay for the other Winterfest activities, including the Holiday Lighting Ceremony.

Made in the 216 Holiday Shoppe

11am-6pm

R/S Boutique

2078 W. 25th, Ohio City

Banyan Tree
10am-9pm
2242 Professor Ave., Tremont

City Buddha
11am-9pm
1807 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Hts.
10am-10pm
Cleveland Christmas Village Pop Up at Crocker Park, Westlake

CLE Clothing Co.
11am-9pm
342 Euclid Ave. (E. 4th & Euclid), Downtown

Crafty Goodness
12pm-6pm
15729 Madison Ave

Deering Vintage
12pm-8pm
1836 W. 25th, Ohio City

Flower Child
11am-8pm
11508 Clifton Blvd., Cleveland

GV Art + Design

11am-3pm
17411 Detroit Ave., Lakewood

Lion and Blue
10am-6pm

15106 Detroit Ave., Lakewood

Native-Cleveland
12pm-8pm

15813 Waterloo Road, Collinwood

One World Shop
10am-5pm
19321 Detroit Rd., Rocky River

Paper Trails
10am-5pm
19146 Old Detroit Rd., Rocky River

Salty Not Sweet
10am-7pm
2074 W. 25th, Ohio City

Star Pop
2pm-9pm

15813 Waterloo Rd., Collinwood

Be sure to use #ShopSmall or #ShopSmallCLE hashtags Saturday to share all of your Small Business shopping adventures!

Made in the 216 Holiday Shoppe & Kickoff Party

Welcome to the biggest shopping week of the year! Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and *ugh* yes, even "Brown Thursday"... We promised to help you avoid the insanity of usual holiday shopping experiences by bringing you awesome local shows, events, and places to get your all your gifts. Small Business Saturday is quite possibly our favorite day of the year, and we'll have a full post on where to go on the 30th later this week...

But first off, you may be asking yourself what to do and where to go on the infamous Black Friday. Unless you really had your eye on that 60" flat screen, we've got the perfect place for you! One of our favorite Ohio City boutiques, Room Service is hosting it's 6th annual Made in the 216 Holiday Shoppe! This month-long event gets started this Friday with a kickoff party that is sure to be a blast...

Made in the 216 Holiday Shoppe Kickoff Party
Friday, November 29, 4pm
R/S Boutique
2078 W. 25th, Ohio City
www.rscleveland.com
Get the holiday shopping season off with a bang! Get a look at all the locally made goodies and giftables available at R/S all month! PLUS yummy noms courtesy of Cleveland Confectionery and drinks including wine, hot toddies, and an exclusive MADE beer on tap! Accompanying the merriment will be DJ Peter Pleasurecruise and then join the crew at the after party at Tremont's Duck Island Club.

Made in the 216 Holiday Shoppe
November 29 - December 24
Monday-Saturdays, 11am-6pm
Sundays, 11am-5pm
R/S Boutique
2078 W. 25th, Ohio City
www.rscleveland.com
This marks the 6th anniversary of the MADE Holiday Shoppe and there's no better time to join in on the fun! Your one stop shop for local Christmas shopping is open 7 days a week, with extended evening hours beginning on December 7. They've got everything from clothing to cards, accessories to home goods, and everything in between!

A Weekend in St. Clair

Forget everything you ever thought you knew about Flea Markets! The Cleveland Flea is a whole new ballgame. Once a month, vendors from all over come together in the St. Clair neighborhood to show off their goods to the fine people of Northeast Ohio. This weekend is "The Flea's" big holiday extravaganza, complete with a Sneak Peak Party on Friday night PLUS the grand opening of Collective Upcycle right down the street! We've got all the details for you right here, and remember to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for even more updates!

Holiday Flea Sneak Peek & Meet the Makers Party
Friday, November 22, 7-10pm
Slovenian National Home
6417 St. Clair Ave. Cleveland
(Between E. 64th & Addison Ave.)
www.theclevelandflea.com
Get a look at the Holiday Flea a day early! Enjoy complimentary refreshments (including BEER!) courtesy of Sterles Country House, Jeni's Ice Cream, and Piccadilly Artisan Frozen Yogurt. Tickets are $20 and shopping starts at 8pm.

Collective Upcycle Holiday Grand Opening Party
Friday, November 22, 5-8pm
6202 St. Clair Ave. Cleveland
(Between Norwood Rd. & E. 64th)
www.facebook.com/CollectiveUpcycle
You like local, you like handmade, how about adding a sprinkling of eco-friendliness? Collective Upcycle is a pop-up shop of Cleveland-area artists who specifically use recycled materials. The party Friday will feature live music from Ansambel Dvojčki, food from Impassioned Baking and Catering, and Slovenian cocktails!

The Cleveland Flea Holiday Show
Saturday, Nov. 23, 10am-6pm
Sunday, Nov. 24, 10am-6pm
6417 St. Clair Ave. Cleveland
(Between E. 64th & Addison Ave.)
www.theclevelandflea.com
The main event! Peruse the dozens of local vendors selling their handmade goodies including jewelry, clothing, food and more! The Flea also features a "Maker Center," that connects local talent and the community like never before. We also hear there will some of Cleveland fabulous food trucks in attendance at this most treasure hunt-esque show!

Map courtesy of The Cleveland Flea

West Side Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show Review

We warned you! Even though we're still a week away from Thanksgiving, Christmas is creeping its way into our psyche. Thankfully, we eased our way into it the best way we know how - with a good ol' fashioned craft show! The West Side Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show last weekend had vendors and shoppers from all over Northeast Ohio flocking to Rocky River Memorial Hall buying and selling goodies of all sorts. We had a blast on Saturday and are here to show you what we found!

Even though there were two entire huge rooms of vendors, we made purchases at the first three booths we hit! #1 was the hand-sewn originals of Aunt Jeannie's Attic. Brightly colored patterned purses caught our eye, but it was this black wristlet, made from vintage men's suits, that had us sold!

I recognized the nautical pillowcases from Avant-Garde's blog when we came by IndoDesign's booth. Our second stop had even more fun patterned fabric goods but we couldn't help but fall in love with these wooden Christmas trees! So unique, this will definitely be a conversation piece hanging at the house around the holidays. Gives off a beachy vibe even amidst the cold Cleveland November/December temps, thanks especially to the starfish tree topper!

Nestled by a window was the soothing smells of Peripeti Home. Also sold at one of our favorite spots, Salty Not Sweet, these handmade soy candles and wax melts have the most unique yet satisfying scents we've ever come across! Orchard Picnic will be great to have wafting around the house on Thanksgiving and Sherwood Forest was too calming to pass up. These layered fragrances are also available in large tins and crackling wooden wicks.

I'm a sucker for fun and unique jewelry - anything that has a story and makes people ask, "where did you get those?" I could have bought every ring, necklace, pendant, and pair of earrings displayed at Diella Jewelry's booth! Her handmade, handpainted, mixed media pieces are not only to die for, they're very reasonably priced! I picked these sparkly earrings for myself along with a few other Christmas presents that I'll have to keep hidden for now...two words: rhinestones and chevrons.

Last but not least, we have to give it up to Colleen Smith and her amazing mixed media, Cleveland pride art! I would totally be down to furnishing my home with Colleen's large scale collage prints but let's start with what we bought from her at the show... we went with the coolest Cleveland Christmas cards EVER and a Browns inspired ornament! Hard to say if we'll be gifting these or maybe even framing them for decorations at the house!

Needless to say by our fabulous finds, the West Side Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show was a success! If you missed out on the fun, fear not, there's an East Side show coming up in December! More details on that to come...

Be cool. Shop local.

The temps are dropping (consistently), decorations are sprouting up everywhere, and Starbucks' red cups are back. It's time to face the facts - Christmas is coming, and that means so is the holiday shopping season! It may seem like a burden when your idea of Christmas shopping is trudging to the mall or busy shopping plaza and facing the insanity.

Believe it or not, it doesn't have to be that way. If you take a page from our book, shopping local is where it's at! Skip out on all the craziness, support independent businesses and vendors, AND chances are, your friends and family will truly appreciate something unique for Christmas this year!

If you're at a loss for where to start, fear not, Crooked River Couture is here! We are all about shining a light on all the fabulously awesome small businesses in the Cleveland area! Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and of course the ol' blog here for great places to shop as well as shows and events that will help you with your all-local holiday to-do list!

Here are some upcoming November events to kick off the season right...

Beachwood Arts Council Holiday Arts & Crafts Show
Saturday, Nov. 9, 10am-5pm
Beachwood Community Center (25225 Fairmount Blvd.)
www.beachwoodarts.org
Get your arts & crafts on at this free event! Browse the over 50 vendors selling their handmade jewelry, soaps, ceramics, photography, fiber art, handblown glass and more! Plus the Beachwood Arts Council will be accepting canned good donation for the Heights Emergency Food Center to help the hungry during the holidays! It's a win-win!


2013 West Side Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show
Saturday, Nov. 16, 10am-5pm 
Sunday, Nov. 17, 10am-5pm
Rocky River Memorial Hall (21016 Hilliard Blvd.)
www.avantgardeshows.com
We are so excited about this two-day craftastic extravaganza! $3 gets you in the door to browse the almost 100 local handmade vendors! Part of the proceeds to this event will benefit Drink Local. Drink Tap., a local non-profit focusing on bringing safe water to those in need. Plus on top of all that you can treat yo self at the on-site concession stand!